Clinicians Who Ignore Nitric Oxide (NO) Function Put Their Patients at Risk

Newswise — LAS VEGAS, NV. December 13, 2017. . . Dr. Nathan Bryan, Baylor College of Medicine and one of the leading experts in nitric oxide biochemistry and physiology said today, “healthcare providers, especially those helping patients with cardiovascular issues and age-related disease, are not using perhaps the most important ‘tool’ in their ‘toolbox,’ restoring nitric oxide function. Bryan organized and chaired a full day workshop on the Clinical Applications of Nitric Oxide held during the 25th American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine World Congress. 

 “More than 150,000 scientific papers have been published on the vital physiological role of nitric oxide; however, it has not been a consideration in patient care and clinical medicine. It is time for physicians, registered dieticians and other healthcare providers to change their approach. It is time to bring NO function front and center, to make it a cornerstone of care.  In sum, patients cannot and will not get better until you fix their nitric oxide production.”

 The workshop provided physicians and health care practitioners with basic science and fundamentals of nitric oxide production along with the history of its discovery and the Nobel Prize. World class physicians and scientists including: Mark Houston, M.D., MS; Felice Gersh, M.D.; Ernst Schwarz M.D., Ph.D., and David Lefer, Ph.D. were invited speakers and spoke on the role of nitric oxide in hormone therapy, sexual function, diabetes and insulin signaling as well as providing evidence based strategies for diagnosing NO insufficiency. 

Dr. Bryan noted, "Most if not all chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease (the number one killer of men and women worldwide) are characterized and associated with loss of nitric oxide production.  Understanding how to recognize loss of NO in your patients and then being able to confidently make recommendations that will restore their NO production will change the face of health care and lead to better treatment of chronic disease.” 

Importantly, Dr. Gersh, M.D., said, “The critical roles played by nitric oxide in women's health is virtually unknown and ignored by physicians. Throughout a woman's life, nitric oxide is a critical component of health, encompassing a vast array of issues, including fertility and pregnancy, cognitive wellness, post-menopausal cardiovascular health, and more. 

 “My mission is to educate and encourage physicians to consider the impact of pharmaceuticals, lifestyle, and aging on women's health, in the context of the implications it has on her nitric oxide production.”

Dr. Schwartz underscored, “Nitric oxide is an essential aspect for the erectile physiology during sexual function. Erectile dysfunction is a result of endothelial dysfunction caused in part by lack of available nitric oxide production, which subsequently can also lead to vascular problems and heart diseases. Sexual dysfunction, therefore, can be an early sign for more severe vascular problems or heart disease. We as physicians need to be aware of the implications of sexual dysfunction but also the possibilities to enhance nitric oxide to improve the function of the blood vessels.”

Dr. Houston added, “Nitric Oxide (NO) is one of the most important biochemical compounds in human physiology that will prevent and treat cardiovascular disease and hypertension.  Patients with both obstructive and vasospastic angina improve with administration of NO. Evaluation of NO bioavailability and the effects of NO on non-invasive cardiovascular testing should be routine in clinical cardiovascular practice for prevention and treatment of all cardiovascular diseases.

This was the first of its kind dedicated workshop that provides physicians with evidenced based strategies to diagnose and recognize patients that are nitric oxide deficient.  The speakers ended the full day workshop with multiple case reports and how they have used peer reviewed and published therapeutic and nutritional strategies to restore nitric oxide production in their patients.  

Bryan is credited with a multitude of significant discoveries in Nitric Oxide function, production and metabolism, and has published extensively in peer-reviewed scientific journals in the field. His discoveries have led to the issuance of more than a dozen US and International patents related to his discoveries on Nitric Oxide. Dr. Bryan is an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Baylor College of Medicine in the Department of Molecular and Human Genetics.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Credentials of panel participants:

• Mark Houston, M.D., MS MSc FACP FAHA FASH FACN FAARM ABAARM, ABCCH, Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine Vanderbilt University Medical School, Director, Hypertension Institute and Vascular Biology;
• Felice Gersh, M.D., a physician who is Board-Certified in both OB/GYN and Integrative Medicine. Dr. Gersh is especially renowned for her expertise in hormonal management of women, with a unique specialization in PCOS, the most common endocrine problem faced by women
• Ernst Schwarz M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Medicine, Cedars Sinai Medical Center, Clinical Professor of Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Professor of Medicine, University of California Riverside School of Medicine.
• David Lefer, Ph.D., has been working in the fields of myocardial protection and coronary physiology for over 20 years and have made important contributions to these fields.  Dr. Lefer’s laboratory was among the first to demonstrate the profound loss of endothelial cell derived nitric oxide (NO) from the coronary circulation following coronary artery occlusion and reperfusion.

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