Page 172 - International Space Station Benefits for Humanity, 3rd edition.

changes typical of acute gravitational unloading are
reproduced in the body.
The potential use of the system for health purposes
relates to the specific physiological changes in the
body caused by gravitational unloading. In particular,
acute disruptions occur in the mechanisms of sensory
interaction. These disruptions counteract compensatory
processes in the central nervous system, thus resulting
in discovery of latent neurological disruptions. Treatment
with dry immersion is also accompanied by a number
of physiological shifts, such as the redistribution of
fluids in the body, which have positive effects in certain Dry immersion complex.
cardiovascular conditions such as edema.
Image credit: Institute of Biomedical
The drug-free method of dry immersion offers the Problems, Russia
user the following: relaxation of muscles; increase
in immunity; elimination of edema; and, normalization
of blood pressure, thus making it possible to use the
immersion system for the early diagnosis of slow-
developing neurological disorders and to combat
massive edema that responds poorly to
pharmacological remedies.
The use of dry immersion may also be an effective
mechanism for rehabilitative treatment in areas such
as psychoneurology, traumatology, orthopedics
(post-operative rehabilitation), sports medicine, clinical
neurophysiology and applied psycho-physiology.
The use of the immersion system is also a particularly
valuable rehabilitation measure for premature babies
who are exposed to the effects of gravity following
the intrauterine environment. Perinatal damage to
the central nervous system (i.e., hyperexcitability;
depressive, muscle hypertonia, and cephalohematoma New prototype of the automated immersion
syndromes) is an opportunity for the use of the dry system used in clinics.
immersion method. Additional uses for dry immersion Image credit: Aerospace Medical Center
include the treatment of immune disorders, hormone and Technology
imbalances, muscle disease, wound healing and
cardiovascular health.
The spectrum of possible applications of this system
that simulates spaceflight conditions, such as those
experienced by the ISS, is fairly broad and will expand
with further study.

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