Did you know that nitric oxide was first discovered as a gas back in 1772, but that it was only in the late 1990s that a Nobel Prize was awarded for the discovery of this as the“signaling molecule in the cardiovascular system?” I recently had the good fortune of meeting up with Dr. Nathan Bryan, international leader in molecular medicine, and nitric oxide biochemistry. He has worked for years in the field of nitric oxide, and has also developed safe and effective functional, bioactive natural products in the treatment and prevention of human disease.
Wellness dos and don’ts according to Dr. Bryan.
Fast and aggressive eating habits are detrimental to good health, and more of us should be practicing slow, deliberate and mindful eating. I asked Nathan about the importance of maintaining good oral health and he had some surprising insights to offer. For instance, Nathan strongly discourages the use of antibacterial mouthwash. He believes that this is something that a majority of Americans use, which they shouldn’t. Far from giving us better oral health, this could actually be worsening oral health. While mouthwash could be killing off some of the bad bacteria that lives in the mouth, it is also killing off some of the beneficial or protective bacteria inside the mouth.
Nathan also urges people not to use fluoride toothpaste for the same reason – that far from being good for oral health it may actually be the opposite. Not only does it disrupt the oral microbiome it is also a neurotoxin that is best avoided.
Nathan advises against the use of another commonly used over the counter medication that we commonly use, the antacid. Antacids inhibit the production of natural stomach acids, which in turn prevents the production of nitric oxide. On the other hand, he recommends the eating of green leafy veggies and speaks at length about nitrites and nitrates in food.
Nasal breathing and good health.
Nasal breathing and humming help in the production of nitric oxide, according to Nathan. This echoed the thoughts expressed by several of my recent podcast guests who have been nasal breathing experts, sound healers and so on. In this interview Nathan explains all about endothelial dysfunction, the production of certain enzymes, and strategies that help with these.
In the course of the interview we also spoke about the bitter taste and how in western cuisine there isn’t as much of stress on these particular taste buds that are focused towards the back of the tongue. In the course of the conversation, Nathan spoke about an ancient technique called tongue scraping which is known to help lower blood pressure. We also spoke about other ancient systems of healing such as acupuncture and its possible connection to nitric oxide. Nathan also believes that the ancient Chinese concept of Qi could actually be nitric oxide!
Join us for this truly enlightening conversation with Dr. Nathan Bryan. His academic rigor and extensive research make him a formidable authority in his field and I feel truly fortunate to have spoken to him for as long as I did.
