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.
A sizable shift in people's diets could help prevent the brewing influenza pandemic
We’ve heard it before: Eating less meat is better for the planet. In May, China’s health authorities went so far as considering this in their new dietary guidelines, which advised a 50 percent reduction in meat consumption. (It isn’t actually doing anything to enforce this advice, Read More...
Progress in world’s first Alzheimer’s vaccine
Researchers have made a breakthrough discovery in the international quest to discover a new and potentially effective vaccine targeting the pathological proteins associated with Alzheimer’s disease. Source: Flinders University. With more than 7.5 million new cases of Alzheimer’s disease Read More...
When meds didn’t improve my depression, I tried retraining my brain waves instead
Two years ago, I walked through the door of a Seattle therapist’s office with the goal of resetting my 45-year-old brain. A trauma survivor with a history of depression and anxiety, I was hoping that an alternative mode of therapy I’d heard about called neurofeedback might finally Read More...
Neuroscience finds this exercise is fantastic at making you smarter
We already know that exercise can help make us smarter, happier and less stressed. But all exercise is not created equal. If you're a time-crunched entrepreneur, might you like to know which kind of exercise is most beneficial for your brain? A recent study reveals the answer, and it's a Read More...
Omega-3s linked with lower risk of fatal heart attacks
Researchers found that blood levels of seafood- and plant-based omega-3 fatty acids were associated with a lower risk of dying from heart attacks. The findings suggest that diets rich in omega-3 fatty acids may benefit heart health. Omega-3 fatty acids (omega-3s) are a group of molecules that have Read More...
Eating more fruit and vegetables can substantially increase happiness levels
University of Warwick research indicates that eating more fruit and vegetables can substantially increase people's later happiness levels. To be published shortly in the prestigious American Journal of Public Health, the study is one of the first major scientific attempts to explore psychological Read More...
Researchers help blind mice to see for first time
Once the optic nerve that’s responsible for sight is damaged, it’s impossible to see again. At least that’s been the dogma. But a group of U.S. scientists has upended that thinking and helped mice with destroyed optic nerves to see again. It does not have immediate implications Read More...
The exercise benefits we don't talk about enough
We all know that exercise works wonders when it comes to improving our physical health, right? It lowers blood sugar and fat levels, improves cholesterol, strengthens bones and muscles, and helps control weight. But exercise also has some serious mental and emotional benefits. In fact, exercise can Read More...
Happiness increases after consumption of fruit and vegetables, study finds
University of Warwick research indicates that eating more fruit and vegetables can substantially increase people’s later happiness levels. To be published shortly in the prestigious American Journal of Public Health, the study is one of the first major scientific attempts to explore Read More...
Memories of favourite locations have a special place in brain
It could be that romantic restaurant, or your favourite park bench. A specific part of the brain seems to be responsible for learning and remembering the precise locations of places that are special to us, research in mice has shown for the first time. Place cells are neurons that help us map our Read More...