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 good night’s sleep for happy bodies
Disrupted sleep patterns—such as occur with jetlag or shift work—have long been associated with a wide range of negative health outcomes, and scientists are beginning to understand why. A new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science illustrated the huge extent to Read More...
Hand-held eye exam
Finding an optician on the plains of the Serengeti is a daunting task, but researchers at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine have come up with a way to turn anyone into an impromptu eye-doctor. A smartphone application called Peek, Portable Eye Examination Kit, utilizes the Read More...
Keep laughing...
Olivia Ames Hoblitzelle was 58 when she heard that her husband, Harrison, had Alzheimer’s disease. Harrison—”Hob” to friends—was 72. Suddenly, the Hoblitzelles had to rethink their plans for a carefree old age. The disease progression that followed was difficult. Years after her Read More...
Spirituality associated with thicker brain cortex and protection against depression
Using MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) to create detailed anatomical images of the brain, the scientists compared people based on whether they reported a low, moderate or high importance of religion or spirituality in their lives. They found that the brains of people for whom religion or Read More...
Sunshine is good for the heart
It is well known that high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease are more prevalent in colder climates, and that heart attacks and strokes are both more common and more severe in the winter months. Now, researchers have provided evidence of a reason why, by directly linking exposure to sunshine Read More...
Music plays an optimistic note for cancer patients
Researchers from the Indiana University School of Nursing have started using music to help young cancer patients understand their illness. The study followed 113 young people ages 11 to 24 and assessed how well music aided them throughout the course of their treatment, sometimes involving stem cell Read More...
For mental health, settle near nature
We often extoll the benefits of getting more nature in our lives. Jay Walljasper wrote about it for us, way back in 2005. But today we've got a bit of new research to further back up the premise: Green is good. More specifically, a study published this month in Environmental Science and Technology Read More...
Chinese herb offers hope against neuropathic pain
A small, flowering plant from China offers exciting news for the 50 million Americans who suffer from neuropathic pain, for which there is currently no reliable treatment. Roots of Corydalis yanhusuo have been used traditionally to relieve menstrual cramps, stomach and chest pain and other Read More...
Are we getting too much health care?
Is it possible that the real health problem in America isn’t so much the lack of access to quality care as it is too much access? According to a recent article in The Atlantic, this may very well be the case, at least for some of us. But it’s also possible that as we begin to unpack this Read More...
India is polio-free
It has been three years since a case of polio was reported in India. That's the period of time the World Health Organization requires a country to go without anyone catching polio before declaring itself polio-free. It's a come-from-behind victory for the country, which was considered an Read More...