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Good Vibrations
A new treatment under study by NASA-funded doctors could reverse bone loss experienced by astronauts in space.
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November 2, 2001
"Use it or lose it."
The familiar mantra of fitness buffs applies as much in space as it does on Earth -- perhaps more so. The bones and muscles of astronauts, freed from the familiar strains of gravity, can weaken alarmingly. Muscles atrophy, while bones lose mass and become brittle.
Reducing muscle atrophy requires exercise -- and lots of it. Astronauts in space often spend hours each day working out with the aid of exotic devices that rely on springs, elastic, and even vacuum pumps to provide resistance and mimic body weight.
Unfortunately, such "countermeasures" have not solved the problem of bone loss. Even as astronauts work out, their skeletons continue to slowly weaken. It's been a thorny problem for researchers.
Next Line & Photo Topic
Plenty of exercise is a key to maintaining muscles and cardiovascular fitness in space. But such workouts haven't solved the problem of bone loss.
Image courtesy Johnson Space Center.
But now, perhaps, there could be a solution: NASA-funded scientists suggest that astronauts might prevent bone loss by standing on a lightly vibrating plate for 10 to 20 minutes each day. Held down with the aid of elastic straps, the astronauts could keep working on other tasks while they vibrate.
(Full Story Here)
Cheers,
Dan
Good Vibrations . . .