Writings

Nitroglycerin, Nitric Oxide and Fireflies

by Michael Kopel

For thousands of years civilizations have used sound as a method for healing. Only recently, concurrent with medical research on the benefits of nitric oxide, are we beginning to understand one of the many ways sound therapy profoundly effects healing. This story begins with nitroglycerine.

In 1867 Alfred Nobel, renowned chemist and founder of the Nobel Prize, patented a method for making nitroglycerine safer to handle -- dynamite. Twelve years later, Nobel’s work led to research by William Murrell, M.D. who diluted nitroglycerin to make it non-explosive. In doing so, Murrell created a remedy for angina. But how exactly does nitroglycerin help to relieve angina?

A century later, Robert Furchgott, Ph.D. professor of pharmacology, at the State University of New York at Brooklyn, discovered the molecule which signals the cardio vascular system to relax. He called it endothelium-derived relaxing factor (EDRF).

Originally researchers thought that EDRF was a protein, but in 1987 Dr. Furchgott, Louis Ingarro, Ph.D. and Ferid Murad, Ph.D. presented evidence that EDRF was actually a gas -- nitric oxide. It was their research that linked nitroglycerine to the release of nitric oxide which instructs the cardiovascular system to relax, thus helping to prevent heart attacks.

This discovery sparked the attention of the medical community, and today the role of nitric oxide is considered one of the most exciting breakthroughs in modern medicine with more than 20,000 papers written on the subject and over two hundred million dollars spent on research.

It has already been shown that nitric oxide works with our immune system to destroy pathogens and tumor cells. Researchers are now investigating the role nitric oxide plays with the nervous system, muscle relaxation, as well as pregnancy and fertility issues. Nitric oxide gas assists premature babies to breathe easier if their lungs are not absorbing oxygen.

Researchers believe that nitric oxide promotes healthy kidney function, reduces inflammation, and improves learning and memory. Links between nitric oxide and Multiple Sclerosis, stroke, Alzheimers and Parkinsons disease are being explored.

How can we promote the healthy release of nitric oxide in our bodies today? It has been known that sound and music therapy helps people relax and reduce stress, but it was never clear why. Ongoing research into the relationship between sound and nitric oxide by George Stefano, Ph.D. and John Beaulieu, N.D, Ph.D. has led them to believe that “…[the] nitric oxide signaling system is the primary and fundamental method by which music acts as a relaxation device.” They also point out that nitric oxide is necessary in the development of
the auditory system. Additional research on nitric oxide can be found on the internet.

By the way, ever wonder what causes fireflies to flash? Yep, nitric oxide.

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