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.
Why group testing helps us make the most of limited COVID-19 tests
When it comes to coronavirus testing, the problem is simple: there are too many people to test, and too few kits to test them with. That’s why researchers across the world are having to improvise. One promising technique is group testing, in which multiple people are testing at once. Group Read More...
Magnetic brain stimulation offers new hope for patients with depression
Treating severe depression is extremely difficult, with remission rates usually being quite shaky, but a new study from the Stanford University School of Medicine promises new light at the end of the tunnel. Named Stanford Accelerated Intelligent Neuromodulation Therapy, or simply SAINT, the Read More...
COVID-19 and the 5 stages of grief
We are grieving as a nation and as a world. In the very literal sense, we are grieving the thousands of lives lost to COVID-19, but we are also grieving the loss of our normal lives. The loss of work, school, eating out, hugs with friends, travel, and so much more. Assessing our current situation Read More...
Study finds plasma from coronavirus survivors can help severely ill patients
Good news in the battle against coronavirus. In a recent story published in The Guardian, it was reported that doctors have found tentative evidence that seriously ill coronavirus patients can benefit from infusions of blood plasma collected from people who have recovered from the disease. Two Read More...
“Hospitality for Hope” connects medical workers with free hotel lodging
Medical staff working to treat COVID-19 patients often have to make the difficult decision of whether or not to sleep at home with their families given their high risk of exposure to the virus. Fortunately, the “Hospitality for Hope” gives these doctors and nurses a comfortable and safe Read More...
Autonomous shuttles help medical workers stay safe by moving COVID-19 tests
The US, like much of the world, is moving to keep contact between its residents to a minimum as it grapples with the spread of coronavirus, and a new project taking place at the Mayo Clinic is exploring what this could mean for medical testing. In what is billed as a first for the country, Read More...
Ireland’s Prime Minister is joining the medical staff to fight COVID-19
Before joining politics, Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar had been working as a junior doctor in Dublin. Now, as Ireland is battling with the ongoing pandemic, Varadkar has rejoined the country’s medical register and will work one shift a week to help out the overwhelmed health services. After Read More...
Insects to become a common food item on European menus
When it comes to food, in Western societies insects don’t necessarily bear the most savory connotations. But in Europe, such perceptions may soon become a thing of the past as the EU’s Food Safety Authority is expected to make insects a common dish choice on restaurant menus. Within weeks the Read More...
Improving soil carbon storage is a win for the planet and our food systems
Feeding a growing population on a planet with finite resources will require getting more creative and sustainable with how we operate our food systems. A new study has found that one key to protecting the future of our planet and people is carbon storage in soil. Plants pull carbon out of our Read More...
How to use stress hormones to your advantage
When we are stressed, our bodies’ natural response is to create stress hormones. This is the feeling you get when you enter a big interview, before you give an important speech, or have to have a difficult conversation with your boss. People in high stakes jobs, like professional athletes and Read More...