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.
Deaf children may receive the gift of sound from a brain stem implant
An FDA-approved clinical trial to give the gift of sound and speech to children who were born deaf is already yielding encouraging results. Read the story of Jiya Bavishi, a six-year-old girl who received an auditory brainstem implant. The implant is a microchip that receives sounds picked up by a Read More...
Solutions to clean up the palm oil industry
Palm oil is as ubiquitous in processed foods as it is controversial for its disastrous ecological and social impacts. Transparent supply chains, regulations, strict third-party verifications, alliances of companies and civil society are some of the necessary approaches to clean up the palm oil Read More...
Meditation physically changes the brain, says Harvard neuroscientist
The beneficial effects of meditation, such as increased compassion and overall quality of life, together with reduced stress, depression, anxiety, pain and insomnia, are getting better and better understood by science. Neuroscientist Sara Lazar has conducted several studies, finding that the brain Read More...
Plant-based diets are earning good reputation points in the U.S.
More Americans are inclined to reduce their meat consumption and eat more plants. Meanwhile, negative stereotypes surrounding the vegan lifestyle have been slowly fading away, according to the Nutrition Business Journal’s 2015 Special Diets Report. Healthier eating habits being incorporated into Read More...
Growing food security in Argentina, one school garden at the time
Up to 35 percent of children in Argentina live in households with “unmet basic needs.” Only 53 percent receive of those receive food assistance. Here is the inspiring story of the Huerta Niño Foundation, an organization founded in 1999 to build agroecological school gardens in low-income areas Read More...
Wal-Mart pressures its suppliers to ban antibiotics from animal feed
Consumers just scored an important victory over the food industry. Citing an internal study that showed 66 percent of its customers were more likely to shop from a retailer that ensures humane treatment of livestock, Wal-Mart made a historic announcement last Friday. The giant retailer, who Read More...
France to penalize supermarkets for food waste
Reducing food waste has been a top priority of the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization since its Director-General José Graziano da Silva arrived at the helm in 2011. While the European Union has suggested its member states reduce their food waste by at least 30 percent by 2025, France's lower Read More...
Mindful consumers bring Big Food to the tipping point
People across the globe are getting more conscious about what they eat. They want food that they understand—real food that supports their health, not weird concoctions that can potentially wreak havoc on their bodies. Consumers’ changing habits are consequently eating into the profits of big Read More...
Urban agriculture is sprouting in Africa
The recent development of urban agriculture is not limited to the rooftops of Brooklyn and the community gardens in San Francisco. The phenomenon is surging is African cities, as rural populations are flooding to urban centers in search of better opportunities. In some places, it was sowed by Read More...
Grip strength better than blood pressure at predicting fatal heart disease
The human body in a never-ending source of discoveries. So is the exploration of human health. Consider this: grip strength is better than blood pressure at predicting fatal cardiovascular disease and stroke risk, according to a study of nearly 140,000 people in 14 countries published in the Read More...