Nitric oxide and neuropathy

7/1/2024

Patients suffering from diabetes and peripheral neuropathy visit your medical facility every day. Many of these individuals feel so overwhelmed managing diabetes and blood sugar levels that they neglect other vital areas of their health. This proves especially true when it comes to secondary conditions like peripheral neuropathy.

As a result, they may fail to grasp the essential role of nitric oxide in supporting circulatory health. Nevertheless, this essential molecule contributes to better sensory perception and vasodilation. It's a key component of an effective neuropathy therapy.

Keep reading to find out more about nitric oxide’s vital role in neurological and circulatory health and then pass this important information on to your patients.

IT STARTS WITH A CONVERSATION

What's the best way to raise awareness about neuropathy and nitric oxide among your patients? It's as simple as starting a life-changing conversation about nitric oxide and neuropathy.

NeuropaCalm can help. We have a proven track record of working with pharmacies and clinics to integrate neuropathy management tools into their patient offerings. When you work with us, we'll provide you with the educational resources you need to raise public awareness about peripheral neuropathy and nitric oxide.

Moreover, our tried-and-true resources can help you identify the best candidates for this treatment as well as educate and support their caregivers. That way, you can ensure the right information gets to those who need it when they need it most.

Nitric oxide 101

Teaching patients about nitric oxide starts with a firm grasp of how nitric oxide levels change with age. Levels of this essential molecule drop significantly with the passage of time, affecting health in many different ways. This decrease is especially dramatic after age sixty-five.

Yet, nitric oxide remains fundamental to a well-functioning circulatory system. It delivers oxygen and nutrients to our tissues. And it plays a vital role in venous, arterial, and lymphatic system flows.

Nitric oxide helps in the prevention of diabetes-related health disorders. But patients may not realize nitric oxide metabolism is negatively impacted in diabetic patients.

They may also have little knowledge when it comes to nitric oxide and how nitric oxide synthesis works. To top this off, they may not understand how to increase nitric oxide levels naturally.

Eat to Increase nitric oxide levels

Fortunately, there are many easy ways to boost nitric oxide levels. Some are more effective than others. For example, popular supplements, such as the amino acid L-Arginine or L-Citrulline, claim to buttress wellbeing.

And some people also rely on food sources to improve their nutrient levels. However, few individuals can sustain optimal nitric oxide levels through single isolated amino acid supplementation or diet alone.

Moreover, a growing body of research underscores the ineffectiveness of L-Citrulline and L-Arginine in increasing nitric oxide production levels. These popular supplements may even pose a threat for those suffering from diabetes and those with peripheral neuropathy.

A better route involves overhauling the diet for increased health. Patients with diabetes and peripheral neuropathy should focus on consuming more beets, butter lettuce, and spinach. Other nutrient-increasing superfoods include arugula, wok chop, and celery.

The list goes on. But the foods mentioned above are an excellent starting point for a healthier diet. Relying on food alone for nitric oxide supplementation is only as effective as an individual’s nutritional resolve and discipline.

Moreover, we must consider the body’s capacity to absorb and convert L-Arginine into nitric oxide. This ability nosedives after the age of forty.

What to do? Patients should monitor their nitric oxide levels and manage them with a high-quality supplement that promotes stable nitric oxide levels. Coupled with photobiomodulation therapy, peripheral neuropathy patients report greater improvements.

The Body and Nitric Oxide Synthesis

When patients make the effort to eat healthier and take supplements that help with the management of peripheral neuropathy, their bodies utilize these nutrients to enhance nitric oxide production.

Where does nitric oxide production occur? In the endothelial cells, which line every blood vessel and lymph duct in the body. When these endothelial cells can’t adequately absorb or convert L-Arginine for nitric oxide production, it contributes to devastating health consequences.

Synthesis of this vital nutrient is hampered. And it can lead to issues with oxygen delivery to individual cells, decreased nitric oxide synthesis, and hypoxia.

Stop the vicious cycle

Patients suffering with diabetes often struggle with a “vicious cycle” of progressive degeneration. Underlying this process is a lack of nitric oxide.

Diabetes exacerbates decreases in this vital nutrient as a part of the aging process. In turn, this may contribute to diseases of the eyes, kidneys, neurological systems, and heart. The bottom line is simple. Less nitric oxide means inadequate vasodilation and diminished oxygen delivery.