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.
This refugee-run store is replenishing a "food desert" with healthy food
The term “food desert” is used today to describe low-income areas without access to nutritious foods. Erie, Pennsylvania was one of those places until a refugee from Nepal came to the city and opened a supermarket that sells affordable foods from all around the world. His store is not only Read More...
This patch can sense stress and help you resolve it
Introducing the Lief smart patch, a device designed to initiate calming exercises when heart and breathing rates show elevated levels of stress. Lief helps individuals by focusing on their heart rate variability(HRV)—the amount of time between each heart beat- and how it relates to breathing Read More...
Parkinson's disease may start in the gut and travel to the brain
We have been thinking about Parkinson’s disease all wrong. The condition may arise from damage to the gut, not the brain. If the idea is correct, it opens the door to new ways of treating the disease before symptoms occur. “That would be game-changing,” says David Burn at Read More...
Cuba’s agricultural revolution: Vanguard for global food system
The Cuban Revolution was forced to take on new challenges in the early 1990s after the collapse of the Soviet Union, a turning point that sparked a radical overhaul of the island’s agricultural model that now stands as an example of the kind of food system transformation that is urgently Read More...
8 ways to fight seasonal depression
The shorter days and colder weather of winter are here—and so is the increase in Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). The American Academy of Family Physicians found that 4 to 6 percent of Americans suffer from SAD. Are you are feeling unmotivated and depressed for no apparent reason? Are you Read More...
Stop meditating alone—for productivity gains, it’s a team sport
You’ve probably heard that meditation increases focus, memory, and compassion, according to a range of studies. Yet only 8% of us do it. This number could get a boost soon, as several companies introduce the practice into group settings in the workplace. A survey by Fidelity Investments and the Read More...
Survey of New York City soil uncovers medicine-making microbes
Microbes have long been an invaluable source of new drugs. And to find more, we may have to look no further than the ground beneath our feet. Researchers at The Rockefeller University have shown that the dirt beneath New York City teems with our tiny allies in the fight against disease. In soil Read More...
Now you can start a strawberry business in a parking lot
Shipping containers have become all the hype in the urban farming world. Startups like Cropbox and Freight Farms are enabling cities all over to grow leafy greens, and now French startup Agricool has developed their own shipping container that can grow strawberries. Using hydroponic growing units, Read More...
How does LSD induce short-term psychosis but long-term optimism?
When most people think of LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide) the image that comes to mind is hallucinating hippies at Woodstock, but the drug’s Read More...
Here's what placebos can heal—and what they can't
Illness is best cured with drugs. That assumption has prevailed since pharmaceuticals became widely available. But in recent years there has been a growing interest in alternative medicines, many of which employ mental or spiritual powers to heal the body. Now research into the biochemistry of Read More...