Health
Finding good health news amidst a pandemic can be quite daunting. That’s not the case with The Optimist Daily, where positive news is in high supply. Our Health section covers the latest good news from the health sector, featuring solutions ranging from mental and physical health to immunity, nutrition, and cutting edge medical research.
Spirituality may be underused tool in treating mental illness
New research suggests spirituality may offer benefits for people with mental health issues, but people may encounter barriers when reaching out for this help. Investigators from the University of Southern California School of Social Work discovered that spirituality is often an underused resource Read More...
Positive thinking may improve health and extend life
Even when faced with an incurable illness, positive feelings and thoughts can greatly improve one’s quality of life. Dr. Wendy Schlessel Harpham, a Dallas-based author of several books for people facing cancer, including “Happiness in a Storm,” was a practicing internist when she Read More...
The health benefits of knitting
About 15 years ago, I was invited to join a knitting group. My reluctant response — “When would I do that?” — was rejoined with “Monday afternoons at 4,” at a friend’s home not three minutes’ walk from my own. I agreed to give it a try. My mother had Read More...
Doctor has success with vitamin cocktail to treat deadly sepsis
Sepsis is a big problem. It kills more people in hospitals than any other disease. There’s no good treatment. But that may change. One doctor has been very successful treating sepsis with a cocktail of vitamins added to regular Read More...
Scientists find blood from vegans is eight times more protective against cancer
Scientists have found that blood taken from those following a plant-based diet is 8 times more effective at killing cancer cells than blood taken from those following a Standard American Diet. In a series of experiments people were placed on different diets and their blood was then dripped on Read More...
Spider venom found to reduce stroke-induced brain damage
New research suggests it's time we start embracing spiders. At the University of Queensland, researchers found a particular compound called Hila in the venom of the Australian funnel-web spider that can prevent the production of an acidic condition in the brain that occurs when a person has a Read More...
A radical change in diet can reverse Type-2 diabetes
When you eat too many processed foods with high amounts of sugar and carbs, your body will overproduce insulin. When your body produces too much insulin, then it can become resistant to it, which causes Type-2 diabetes. New research suggests that if you can give the pancreas a rest from producing Read More...
A Harvard professor explains how to train your brain to innovate for more success
On the surface, innovation is a thrilling concept. We celebrate the people and companies creating products no one else thinks of, hungrily imitating them and taking notes. We aspire to be trailblazers ourselves. Unconsciously, however, our brains have a vastly different opinion on the matter. Read More...
Study: Drinking a cup of tea a day can help you fend off dementia
People who drink at least one cup of tea—black, green, or oolong—daily have a 61 percent lower risk of developing dementia compared with those who do not, according to a new study. Among those who were genetically predisposed to Alzheimer’s disease, tea-drinking lowered their risk of getting Read More...
America's infant mortality rate has plummeted over the past decade
The infant mortality rate in the US dropped 15 percent from 2005 to 2014, according to a new report. In that same time frame, sudden infant death syndrome, or SIDS, also saw a major drop, declining by 29 percent. The results of the report come as a pleasant surprise, especially given the onslaught Read More...