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St. Croix Times Staff Quick question: Is the glass half empty or half full? Increasing evidence suggests that being an optimist or a pessimist affects your health. A recent study found that older adults with an optimistic disposition lived longer than pessimists. After accounting for factors such as age, sex, smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity, and socioeconomic and marital status, those in the study who scored high on the optimism scale had a 29% lower ri

M.A. Dworkin St. Croix - The VI Breast Cancer Project was founded in 2016 and is dedicated to supporting cancer survivors through creative expression, community connection, and the healing power of the arts. It is easy to underestimate art as a healing force. We often think of medicines, nature and time as the great healers that have the ability to turn a sick being back into a healthy one. It’s hard to imagine a work of art performing that wizardry task. But the heali

A.J. Pike USVI - Puerto Rico has declared a State of Emergency due to an influenza epidemic that has produced more than 42,000 confirmed influenza cases, over 3,000 hospitalizations, and 128 influenza-associated deaths as of the end of January 2026. Almost 46 percent of the reported cases have involved children. In response, the V.I. Department of Health (VIDOH) is urging USVI residents to get vaccinated and to take all precautions due to frequent inter-island travel be

A.J. Pike Beans and Legumes - Rich in protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Helps control blood sugar. Supports digestive health. Promotes heart health. Antioxidant-rich. Leafy Greens - Nutrient-dense. Improves inflammation, immunity, and heart health. Contains antioxidants and other brain protective compounds. Helps slow aging. Nuts and Seeds - Pistachios, walnuts, almonds. Healthy fats, fiber, protein. Source of many vitamins and minerals. Antioxidant and anti-inflammat

M.A. Dworkin U.S.A. - According to a report released on January 13, 2026, by the American Cancer Society (ACS), the five-year relative survival rate for all cancers combined in the United States has reached 70% for the first time. The milestone signifies a major improvement in cancer outcomes, as the rate was roughly 50% in the mid-1970s. Seven in ten people diagnosed with cancer are now expected to live at least five years, a figure that has increased from 49% in the

M.A. Dworkin St. Croix - It’s easy to lose that healthy feeling when you get older. Gravity begins to take over and your energy level begins to slip down. If you don’t take care of yourself, your body slowly falls out of shape and your mind follows. You become aware you need a boost, but you’re not sure what is the proper way to provide one. Fitter Futures by Beeston Hill may just be the answer to kick-start your senior years back into the shape of your youthful days. T

M.A. Dworkin Washington - The Trump Administration is “turning the food pyramid upside down” with new guidelines for feeding programs that will emphasize eating plenty of proteins and healthy fats. The recommendations will directly impact daily meals served in America’s public schools, military bases, prisons and various federal facilities. “Today our government declares war on added sugar. Highly processed food loaded with additives - added sugar and excess salt - dama

M.A. Dworkin The Arctic - Actually, it’s easy-peasy to live to the ripe old age of 200 years, that is if you take a tip or two from the Bowhead Whales who live to two hundred-plus all the time in the Arctic. First off, you’ll probably have to buy yourself one of those triple-thermal suits and layer-up when you move to the arctic, where it gets down to ninety below. But most of all you have to become a master of your DNA repair like the Bowhead Whale. Yet, given all th

M.A. Dworkin London - A group of blind patients can now read again after being fitted with a life-changing implant at the back of the eye. A surgeon who inserted the microchips in five patients at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London, England, says the results of the international trial are “astounding.” The technology offers hope to people with an advanced form of dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD), called geographic atrophy (GA), which affects five million worldwi

A.J. Pike British Columbia - Just when you thought there were no more exciting inventions, except those created by AI, along comes the Myco Toilet, the world’s first mushroom (fungi) powered, odor-free, eco-friendly composting marvel of an outhouse. A team at the University of British Columbia (UBC) has created the Myco Toilet, a waterless composting toilet powered by mushroom mycelia (root-like structure of the fungi). This innovative outhouse separates solids and liq

A.J. Pike USVI - Back to school season is also the start of the flu season. In case all the recent reports about vaccines have become a bit confusing, the top science-backed way of lowering your risk of getting the flu is still getting your flu shot. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), getting a flu vaccine lowers the risk of getting the flu by between 40% and 60%. If you do get it, your symptoms will be less severe. Despite its efficac

M.A. Dworkin Moscow - Russia has reported that its cancer vaccine “Enteromix” has completed preclinical trials - demonstrating both safety and high efficacy. Veronika Skvortsova, head of the Russian Federal Medical-Biological Agency (FMBA), made the announcement about the vaccine recently at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, according to Russian news agency TASS. “The research spanned several years, with the last three dedicated to mandatory preclinical studi