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.
Brazil fights Zika with billboards that smell like humans and kill mosquitoes
There’s no lack of creative billboards in Brazil. However, the latest billboard innovation is particularly smart as it attracts, traps and kills mosquitoes that carry the Zika, dengue and chikungunya viruses. The billboard spreads a solution of lactic acid and CO2 that “replicates human sweat Read More...
Your Diet Might Be Causing Anxiety and Depression
You are what you eat. We’ve known this for a long time. Michael Pollan’s observation took it a step further: you are what what you eat eats. This is especially relevant when choosing grass-fed versus grain-fed beef, or wild versus farmed salmon, for example. A growing awareness of Read More...
Meet the vegan burger that may change the food world as we know it
It’s been over a year since Impossible Foods first revealed plans for the Impossible Burger, a plant-based meat patty that cooks, smells, tastes, and even “bleeds” like real meat. Now, the company is finally ready to roll out their impressive product. Unlike the folks over at Read More...
Yoga may help relieve asthma symptoms
(Reuters Health) – Yoga seems to provide small improvements in symptoms and quality of life in people with asthma, according to a new review. The practice of yoga includes breathing exercises, postures (called asanas), and meditation. Yoga has been proposed as a treatment for a variety of Read More...
Philadelphia City Council encourages efficient, sustainable 'vertical farming'
The City Council of Philadelphia works on regulation to stimulate vertical farming in the city. Vertical farms use artificial lighting and climate control to grow vegetables, herbs, and fruits year-round without sunlight or soil. An acre of farmland—43,560 square feet—yields the same amount as Read More...
Shoes that cool or heat people save a lot of energy
Heating or cooling people rather than buildings can save a lot of energy. A California non-profit, together with researchers from Stanford and UCLA, is developing footwear that will keep people comfortable in unsuitable environments. The ReBOOT system uses a low-voltage battery that powers a pump Read More...
Weed tampon provides pain relief period cramps
Many women experience severe and intense pain during their monthly menstruation. According to the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, at least half of all women who get their periods experience one or two days of cramping. Many try to find relieve with traditional medicines like Read More...
Feeding a growing world population does not require deforestation
We cannot escape deforestation in developing countries because we need more farm land to feed growing populations. That is the implicit assumption in most future scenarios. However, as a major Austrian study shows, people don’t have to go hungry to conserve the planet’s forests. By 2050, the UN Read More...
Eat less meat to reforest the Earth!
Scientists have discovered that we can feed the world and stop destroying forests by eating less meat. If we all went vegetarian that would reduce deforestation by 94%. And if we went the whole way to veganism enough land would be freed up for a new forest the size of the Amazon, and allow a Read More...
24 groups leading the charge in cultivating urban farming
Since 1950, the number of people residing in urban areas has increased by more than 3.1 billion. It is projected by the United Nations (UN) that by 2050, 66 percent of the world’s population will be living in cities. The rise in urban inhabitants has led to growing global concern over a slew of Read More...