Photo by SHVETS production.

Are you weary of the daily barrage of doom and gloom in your news feed? Would you be interested in knowing there is some positive news in the world of health and medicine?

Here is a brief digest of brief reports on various topics that show good news in medical science, where positive trends are happening and bringing about improved care and better outcomes.

Parkinson’s Disease

Research identified a therapy that blocks the degradation of the protein SOD1.

A progressive neurodegenerative disorder that can’t be cured and is characterized by tremors, full-body rigidity, impaired movement, and speech problems, among other symptoms that can severely damage quality of life. About 1.2 million Americans suffer from Parkinson’s, and numbers are increasing. The good news: 2025 research from the University of Sydney in Australia has identified a therapy that blocks the degradation of the protein SOD1. The protective protein, for some unknown reason, becomes faulty in Parkinson’s sufferers, allowing the damage to the brain that leads to symptoms of the disease. The new therapy, utilizing copper, prevented the degradation of SOD1 in 100% of the mice it was tested on, leading to improved motor function. Further research will determine whether the same results can be expected in humans.

Cancer

A study published recently by Osaka Metropolitan University in its Nature Scientific Reports journal reports that a kenkur ginger-derived molecule known as EMC has the capacity to shut down the way cancer cells make the fats that enable them to reproduce. Weakened by the ginger molecule, cancer cells become easier to detect and to treat. Kenkur ginger differs from the ginger we usually see in grocery stores and is used in Indonesian, Thai, and Chinese cuisines.

Nerve Damage

For some time it has been suspected that muscle strength is correlated with improved nerve health. Last year MIT researchers were finally able to connect the dots and understand why. When muscles contract they release myokines, a type of signaling protein, in which nerve cells have been shown to grow at a rate 4 times faster than when myokines are not present. Muscle stimulation could potentially be used to treat nerve damage formerly considered permanent. This is yet another endorsement of strength-training as a multi-layered pathway to improved health.

Smoking

Surveys both in the US and UK show a lower percentage of people are smoking cigarettes than ever before, and young people are showing the largest declines in the addictive habit considered responsible for nearly half a million deaths per year in the US. In 1965 about 42% of Americans smoked cigarettes. That percentage fell to 11.6% by 2022, and if current trends continue, the percentage will drop to under 5% by 2035.

Infant Care

There are measurable benefits of singing to babies, both for the infant and for the parent.

A study carried out by a team of researchers from the US, Canada, New Zealand, and the Netherlands and published in the journal Child Development shows that there are measurable benefits of singing to babies, both for the infant and for the parent (or other caregiving singer) as well. Parents in the study were given simple musical training and were taught several simple songs. They were also encouraged to add soothing musical tones to other forms of vocal communication throughout the day when taking care of their baby. Parents reported several times throughout the day on baby and parent mood, sleep quality, stress and the use of music. Results showed a strong causative effect of improved mood in the infants who were sung to. Because a cranky baby is a source of stress for new parents, the improved mood of the infant also led to more stable and happy moods in the parents. Singing also stimulates the vagus nerve, creating a sense of well-being and relaxation in the singer.

Bird Flu

While scientists are not yet willing to say that Bird Flu is on its way out, and the unpredictability of viruses’ ability to mutate and change rapidly remains a wild card, the incidence of infected flocks of chickens has dropped steeply. Scientists are still monitoring not just poultry farms, but also cattle herds, and while some of the H5N1 virus that causes Avian Influenza is still being found, it is at a far lower rate in both animals. Only 3 million infected birds were culled in March and April of this year combined, a sharp drop from the 23 million culled in January and 12 million in February. In July, only one farm has been found to be infected. Because there has been an annual seasonal drop off in the summer due to the virus’ lack of viability in warmer temperatures as well as the fact that migratory birds have settled into their breeding season locations and are not spreading the virus, scientists are hoping that this year’s steeper drop in incidence of disease may signal the virus’ gradual exit. While only 70 humans have been infected with bird flu, it is suspected that many more have contracted it and that cases have been mild enough to not be reported. So far there has only been one death from bird flu and the virus has not figured out how to move from human to human, a capability that could lead to a pandemic. For now, scientists are cautiously optimistic.

Brain Health

As reported in the journal Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience in 2024, there is a growing trend among the Gen Z population to take up hands-on hobbies such as knitting, model building, pottery, wood-carving, and other crafts as a remedy for tech burnout. It turns out there are numerous benefits of these activities to the brain and that the slow rise in dopamine levels they bring about can lead to lowered cortisol levels, reduced stress, emotional regulation, and indeed, improved cognition. The sharp spikes in dopamine caused by scrolling on your phone can be damaging, as can low levels of the brain chemical, but hobbies involving fine motor coordination, planning, creativity, and rhythmic bilateral movement bring together several brain functions. Lowered stress levels and improved cognition are found not just in our younger populations, but also in the aging brain. Researchers note that there is more benefit when the tasks involve a learning curve, so if you’re already churning out complex Fair Isle sweaters with ease, think about taking up a novel pursuit that will engage your brain in a more challenging way. 

Balancing news that can cause stress with stories that are uplifting is a form of self-care.

Balancing news that can cause stress and anxiety with stories that are uplifting is a form of self-care in a world with an overwhelming volume of information at our fingertips. Staying informed is an important piece of good citizenship, but not when it comes at the expense of one’s own mental health. When we take the time to find news that reassures us of our humanity, restores hope, and reminds us of the evolutionary imperative of altruism in social animals such as homo sapiens, we are brought closer to our true nature and undeniable sense of connection to nature.

Ann Constantino, submitted on behalf of the SoHum Health’s Outreach department.