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.
Medical diagnostics tests can be assembled like Legos with this kit
Diagnostic tests for diseases like Zika or Ebola are often very specific in what they measure and don’t always work for local populations. That’s why researchers have designed a Lego-like kit designed to make it possible for technicians anywhere to make, and tweak, diagnostics themselves. The Read More...
Coffee waste is now fetching a 480 percent premium over coffee itself
Aida Batlle grows coffee on her family’s farm in the hills surrounding El Salvador’s Santa Ana Volcano. Like generations before her, she had little use for the skin that encases the beans, so she’d turn it into cheap fertilizer or, more frequently, trash it. Then one day, walking past some Read More...
The Mediterranean diet could help you fend off the risks of air pollution
Researchers recently made an intriguing finding when they compared men and women who most followed the Mediterranean diet to those who follow it least, while factoring in their exposure to air pollution. Death from all causes increased by 5 percent for every 10 parts per billion increase in Read More...
How exercising works to keep your arteries from stiffening up
Arteries are blood vessels which transport blood in and out of the heart and to all parts of the body. Each one is shaped like a tube and, as people age, they are prone to stiffening and weakening. Research suggests that exercising four to five times a week is necessary to stop the main arteries to Read More...
Lung cancer destroyed with tea leaf nanoparticles
A new study has shown that lung cancer cells can be destroyed using nanoparticles derived from tea leaves. These tiny particles, called "quantum dots," are 400 times thinner than a human hair, and producing them from tea leaves is safe and Read More...
Ultra-clean homes could trigger childhood leukemia, major review suggests
Keeping children cocooned in ultra-clean homes away from other youngsters could trigger childhood leukaemia, a landmark study suggests. A major new analysis by Britain’s leading leukaemia expert has concluded a deadly chain of events is set in motion when susceptible children are not exposed Read More...
The most popular burgers at Costco right now aren’t made from meat
The trend of eating plant-based foods as substitute for meat products is growing faster than you think. Veggie burgers like the Impossible Burger and Beyond Burgers have become popular because they taste and appear like real burgers do, but no burger has hit the market so successfully as the Read More...
100 million Americans have chronic pain, very few use this tool to treat it
Chronic pain often has no physical cause. Psychotherapy can reduce the Read More...
How hardy volcanic microbes helped track down an anti-aging "superhero" protein
A team of scientists, looking to figure out how hardy little creatures known as archaea thrive in boiling, volcanic pools of sulfuric acid like they were hot tubs, may have uncovered the key to an anti-aging drug. By manipulating a so-called "super hero" protein common to both archaea and humans, Read More...
Want whiter teeth? Try the ayurvedic tradition of oil pulling
Oil pulling is an ancient ayurvedic tradition which consists of swishing oil in your mouth for anywhere from three to 20 minutes in order to give it a proper cleaning. Coconut oil is the perfect oil for doing this because it’s anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antimicrobial. Essentially, when Read More...