Stanley John Whidden | What it's like to be a space tourist: get ready to feel awful

One of the first tourists to travel in outer space found it to be a bit of a buzzkill.
Sure, he loved every minute - even if he was physically miserable part of the time. The next wave of space tourists will need a high tolerance for discomfort.
If all goes according to plan, Elon Musk's Space Exploration Technologies will send two paying civilians around the moon and back some time next year.

"My advice to them would be to medicate early and often," says Richard Garriott de Cayeux, the video game developer and entrepreneur who paid $30 million to Russia's Space Adventures to spend 12 days aboard the International Space Station.
 His moon-voyaging counterparts have put down a "significant deposit," according to a post last week on SpaceX's website, but the total price and the identities of the tourists have not been disclosed.
The microgravity that permits what Garriott de Cayeux describes as "joyous, free-feeling" motion we associated with astronauts also takes a serious physiological toll.
"Body fluids stop flowing normally, which is why, in space, people's faces look puffy, and they generally have somewhat bloodshot eyes," he says. "It feels sort of like lying on a children's slide, head down. In the first days, you get very stuffed up and have a bit of a headache."
These symptoms can be easily remedied with common drugs, such as aspirin and Sudafed.

Another side effect comes from the floating fluid in your inner ear, which normally helps a person detect motion and stay balanced. In space, of course, it also begins floating.

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"So if you move your head forward, it will slosh to the back and make you feel like you're falling backwards," says Garriott de Cayeux. "There's a disagreement between what you see that you're doing and what your body thinks it's doing-and that often causes sea sickness."
That perceptual disconnect tends to last for about three days before your brain begins compensating. When you get back to Earth it takes another three days to readjust. This is another downside of space tourism that can be treated with drugs.  READ MORE.....

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Dr. Whidden Fairfax VA | How Bioterrorism is an Emerging Threat to Global Health

Dr. Whidden Fairfax VA is a retired colonel from US Army and known for his outstanding support and services. He gained great recognition for his exceptional services and has obtained highest level of degree in national security affairs. He has proven success in science and biodefense program administration. Dr. Whidden Fairfax VA completed his M.D in 1996. He served in the US Army Special Forces and dedicatedly served the nation.

Here Dr. Whidden is describing that what is bioterrorism and how it is a threat to the health of people at global level.

BIOTERRORISM:

As the name involves terrorism, that makes it clear, the concept is all related to war and attack. Bioterrorism is a form of terrorism where there is a release of biological agents intentionally, says Dr. Whidden Fairfax VA. He further adds that in bioterrorism the agents that are being used involves bacteria, viruses and other germs. In simpler terms we can call it a germ warfare.

United States government describes terrorism as an unlawful use of force and violence against a person or property and the term “terrorism” does not imply what weapon is being used. Using weapons to harm someone is not only a part of terrorism rather harming someone through any form is counted under terrorism.  Through traditional weapons terrorist can kill people using weapons, chemical agents and nuclear bombs but in bioterrorism, by using biological agents terrorist can easily destroy the whole community of living organism, be it animals or plants.These diseases are contagious and their effects can be seen in the future also. Goal of a terrorist is to target the civilians so that their government feel helpless to protect them.

Biological agents are found in nature that are harmful but many a times they are modified by the terrorists to make it more dangerous and use it to harm people globally.

Agents used for bioterrorism:

We have already discussed about bioterrorism, what it is and how terrorists are using it against their competitor nations and enemies.  What are the biological agents that can be used to create weapons in bioterrorism? While germs, bacteria, and viruses can be used by the terrorists but there are many other agents in nature that are being used in bioterrorism.

Reason behind using these agents by the terrorists is the availability and ease of spreading the agents.  It is impossible to know and memorize about each biological agent but it is important for the general public to understand the risk of bioterrorism and suitable response to these attacks.

How bioterrorism is the biggest threat:

Undoubtedly bioterrorism is the biggest threat to nations. It has been never so real at the age of advanced weaponry. It has been ignored and denied but it poses a bigger threat not only to the security of the nation but also to the health of the citizens of the particular nation. We all hear about the new and infectious diseases. These diseases are used as  bioweapons by many nations against the other nation.  Due to advancement in the science and technology there is more scope of using these agents by the terrorists.

To minimize the effect of the biological weapons, a country needs to be much sufficient and developed, says Dr. Whidden Fairfax VA. According to him, it is essential to reduce the effect of the adverse health effects and prevent fatalities.

Why the threat of bioterrorism is increasing rapidly? It is due to the expansion of the biotechnology industry globally and growth of these terrorists who are using this technology as weapons and showing interest in bioterrorism. Public health is the main concept in front of any nation. It is the first priority of any nation to provide best health facilities to its residents. Terrorists know it very well that by targeting this they can target the whole system of a country. Thereby, Bioterrorism is one of the biggest threat nowadays. This will affect all the resources a country have, its resources, money would spend on treating the epidemics. It is the worst situation for any nation to see its countrymen suffering from any of the epidemics says Dr. Whidden Fairfax VA.

Best way to respond to this emerging threat:

Dr. Whidden Fairfax VA. says that best way to respond to this threat is the “Preparedness”. He adds, preparedness can be in form of education, awareness, trainings, seminars and many more. This attack does not show one time result rather it weakens the roots of the nation and its effects could be seen in future also.  We know every nation has its strong hold on biotechnology and manufacturing advanced weapons, so one should be prepared with the solution. To fight with such attacks a country needs to be fully prepared with the plan, ensuring good communication system with public, hospitals and law enforcement agencies. By providing better facilities and maintaining peace among the public a nation can recover fast.

It is said that science and technology is the backbone of any nation, so a country should invest excellently in the area and provide opportunities to young generation to make their nation safe from such attacks.