Astronauts

Good Vibrations: A new treatment under study by NASA-funded doctors could reverse bone loss experienced by astronauts in space

The bones and muscles of astronauts, freed from the familiar strains of gravity, can weaken alarmingly. Muscles atrophy relatively quickly, while bones lose mass during prolonged exposures to weightlessness. Reducing muscle atrophy requires exercise — and lots of it. Astronauts in space spend about two hours each day working out with the aid of exotic devices that rely on springs, elastic, and harnesses to provide resistance and mimic body weight. Unfortunately, such “countermeasures” have not solved the problem of muscle or bone loss. It’s an ongoing problem for astronauts — and for researchers! But now, perhaps, there could be a solution — at least for bones: NASA-funded scientists suggest that astronauts might prevent bone loss by standing on a lightly vibrating plate for 10 to 20 minutes each day. The same therapy, they say, might eventually be used to treat some of the millions of people who suffer from bone loss, called osteoporosis, here on Earth. “The vibrations are very slight,” notes Stefan Judex, assistant professor of biomedical engineering at the State University of New York at Stony Brook, who worked on the research. Although the vibrations are subtle they have had a profound effect on bone loss in laboratory animals such as turkeys, sheep, and rats.

Source: http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2001/ast02nov_1.htm