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.
Sugar pills as good as Tylenol for low back pain
The next time you tweak your back, think twice before heading to the medicine cabinet. Acetaminophen, best known as the active ingredient in Tylenol, is the most popular drug in the world for treating low back pain. But a new study shows that it doesn’t help any more than a placebo, or inert Read More...
Ebola medicine made from tobacco shows promise
The fear of an Ebola epidemic with no cure is spreading even faster than the virus itself. But there’s promising news. Mapp Biopharmaceuticals Inc., a small biotech lab in southern California, has developed an experimental medicine for life-threatening virus made out of tobacco. And it appears Read More...
Fish, just once a week, protects against brain damage
The omega-3 fatty acids in fish oils work wonders for our hearts and our brains. Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine have found that a weekly meal of baked or broiled fish will improve your brain’s health, even regardless of how many omega-3 fatty acids it has. The Read More...
The next frontier in medicine: drugs designed by artificial intelligence
Developing new cancer drugs is expensive. Before a new cancer drug goes to trial it is developed for a year or two, and costs around $100 million. Also, 95% of cancer drugs fail in clinical trials meaning there are lots of misses before a hit. Berg, a biotech startup, wants to harness artificial Read More...
The spices of life
People around the world have been using spice cures for centuries, but now scientists are proving that spices can ease inflammation, activate the immune system, kill bacteria and viruses and even kill cancer cells. Some research suggests that compounds in spices might help fight everything from Read More...
Herbs treat diabetes as well as drugs
Diabetics take pharmaceutical drugs to regulate blood sugar. Researchers at the University of Illinois have found that oregano and rosemary can be just as effective at treating type-2 diabetes, according to a new study. Oregano and rosemary are effective because they inhibit the same enzyme that Read More...
Cancer: the latest inflammatory disease
New research suggests that some aggressive forms of cancer might respond to a powerful class of anti-inflammatory drugs. The drugs—called JAK inhibitors—suppress cells from communicating with each other using a class of molecules called cytokines, and they’re currently approved for the Read More...
Cooking for your children leads to healthier eating habits
Cooking at home often leads to healthier meals, and cooking for your children has now been proven to positively impact eating decisions made when their parents aren’t around. Researchers from Penn State's Department of Food Science and Department of Nutritional Sciences found that children whose Read More...
A new medicine for autism: love
While the cause for autism has eluded scientists for generations, a new method of treatment makes living with the disorder more manageable. Researchers in Japan have found that a single dose of oxytocin, known as the “love hormone” for its roll in emotionally bonding lovers as well as mothers Read More...
Mothers who live in green spaces have bigger babies
Being in nature improves your mood and it positively impacts seasonal depression. But health benefits of nature go even further. A new study has found that mothers who live in or around green areas have babies with significantly higher birth weights. The study, published in Occupational and Read More...