🌞 A new cancer treatment

My name is Lucy and I’m TDA’s copyeditor. I’m popping in to host this newsletter for the next couple of weeks, which is great timing — I always find it easiest to be cheerful and optimistic as the weather gets warmer.

Speaking of timing: Halloween may have been this weekend, but I’m hoping this newsletter banishes any lingering Sunday scaries.

Let’s dive in!

Whenever I go to an art gallery, I come away feeling inspired, and like I’ve done something good for my brain. Now, early research has suggested looking at artworks in a museum could also be good for your body. 

Researchers at King’s College London’s psychiatry institute studied the physiological responses of 25 people  as they viewed works by the likes of Vincent Van Gogh at an art gallery.

Then, they compared a different group of 25 volunteers’ responses when they looked at reproductions of the same paintings in a non-gallery environment.

Their heart rate and skin temperature was monitored to measure levels of interest. 

Keeping in mind that this is a small group of participants and the research hasn’t been reviewed by other academics yet, the results were fascinating.

Cortisol, a stress hormone, fell by an average of 22% in the art gallery group compared to 8% for the non-gallery group. The art gallery group also had more “dynamic heart activity,” suggesting art engages the body.

Plus, levels of proteins linked to stress and chronic diseases dropped over 25% for the group looking at the original pieces, while the reproduction group had no change. 

Study  author Dr Tony Woods said the result “suggests that cultural experiences may play a real role in protecting mind and body.” 

“In essence, art doesn’t just move us emotionally – it calms the body too,” he said.

If you’re a regular reader, you know that last week Zara wrote about street libraries. Well, in the spirit of community, this week, I’m talking about community gardens.

Community gardens are places where people can grow produce, make new friends, and brighten up their local area. 

My closest community garden is tucked into a little patch of land off a side street, which you might miss if you walked past too quickly. I last visited a few weeks ago, when gardeners were picking tiny perfect strawberries and bees were buzzing around vibrant purple irises. 

Every community garden is different. You can find your local one here.

A liver cancer patient has become the first person in Europe to undergo a special tumour treatment outside of a clinical trial.

Histotripsy treatment uses ultrasound energy to destroy tumours. Focused sound waves make microscopic bubbles, which create “mechanical forces that destroy cancer cells without the need for surgery, radiation or chemotherapy.”

The treatment can take as little as half an hour, usually with limited pain, meaning that patients can spend less time at hospital.

Dr Teik Choon See, who led the procedure, said: “Histotripsy… allows us to target tumours more precisely while sparing healthy tissue, offering patients a safer and faster alternative to traditional therapies.” 

The patient, Roger Jackson, said he feels “privileged” and that it’s “impressive to think sound waves can treat cancer without the need for patients like me to go through intensive surgery, at what already is a stressful time.” He was discharged to recover at home the day after the surgery.

The treatment facilities are funded by private donations and the hospital’s own charitable trust.

Got something to share?

You might’ve noticed this spot looks a little different today – and there’s a reason for that. Usually, this is where we connect you with partners who bring something genuinely interesting and worth your morning scroll.

If you (or someone you know) has something meaningful for our Good Newsletter community, we’d love to hear about it.

Get in touch about partnership opportunities here.

The morning-after pill is now free at almost 10,000 pharmacies in the UK.

Patients won’t need to visit a clinic or need a GP appointment to get one. Prior to this change, the pill could cost up to £30 ($AU60) at pharmacies.  

National Health Service women’s health director Dr Sue Mann said: “This is one of the biggest changes to sexual health services since the 1960s”. 

Dr Mann described it as a “game-changer in making reproductive healthcare more easily accessible”.

The UK’s move comes soon after Japan approved the morning-after pill to be sold over the counter at pharmacies for the first time.

This recommendation is brought to you by junior journalist Anju Dhanushkodi: 

Sometimes, good news comes in the form of rubbish bags. 

Samuel Salamone is a young boy who made it his mission to collect pieces of litter based on how many followers he had. The internet did its thing, he went viral, and now he has more than 850,000 followers.

Obviously, that became unrealistic, so Samuel set out on another goal instead: 100 pieces of litter picked over 100 days. 

Every video varies — sometimes he’s joined by his dad, and other times he makes a themed video. 

In every single video, however, he has the best attitude and the biggest grin picking up litter.

This video is my favourite.