Institute of Health Beyond Earth

About Institute of Health Beyond Earth

The Institute of Health Beyond Earth is for you if...You believe in the power of natural medicine.This includes practices like Chinese medicine and acupuncture, mind-body therapies, and integrative and functional approaches. You’ve experienced the benefits of natural medicine in your own health or in the health of your loved ones. Most importantly, you want to ensure its preservation for future generations—even as we become a space-faring civilization.You are a scientist, inventor or creator in the spaceflight industry.You want to improve your designs to be more human-centric and user-friendly by incorporating principles of natural medicine.You are a space enthusiast!Since you were a child, you have dreamt of going to Space. Although your career is not aligned with the spaceflight industry, you still want to contribute meaningfully to the conversation of Space Health for All.YOU CAN IMPACT THE DEVELOPMENT OF SPACE HEALTHYou've likely noticed the lack of conversation – or even imagination – around if and how natural medicine can work in microgravity environments. There's very little research, few published case studies, and virtually no education.We need investments in research and development so that we can investigate how natural medicine principles can work in space, and invent devices that can be used for acupuncture in space.Space Medicine today views health and disease through a strictly physical and mechanistic lens. This approach reduces complex biological systems and processes to their smallest components (e.g., genes, molecules, cells) and often relies heavily on technological and pharmaceutical interventions to address health issues. For example, bone density loss and muscle atrophy are often treated with pharmaceuticals or exercise equipment, radiation exposure with shielding or experimental drugs, and immune system suppression is managed with immunosuppressive therapies.Space travel imposes significant psychological stress, including isolation, confineme