Dubai: Veteran Nasa astronaut talks about health care, space pharmacy and how to keep fit

Astronauts who’ve spent long durations in space during a mission often suffer from visual acuity, cataracts, disc hernia and even certain types of cancers due to radiation, explained American physician and former Nasa Astronaut Dr Scott E. Parazynski.

A veteran of five Space Shuttle flights and seven spacewalks, the astronaut spoke to Khaleej Times on the sidelines of the ongoing Arab Health 2022 while emphasizing on “space pharmacy” and how technology has been imperative in driving forward medical solutions for injured or ailing astronauts.

Recalling his own health problems, he opined that astronaut also suffer from herniated disc, a condition that he had experienced after his frequent missions to space.

He opines, “I did end up having a back injury that is related to repeated exposure to space flights. When you go up in the space, you grow about six to 10 cm and when you come back, you are squashed down again. That sets up astronauts for disc hernia, and they also have a high risk of cataracts and certain types of cancer due to radiation in the environment.”

Parazynski noted the microgravity environment is hard on the human body and vigorous exercises become important to keep muscles and bones from deteriorating.

He later says, “Astronauts need to maintain a good diet, and exercise on Earth as well as on Space. We also have periodic conferences with our flight surgeons in and mission control to ensure everything is fine. There are some health conditions which are worrisome for long duration astronauts including changes in vision that we are very worried about for the future. Astronauts who spend long durations in space and when they come back to Earth, there is significant changes in their visual acuity because of pressure difference and it’s not fully understood why it happens.”