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.
Kangaroo care: the radical skin-to-skin approach to saving premature babies
Carmela Torres was 18 when she became pregnant for the first time. It was 1987 and she and her now-husband, Pablo Hernández had just moved to Colombia’s capital, Bogotá, in search of a better life. One December afternoon, suddenly out of nowhere, her body began to convulse with sharp Read More...
When traditional medicine meets ceremonial rituals, amazing things can happen
In the California city of Merced, a hospital has a welcoming policy that allows Hmong shamans to perform different health rituals for the local Hmong population that requests them. Interestingly enough, the patients receiving these ceremonies have been experiencing high rates of recovery when Read More...
7 non-toxic yoga mats
So many of the products that we buy and use daily will end up in a landfill at the end of their lives—especially those made from plastics or other unrecyclable (or uncompostable) materials. Yoga mats usually fall into this category. Fortunately, more and more incredible companies are producing Read More...
This rising form of agriculture is both ancient and sustainable
The number of biodynamic farms in the U.S. is rapidly increasing. These types of farms are much greener than organic farms, using their own compost and integrating livestock into their farms. Best of all, biodynamic farms rebuild the soil so that their harvest are extra healthy and Read More...
Omega-3 oils could tackle damage caused by air pollution, research shows
Air pollution around the world continues to rise at an alarming rate and is linked to lung and heart diseases as well as strokes and other brain issues. According to emerging research, omega-3 fatty acids could be an immediate way of cutting the harm caused to billions around the world by air Read More...
Twice weekly yoga classes plus home practice effective in reducing depression
People who suffer from depression should participate in yoga and deep (coherent) breathing classes at least twice weekly plus practice at home to receive a significant reduction in their symptoms. The findings, which appear in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, provide Read More...
Psychedelic drugs can be the shortcut to a mental state we may be wired to crave
Religious and transcendental experiences have always played an important role in human evolution, from keeping tribes together to pushing societies in new directions. Humans may even be wired to crave such experiences, with some turning to psychedelic drugs as shortcuts to enjoying them. It’s Read More...
Acupuncture can ease wrist pain of carpal tunnel syndrome
Acupuncture can relieve wrist pain, and researchers have tracked the brain and nervous system changes that may help explain why. Scientists randomized 80 people with mild or moderate carpal tunnel syndrome — pain caused by nerve compression at the wrist — to one of three groups. The Read More...
Probiotic could help alleviate hay fever symptoms
Researchers suggest that a probiotic might help to ease symptoms of hay fever. Researchers found that a probiotic consisting of both Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria helped to alleviate hay fever symptoms and improved quality of life during allergy season. First study author Jennifer Dennis, of the Read More...
One woman has single-handedly helped Denmark reduce food waste by 25 percent
A Russian-woman named Selina Juul who moved to Denmark when she was 13 years old has been credited by the Danish government for single-handedly helping the country reduce its food waste by 25 percent in just five years. Shocked by the amount of food waste at supermarkets, she created the Read More...