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.
Taco Bell announces it will only serve 100% cage-free eggs
Taco Bell has become the latest company to announce it will only serve 100% cage-free eggs in its meals by December 2016. At the moment, more than 94% of egg-laying hens spend their lives in battery cages so small they cannot even spread their wings. Having space to move provides better lives for Read More...
Yoga may lessen side effects in men undergoing prostate cancer treatment
Men with prostate cancer who are undergoing radiation therapy can benefit from yoga, researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania reported at the Society of Integrative Oncology's 12th International Conference. The new, first-of-its-kind study, led by Neha Read More...
Easy acupressure for relieving a cough
There are so many great studies on the proven effects of acupuncture. What you may not know is acupressure works just as well without the needles. What’s nice about this is it’s something that you can do yourself and it’s also non-invasive (if you have a mild fear or phobia of Read More...
Smoking rates in America are now the lowest they’ve been in more than 50 years
Smoking in America is now at its lowest point in more than 50 years. That's according to newly released data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showing that the percentage of adults who smoke cigarettes has continued to decline. As you can see in the chart below, 21 percent of Read More...
Better sleep may be the key to treating depression, anxiety and schizophrenia
We are only beginning to unravel the genetic and biochemical basis of mental illness—a vague term including conditions as diverse as anxiety, depression, and mood and psychotic disorders. With millions of people suffering from such conditions, it is crucial that we find ways to improve Read More...
How mindfulness meditation can transform health care
The cost and access to health care has been a controversial issue for as long as I can remember. While it is debatable whether recent legislation has fixed the problem, statistics show that the rise in health care cost has outpaced the rate of inflation for 9 of the last 10 years. And if this trend Read More...
For a sustainable lunch, here's how to grow edible insects at home
There are a lot of good reasons to start eating insects. First of all, they provide us with necessary nutrients: adult locusts, mealworms and grasshoppers have comparable levels of protein to raw beef. Secondly, insects release fewer greenhouse gases than traditional livestock. Did you know that Read More...
The health benefits of meditation
Meditation has long been used to induce calm and physical relaxation. But research on its potential uses for treating medical problems “is still in its very early stages,” and designing trials can be challenging, said Richard J. Davidson, a neuroscientist who founded the Center for Read More...
Prebiotics could help prevent food allergies in the future
Scientists at a French medical research institute have demonstrated in mice that prebiotics reduced the risk of allergy to wheat by improving the immune system's tolerance to allergens. Having previously looked into probiotics, scientists at France's INSERM research institute are now conducting Read More...
Tai Chi found to be as effective as physical therapy for knee osteoarthritis
Both Tai Chi and physical therapy positively impact pain, function and other symptoms of knee osteoarthritis -- making Tai Chi a viable treatment alternative for people suffering with the degenerative disease, according to research presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Read More...