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.
Cocoa could help reverse memory decline
Meditation is the only proven way to prevent dementia, but cocoa could actually reverse age-related memory loss. A study from Columbia University found that memory decline in adults happens in an isolated part of the brain. It just so happens that the part of the brain associated with memory loss Read More...
Daydreaming helps you think
Usually when we’re working on a difficult problem we try to keep our minds from running astray, but scientists have found the opposite might be true. When you daydream you activate an area of the brain called the “default network”, traditionally thought to impair mental performance, not Read More...
Talking therapy better than drugs for social anxiety
Social anxiety disorder affects about 15 million adults in the US, and it’s typically treated with a range of psychiatric medications. But a new analysis has found that cognitive behavioral therapy is notably better than drugs for managing this condition, in addition to being much safer. Read More...
Ebola vaccines coming to Africa in two months
Scientists in various countries are battling to control the Ebola epidemic. The first two vaccines are on track to be distributed in West Africa in January and a third should be available shortly after. Currently human stability tests of the vaccines are being carried out on small groups of Read More...
Sunshine reduces risk of having a heart attack
That warm glow you feel on your face as you walk into the sun helps prevent heart attacks. A recent study has found that vitamin D will help fend off the cardiac killer. But don’t worry if you live in the overcast north, you can still get plenty of vitamin D from oily fish, eggs, and Read More...
High-fat dairy products lower diabetes risk
After years of being cut from foods for their purported negative health effects, the tide is turning for dairy fats. Their link to heart disease has recently come into question, and now they’ve been found to protect against type 2 diabetes. New research presented at the annual meeting of the Read More...
High-fat, low carbs is best for weight loss and Alzheimer’s prevention
For decades we have been told to avoid fat and divulge in a life of “healthy grains,” but that as it turns out is completely wrong. Diets that are high in grains drive weight gain and accelerate Alzheimer’s and dementia. Study after study confirms this. The most recent split a group of Read More...
High-fat dairy products lower diabetes risk
New research shows that people who eat the highest levels of dietary fat had the lowest risk of developing diabetes. Cream and high-fat milk seemed to have the most protective effect. Meat consumption raised the risk of type 2 diabetes, but surprisingly the risk was increased by only 9% for people Read More...
Fruit and veggies as good for your mind as your body
We all know that eating ‘5 a day’ – five servings of fruit and vegetables – is good for your physical health, reducing the risk of heart disease, cancer and many other conditions. Now researchers have found that it may be just as beneficial for your mental health. Researchers from the Read More...
Stem cell can replace damaged retinas
Sixteen years ago the isolation of embryonic stem cells was said to be the foundation for a future of interchangeable body parts—when a liver failed you would just grow a new one. These predictions seemed pretty close to science fiction, but a recent study has shown that this could soon be Read More...