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.
Replacing hospital noise with soothing sounds that promote peace and healing
Hospitals are home to a cacophony of noisy alarms. In fact, the average hospital racks up 135 alarms per patient per day. These alarms can create a sense of nervousness and anxiety in a setting meant for healing, which is why an ambient musician has set out to replace the buzzing and beeping of Read More...
Man moves paralyzed legs using device that stimulates spinal cord
A new study reports researchers have successfully used electrical stimulation on the spinal cord of a paralyzed patient to allow him to stand, move his legs and make stepping motions. Source: Mayo Clinic. Mayo Clinic researchers used electrical stimulation on the spinal cord and intense physical Read More...
A new treatment could bring some relief for Alzheimer's very soon
If trials conclude successfully later this year, a new drug will provide some relief for people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. It would be the first new treatment for the disease available in over a decade. The drug works by increasing the release of a chemical in the brain that plays an Read More...
I'm harnessing the power of gardening to help autistic people
If someone had said to me ten years ago that autism and the therapeutic benefits of gardening will become your life, I wouldn’t have believed them. Yes, I enjoyed growing some of my own food in my back yard in Brighton, but it wasn’t until my son Arthur’s autism diagnosis a few Read More...
Walk, stretch or dance? Dancing may be best for the brain
So for the new study, which was published this month in Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, researchers from the University of Illinois in Urbana and other schools decided to look at the effects of several different types of exercise on the wiring and the function of older people’s brain. They began Read More...
Experimental technology allows paralyzed man to regain control of his arm
For the first time ever, a paralyzed man has regained the ability to use his arms thanks to an experimental technology. The man had electrical implants placed in the motor cortex of his brain and sensors inserted in his forearm, which allows the muscles of his arm and hand to be stimulated in Read More...
How neuroscience might help the San Francisco Giants win the World Series
The next time a San Francisco Giant hits a game-winning home run or turns a great double play to end a rival’s rally, you may be able to thank neuroscience. Today, Halo Neuroscience, a San Francisco startup that’s developed a device aimed at boosting the performance of athletes, Read More...
There’s a powerful benefit to exercise that is rarely discussed
When I was about to turn 40, I started working out regularly after years of inactivity. As I sweated my way through cardio, weights, and dance classes, I noticed that exercise wasn’t just changing my body. It was also profoundly transforming my brain—for the better. The immediate effects of Read More...
Using lasers to awaken 'lost' memories points at new cure for Alzheimer's
An MIT-researcher, studying mice in the early stages of Alzheimer’s, has found that the animals could form new memories and that “forgotten” memories could be retrieved. The researcher used a laser flooding the brain cells with positively charged ions that activate memory functions. There’s Read More...
What’s the one thing to do every day? Deepak Chopra explains (video)
Last week’s failed Republican health care bill, and any iteration of an American health care plan, misses the mark on creating a foundation of true wellness, according to author Deepak Chopra. Speaking with Salon about his New York Times bestselling new book, “You Are the Universe: Read More...