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.
India is polio-free
It has been three years since a case of polio was reported in India. That's the period of time the World Health Organization requires a country to go without anyone catching polio before declaring itself polio-free. It's a come-from-behind victory for the country, which was considered an Read More...
New guidelines scale back recommendations for blood pressure medication
New blood pressure treatment guidelines in the U.S. have raised the threshold at which people over 60 are advised to start medication—meaning that fewer people should be prescribed antihypertensive (blood pressure lowering) drugs in the new year. The previous guidelines on the management of high Read More...
Soda linked to increasing endometrial cancer risk
Sugar-sweetened beverages like soda and sweetened fruit drinks have long been associated with obesity and type 2 diabetes. Now a new study has concluded that they also increase the risk of endometrial cancer in postmenopausal women. Endometrial cancer rates are rising worldwide; it is now the Read More...
Neurotherapy: The solution for your New Year’s resolutions
Remember what you promised yourself on New Year’s Day? The problem is that, a few weeks from now, most of us won’t. Next month most resolutions will be distant memories, gone from our daily routines. Why is that? The explanation is that we are hard-wired against change. And there are good and Read More...
Printers and guns used to cure blindness and burns
Lose your sight, print an eye. Get burned, spray on new skin. What seems like strange scenarios from a sci-fi movie are closer to reality then you might think. Researchers from John van Geest Centre for Brain Repair at the University of Cambridge have recently printed cells that are used to Read More...
Deadly cost of pollution prompts new regulation
The cost of air pollution in Europe is deadly. In 2010, 400,000 Europeans died prematurely as a result of poor air quality, according to a recent report by the European Environmental agency. The cost of such pollution to member countries of the EU is around 23 billion Euros per year. And though Read More...
Acupuncture relieves pain in children after tonsillectomy
Tonsillectomy—surgical removal of the two tonsils—is typically associated with severe throat pain for up to 10 days after the procedure. For many years, codeine was the drug of choice to treat this pain, but in February 2013 the Food and Drug Administration banned the use of codeine in children Read More...
Better relationships mean a better night’s sleep
Sleep patterns often change when kids hit puberty. Traditionally, the explanation for this drop to less than 9 hours of sleep per night was biological. Doctors attributed sleep loss to puberty and hormonal changes. Dr. David J. Maume, sociology professor at the University of Cincinnati, directed a Read More...
Use your stress for good
For years we’ve come to believe that if we’re stressed, we’re unhealthy. We spend money on vacations and are constantly searching for ways to avoid stress. But new information is showing us that, when used correctly, stress can be beneficial to health. In a recent TED talk, “How to make Read More...
Knock on wood, study corroborates superstitious
Athletes are known for employing superstitious rituals to help them maintain productivity, or get out of a spell of poor performance. Michael Jordan wore the same University of North Carolina shorts under his uniform at every game, NBA player Jason Terry wears the shorts of the next team he is Read More...