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.
“Resurrection plants” offer hope as climate change threatens crops
As climate change continues to turn what were once fertile lands into dusty, arid fields, scientists and farmers alike are searching for ways to adapt. One answer may lie in a unique group of flora called “resurrection plants,” which can go dormant and appear dead for years, only to return when Read More...
Latinos live longer, despite poverty. Here's their secret.
Celia Aguilar visits with her mother and grandmother in El Paso, Texas. Aguilar’s mother practiced the tradition of cuarentena for her five children. This form of mother care provides 40 days of rest and bonding while relatives or friends cook and run the household. Aguilar plans to do the Read More...
A healthier and more sustainable shrimp—made of algae, not shrimp
Faux burgers, chicken, eggs and all kinds of animal products are being made to satisfy the market of people who don’t want to eat food that comes from animals, and now there is vegetarian shrimp available made without the use of actual sea creatures. Located in California's Bay Area, New Wave Read More...
Molecule clears Alzheimer's plaques in mice
A molecule can clear Alzheimer's plaques from the brains of mice and improve learning and memory, Korean scientists have found in early tests. Exactly how it gets rid of the abnormal build-up is not understood. The small Nature Communications study hints at a way to tackle the disease even once its Read More...
US to ban soaps and other products containing microbeads
The US is set to ban personal care products that contain microbeads after the House of Representatives approved a bill that would phase out the environmentally-harmful items. The bill, which had been backed by a bipartisan committee, will now go to the Senate for approval. The Microbead Free Waters Read More...
Share of life in good health 'rising'
The proportion of life spent in good health is increasing in England, even as life expectancy continues to rise, a study suggests. The research compared two identical surveys, 20 years apart, that measured the health of people aged 65 or older in Cambridge, Newcastle and Nottingham. The data, Read More...
Kind Bars to U.S. government: Redefine ‘healthy’
You’ve probably never bought almonds that said “healthy” on the package. If you did, they were probably illegal almonds. Because despite the fact that almonds are among the foods most clearly proven to be elements of health-promoting diets, almonds contain too much fat to qualify Read More...
Glowing bandages can reduce the chances of antibiotic-resistant bugs
Bacteria that can shrug off antibiotics is a medical problem that still needs answering, but this prototype could help reduce how much antibiotics are used on patients, and decrease the chances for bugs to become resistant. The experimental bandage from researchers at the University of Bath glows Read More...
Pay attention to that under-the-weather feeling
Seemingly healthy people who say they don't feel so hot are prone to developing colds, a new study finds. Having a weakened immune system prompts individuals to rate their general health as relatively poor, even if they don't display illness symptoms, say psychologist Sheldon Cohen Read More...
Recycling hotel soap is helping prevent disease in India
Erin Zaikis was visiting a village in Thailand when she noticed one glaring piece of everyday life was missing. “Never once did I see soap,” she said. “A water charity had been in this village and had built two wells and deemed it a smashing success. But no one was using soap or Read More...