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.
Could virtual reality become an alternative form of pain management?
Researchers in France are testing whether virtual reality can be used as an alternative form of pain relief management. Thus far, researchers have found that using VR during treatment can help patients relax and increases pain tolerance without painkillers. The VR program being tested is Read More...
Converting bad fat to good fat could be effective for treating obesity
Most fat in the body is unhealthy “white” tissue deposited around the waist, hips and thighs. But smaller amounts of energy-hungry “brown” fat are also found around the neck and shoulders. With this in mind, scientists have developed a radical approach to treating obesity in which Read More...
The Ayurvedic remedy that could add years to your life
A healthy gut can lead to a longer life—and taking a probiotic and a herbal supplement helps make sure it is healthy, and this could increase your longevity by as much as 60 per cent, new research Read More...
This new blood test can predict whether or not an infant will be born prematurely
Premature birth affects 15 million infants a year and can cause brain damage and have knock-on impacts on the child’s future health. A new blood test developed by researchers that can predict whether a child will be born up to two months prematurely could help tackle the condition, especially in Read More...
The Crisis Text Line is using AI to help prevent suicides
The Crisis Text Line, a text messaging-based crisis counseling hotline, can be completely overwhelmed when dreadful news breaks out like the 2015 Paris attacks. To help the human staff tend to the people who need help the most, data scientists are using machine learning, a type of artificial Read More...
This fast-food chain claims it has the world’s first “climate positive” burger
Slowly, the food and restaurant industries are starting to move away from red meat. The plant-based Impossible Burger is cropping up on menus from gourmet restaurants like Manhattan’s Momofuku Nishi to White Castle. The burger chain Sonic debuted a blended option that’s half mushroom, half Read More...
Scientists have developed synthetic blood that keeps trauma victims alive longer
In a world where blood transfusions are essential for keeping people alive when they are seriously injured and losing blood, it’s worrisome that the US is expected to see a shortfall of around 4 million units of blood annually. Fortunately, researchers have come up with a bio-synthetic substance Read More...
This probiotic could provide an immunization for stress, anxiety and depression
Science has only just started to tease out a fascinating relationship between bacteria, inflammation and mood over the last few years. Not only are some conditions, such as depression, being hypothesized to be caused by brain inflammation, but it's possible brain inflammation could be modulated by Read More...
Scientists are turning ‘ugly’ broccoli into a superfood powder
Bunches of broccoli deemed too ‘ugly’ in appearance to be sold in the grocery store are being ground up and turned into a powder by an Australian government science agency. The powder, which contains one serving of broccoli per two tablespoons, can be stirred into smoothies, baked goods and Read More...
Laser-applied labels could eliminate plastic labeling of organic products
Strangely enough, the organic products you find stocked on the shelves of the grocery store are often labeled using plastic. You may choose to buy organic, but you may end up getting even more plastic packaging. This makes no sense, which is why a Dutch company has developed a new label that can be Read More...