posted March 08, 2015 02:30 PM            

Some people think it's the gas that makes us laugh at the dentist office. Some think it's the fuel racecar drivers use to speed up their cars. But it's neither. Nitric oxide is a molecule that our body produces to help its 50 trillion cells communicate with each other by transmitting signals throughout the entire body.

Nitric oxide has been shown to be important in the following cellular activities:

• help memory and behavior by transmitting information between nerve cells in the brain
• assist the immune system at fighting off bacteria and defending against tumors
• regulate blood pressure by dilating arteries
• reduce inflammation
• improve sleep quality
• increase your recognition of sense (i.e. smell)
• increase endurance and strength
• assist in gastric motility
There have been over 60,000 studies done on nitric oxide in the last 20 years and in 1998, The Nobel Prize for Medicine was given to three scientists that discovered the signaling role of nitric oxide.

Nitric oxide and heart disease
Nitric oxide has gotten the most attention due to its cardiovascular benefits. Alfred Nobel, the founder of the Nobel Prize, was prescribed nitroglycerin over 100 years ago by his doctor to help with his heart problems. He was skeptical, knowing nitroglycerin was used in dynamite, but this chemical helped with his heart condition. Little did he know nitroglycerin acts by releasing nitric oxide which relaxes narrowed blood vessels, increasing oxygen and blood flow.
The interior surface (endothelium) of your arteries produce nitric oxide. When plaque builds up in your arteries, called atherosclerosis, you reduce your capacity to produce nitric oxide, which is why physicians prescribe nitroglycerin for heart and stroke patients.

Nitric oxide and erectile dysfunction
Viagra and other impotence medications work due to their action on the nitric oxide pathway. One cause of impotence is unhealthy and aged arteries that feed blood to the sexual organs. Viagra works by influencing enzymes in the nitric oxide pathway, causing a cascade of enzymatic reactions that enhance nitric oxide, causing more blood flow and better erections.

How to increase nitric oxide in your body
The most common way to increase nitric oxide is through exercise. When you run or lift weights, your muscles need more oxygen which is supplied by the blood. As the heart pumps with more pressure to supply the muscles with blood, the lining in your arteries releases nitric oxide into the blood, which relaxes and widens the vessel wall, allowing for more blood to pass though. As we age, our blood vessels and nitric oxide system become less efficient due to free radical damage, inactivity, and poor diet, causing our veins and arteries to deteriorate. Think of a fire hose as water rushes through it to put out a fire - it needs to expand enough to handle the pressure, still keeping enough force to put out the fire. Athletes and youth have the most optimal nitric oxide systems, reflecting their energy and resilience.

Diagram 1 Another way to increase nitric oxide is through diet, most notably by consuming the amino acids L-arginine and L-citrulline. Arginine, which can be found in nuts, fruits, meats and dairy, directly creates nitric oxide and citrulline inside the cell (diagram 1).(6) Citrulline is then recycled back into arginine, making even more nitric oxide. Enzymes that convert arginine to citrulline, and citrulline to arginine need to function optimally for efficient nitric oxide production. We can protect those enzymes and nitric oxide by consuming healthy foods and antioxidants, like fruit, garlic, soy, vitamins C and E, Co-Q10, and alpha lipoic acid, allowing you to produce more nitric oxide. Nitric oxide only lasts a few seconds in the body, so the more antioxidant protection we provide, the more stable it will be and the longer it will last. Doctors are utilizing this science by coating stents (mesh tubes that prop open arteries after surgery) with drugs that produce nitric oxide.

Nitric oxide for athletes and bodybuilders
Increasing nitric oxide has become the new secret weapon for athletes and bodybuilders. Athletes are now taking supplements with L-arginine and L-citrulline to support the flow of blood and oxygen to the skeletal muscle. They also use them to facilitate the removal of exercise-induced lactic acid build-up which reduces fatigue and recovery time. Since arginine levels become depleted during exercise, the entire arginine-nitric oxide - citrulline loop can lose efficiency, causing less-than-ideal nitric oxide levels and higher lactate levels. Supplements can help restore this loop allowing for better workouts and faster recovery from workouts.
With nitric oxide deficiencies due to aging, inactivity, smoking, high cholesterol, fatty diets, and lack of healthy foods, increasing your nitric oxide levels can help increase your energy, vitality and overall wellness. The basic adage of eating well and staying active all makes sense now.

WARNING: If you have an existing heart condition or abnormal blood pressure, please consult your healthcare professional before taking supplements to increase nitric oxide levels.
http://www.nutritionexpress.com/showarticle.aspx?articleid=286

posted March 09, 2015 06:09 PM            

Serendipity!!

posted March 11, 2015 09:20 AM            

quote:

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Originally posted by mirage29:
AE .... omg, I thinking about you yesterday evening, and all those Aries transits you must be under. Saw something on the news and did a quick search for a celeb's birthday chart when I chanced across a website on dentistry, and read what they had to say about nitrous gas (laughing gas), which you mentioned in your OP.

Serendipity!!

Thanks for the interesting info you provide us on the topics of health, AE!

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posted April 06, 2015 06:46 PM            

I'm soooo sorry that I missed putting up your LLC2.0 Birthday Greetings in time the other day.

Please forgive me?

Your chart and my name asteroids are AMAZING! And I'm a little better at astrology than when I first began knowing you.

I realize that we are different religions... but we DO have a single Creator as a common meeting ground.

BTW: Our Davison Relationship Birthday is May 2nd!

And asteroid Hygeia 10, has been involved in this whole Healing process we are both into.
(You and I have a very karmic relationship. We must have known each other in past lives.)

That special nickname you call me, "Mimi," is Asteroid Mimi 1127!

So! .... please forgive again for not having posted your Birthday Post on the day of your celebration....

posted April 08, 2015 09:09 AM            

I don't look or care about someones religion there are more important things imo about people.

posted April 09, 2015 02:59 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by mirage29:
{{{A.E.!!! }}} I LOVE your attitude... A.E. ....Your words are a reflection, truly a testament, to who and what core-LL'ers really are all about. It's People, from everywhere around this globe, who can communicate and strive to relate to each other 'for who they are'...

So!!, Have a GREAT Year, A.E. ~~ Always The Eagle-Prince, to me! May you Fly higher this year, than ever before... May you See all you need to see for your life's purpose right now. You truly deserve it!

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posted April 11, 2015 02:35 PM            

AND!!, A post-birthday grin with balloons! Hope it was great, AE!