Is Pot the Cure for Epilepsy?

A Colorado mom used a marijuana extract to treat her daughter’s non-epileptic seizures, which began when she was 3-months-old and occurred up to 50 times per day, according to a new case study in the journal Epilepsia. The girl, named Charlotte, was given an extract of cannabis that does not produce a high in conjunction with her anti-seizure medication and quickly saw her seizures drop to two-to-three times per month.

This case study is just one of a number of similar tales – as many as 19 parents have come forward saying cannabis has helped treat their child’s epilepsy and seizures. However, experts remain skeptical.

These case studies “can give a potential signal of efficacy and safety, but doctors, patients and parents are all biased," Maria Roberta Cilio, director of pediatric epilepsy research at the University of California, San Francisco, wrote in a commentary accompanying the new report. "Rigorous investigation of the safety and efficacy of medical marijuana or individual components such as CBD are necessary for patients with epilepsy before any conclusion is made."

Can E-Cigarettes Help You Quit Smoking?

Quitting smoking is one of the best things you can do for your health, but it’s also one of the most difficult. There are myriad smoking cessation products available, from the patch to medications and beyond, but one of the most overlooked may be the e-cigarette. While most people consider it to simply be a replacement for traditional cigarettes, experts say that when used correctly, e-cigarettes may be a powerful tool to help you quit.

"E-cigarettes are less addictive and have fewer carcinogens than a traditional cigarette," says Rima Gidwani, a pulmonologist at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston. "There’s definitely a role for e-cigarettes in smoking cessation."

E-cigarettes are battery-powered devices that vaporize liquid, often containing nicotine and other flavorings, such as bubble gum, mint or chocolate. Studies on the subject are slim, but new research published earlier this week out of the University College London found that e-cigarettes were 60 percent more effective at helping people quit when compared to quitting cold turkey. The 60 percent might be a little overblown since most people don’t try and quit cold turkey, Gidwani says, but nevertheless, the number is promising. "If we did a study here in the United States, we’d likely see e-cigarettes to be very effective." [Read more: Can E-Cigarettes Help You Quit Smoking?]

How to Beat Bloat for Bikini Season

Summer is right around the corner, and so in other words, it’s (gulp) swimsuit season, writes U.S. News blogger Keri Gans. Many people will frantically look for fad diets to lose weight quickly or search online for foods that will “flatten their bellies." I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but fad diets don’t work, and you should have thought about losing weight as early as January if you want to keep it off all summer. And there really is no food that can give you a flat belly, at least according to science. A flat belly (also known in some circles as six-pack abs) is the result of many different factors, such as age and genetics, and for some people it just won’t happen – no matter how hard they try.

Instead of trying to drop pounds at the last minute before your weekend getaway, perhaps simply finding ways to cure a bloated stomach will boost your confidence in a bikini. With 1 in 10 Americans suffering from regular bloating, this is a fix many of us desperately need – not only in the summer, but year-round, too.