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.
Under-50 mortality rate could go down by 40%
Last week, we mentioned that child mortality has gone down 50 percent since 1990. Now, new research has found that with sustained international efforts the premature death rate—defined as dying before reaching 50—could go down by 40% by 2030. Between 2000 and 2010 global premature deaths for Read More...
“Bad” LDL cholesterol may be a “good guy” after all
The dogma that LDL cholesterol is nothing but bad news—and the multi-billion-dollar statin drug industry that rests on it—is beginning to erode. For decades, a vocal minority of doctors and nutritionists have argued that there is no such thing as ‘bad’ cholesterol and reported various Read More...
Stems cells used for sight therapy
Scientist from Japan have reprogrammed skin cells from a woman’s arm and implanted them into her eye to help her regain sight. This is the first time in history stem cells have been used in such a way. The woman is in her 70s and is the first of six patients to undergo this ground breaking Read More...
Can sound vibrations replace pesticides?
Researchers in Italy are testing unique ways to combat pests that don’t include chemicals—and they’re going way beyond organic alternatives. They’re experimenting with vibration and pheromones as a sustainable alternative to detrimental chemical pesticides. The vibrations and pheromones are Read More...
Affordable Hepatitis C drug to be released in poorer countries
Hepatitis C drugs are costly—one pill can cost $1000. Expensive in any country, the thousand-dollar pill is almost laughably over-priced for those living in developing countries—if it weren’t such a serious, deadly disease. Gilead Sciences, a Californian drug maker, has now announced plans to Read More...
Fat is where it’s at
For more than three decades, we’ve been told that fatty foods are to blame for a full menu of health hazards, from heart disease to obesity to cancer. Described as the nutritional equivalent of cigarettes, fat has been the target of public-service campaigns and municipal bans aimed at keeping us Read More...
ADHD symptoms lessened by exercise before school
Staying focused in school is difficult for any child, but can be an even bigger challenge for kids with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, or ADHD. A recent study has discovered that kids who participate in aerobic activities before school have less severe symptoms of ADHD in the classroom. Read More...
Man-made hearts will revolutionize health
In 1969 the first person received an artificial heart—it kept them alive for three days. Now a French biotech company has created new artificial heart out of synthetic and natural occurring materials—the heart valves come from a cow—and is meant to last for up to 5 years. The artificial heart Read More...
Hospitals start offering healthy foods
Hospitals are places of healing, so why is that so often the food is deplorable? Hospitals are finally catching on to the healing properties that go along with healthy diets and are now revamping their menus to provide patients with the nutrients they need. Kaiser Permanente is implementing plans Read More...
Train your brain to change unhealthy eating habits
Researchers have reported the first evidence that we can “re-wire” the reward centers in the brain that encourage addictive-like behavior to unhealthy food—shifting them to respond to low-calorie, healthy food instead. This important switch in food preferences is thought to be a critical Read More...