For most people cleaning your tongue every day is about improving your oral care regime – so reducing bad breath, plaque build up and the risk of dental decay.
But ... what most people DON’T realise is that a simple, regular and inexpensive tongue scrape, can have wider and more significant health benefits, particularly for Woman.
What follows is based on the extensive research of Dr Nathan Bryan of Baylor School of Medicine, Texas – or ‘Mr Nitric’ as he is fondly known in the Science fraternity. Dr Nathan Bryan is an International leader in molecular medicine and Nitric Oxide biochemistry.
Dr Bryan’s work shows how Nitric Oxide is a ‘miracle molecule’ providing a surprising array of benefits throughout our body.
The downside of this is if our Nitric Oxide levels decline we can then suffer issues – many serious.
For those of us over 40 years of age, this becomes more crucial, since our Nitric Oxide levels drop as we age as much as half - from peak levels. Lack of exercise, poor diet and using antiseptic mouthwash can also adversely impact our Nitric Oxide levels.
Amazingly he says;
“Up to 50% of our daily Nitric Oxide production can be from 'good’ oral bacteria"
To be clear that's a certain type of bacteria* in our mouth ... (see footnote 1.)
(* Fun fact: The human oral cavity is an important habitat for bacteria, and a healthy mouth can harbour upwards of ten billion bacteria.)
Back to the thrust of the research ...
(and this is the bit we simply LOVE!)
A clean tongue from a simple tongue scrape can have a BIG part to play in actually increasing Nitric Oxide production by our body!
As the World's oldest Producer of quality Tongue Scrapers - you can now see why we love this research!
As Dr Nathan Bryan explains;
"Tongue scraping to remove the 'bad' bacteria, food particles and debris (on the tongue) allows for the 'good' bacteria to flourish and generate Nitric Oxide"
(The precise chemical process as explained by Dr Nathan Bryan - and known as the Nitrate-Nitrite-Nitric Oxide pathway - is; 'Good' Oral Bacteria are 'Nitrate Reducers' that generate Nitrite as a by-product of converting ingested Nitrate-rich food, known as 'Arginine', which then builds up in our saliva. Once swallowed these Nitrites mix with stomach acid to produce Nitric Oxide – which then enters our blood stream).
if you prefer, here's the science on our Explainer Video:
(Part of the AMANO 'Core' range - from £11 to £48)
So how can an increased level of Nitric Oxide actually help improve our overall health?
These are 8 ways for improving Woman’s health
As identified by Dr Nathan Bryan (and taken from his Blog).
(Note: We left 2 of his 10 'ways' out because frankly we didn’t understand the science…)
https://drnathansbryan.com/top-ten-reasons-how-nitric-oxide-improves-womens-health/
“8. Nitric Oxide (NO) improves sexual function and orgasms in women
NO is responsible for regulating blood flow to the sex organs. For women to have an orgasm, there must be an increase in vaginal and labial pressure. This pressure is controlled by an increase in blood flow to the clitoris. Without Nitric Oxide (NO), there cannot be an increase in blood flow to the clitoris and consequently no increase in pressure and no orgasm. Therefore, restoring NO production can improve blood flow to the pelvic region and sex organs and improve lubrication, desire and orgasms.
7. Improve athletic performance and exercise capacity
It is known that moderate physical exercise can prevent heart disease and many other diseases. This is due to the production of Nitric Oxide (NO). This is why exercise is medicine. However, when women do not exercise, they can develop endothelial dysfunction or loss of NO. When you lose the ability to produce NO, you become exercise intolerant and are unable to maintain any exercise regimen. Many people even get winded walking up a flight of stairs. This is due to loss of NO production. Restoring NO production will allow the blood vessels to deliver more oxygen and remove waste products to working muscles and improve exercise capacity.
6. Improves sleep
Nitric Oxide (NO) is produced within neurons of the brain that signal sleep and sleep patterns. However, when you lose the ability to produce NO, which occurs with age, stress, menopause and the presence of all the other risk factors mentioned above, sleep becomes disturbed. Restoring the production of NO will help restore healthy sleep patterns.
5. Improves healing and recovery from injury
Our own resident stem cells are responsible for repairing injured or worn out cells and tissues. Nitric Oxide (NO) is the signal that tells stem cells to mobilize and go to the site of injury and differentiate and repair dysfunctional cells and tissue. If your body can’t make NO, then the body loses the signal to repair itself. Restoring the production of NO will allow for much faster healing and quicker recovery from injury.
4. Improves mental clarity and cognition
Nitric Oxide (NO) modulates norepinephrine, serotonin, dopamine, glutamate, the major neurotransmitters involved in the neurobiology of major depression. Without enough NO production, these important neurotransmitters are not properly regulated. On top of that, NO controls cerebral blood flow and regulates blood flow to specific regions of the brain when activated. It is known that vascular dementia, or Pre-Alzheimer’s, is due to insufficient blood flow to the prefrontal cortex of the brain due to insufficient NO. Restoring NO production will not only make you feel a better sense of well-being but also improve your memory and cognition.
3. Improve bone strength and prevent bone loss (important for Post-menopausal Woman)
Bone is constantly being broken down and built back up through cells called osteoclasts and osteoblasts respectively. Nitric Oxide (NO) controls the activity of both cell types. Post-menopausal women are at risk of developing osteoporosis due to loss of estrogen and loss of nitric oxide production. Restoring the production of NO will enable the osteoblasts and osteoclasts to perform their function and maintain healthy bones.
2. Maintain proper oxygenation and mitochondrial energy production
Nitric Oxide (NO) controls oxygen delivery and mitochondrial function for cellular energy production. Cancer is a disease that thrives under conditions of low oxygen and inefficient mitochondria. All cancers, including breast cancer, have dysfunctional and uncoupled mitochondria that inefficiently generate ATP or cellular energy. Cancer also lives in a low oxygen or hypoxic environment. Maintaining proper NO production will ensure proper oxygenation of cells and functional/coupled mitochondria that will efficiently generate cellular energy.
1. Prevent the number one killer, heart disease
It is crystal clear that maintaining endothelial function and proper Nitric Oxide (NO) production can not only prevent heart disease but reverse and cure existing heart disease. NO prevents the inflammation, oxidative stress and immune dysfunction that occurs in heart disease.”
(Video with kind permission of Dr Nathan Bryan)
Dr Nathan Bryan ends his blog with these words ;
“If there is one thing you do it should be to take steps to improve and restore your Nitric Oxide production. There is not a more important thing you can do for your own health. Please remember, prevention is much easier and cheaper than treatment. Maintaining proper Nitric Oxide levels addresses the five most common health concerns for women but also addresses the number one killer of men and women worldwide (heart disease). Invest in your health and act to restore Nitric Oxide production now.”
It's incredible to think that a simple tongue scrape can help increase your daily Nitric Oxide levels - with all the health benefits outlined above.
Owning an Italian crafted AMANO Tongue Cleanser is really an investment in your very own Nitric Oxide production plant !
And finally we are grateful to Dr Nathan Bryan for allowing us to reproduce his work and trialling our 100% Austenitic Steel Neoclassic AMANO
We close with his kind endorsement …
"I personally use the AMANO tongue scraper daily and highly recommend it"
Dr NATHAN BRYAN, Baylor School of Medicine, Texas, USA
Why choose AMANO?
- Crafted in Italy, the AMANO has been designed to give a superior and visibly effective performance
- Which will take you less than 5 seconds (really - it's that quick)
- Research has shown this routine is almost twice as effective as using a toothbrush
- And with no GAG effect you will feel more relaxed about tongue cleaning as a daily routine
