Smoking marijuana helps reduce pain, trial shows

Researchers in Montreal have completed what they say is the first placebo-controlled clinical trial to show that smoking pot really helps to relieve pain.

Health calendar

SHARP AS A TACK: Discussion about brain plasticity and how to prevent cognitive decline. 3 p.m. Thursday, Pardee Health Education Center, Blue Ridge Mall, Hendersonville. Registration required. Call 692-4600.

When doctors cannot diagnose disorders

Nicola Reiss woke up one Boxing Day feeling extremely unwell. She had pain all over, her ribs ached and she was running a fever “It was as though I was involved in a boxing match,” she recalled.

Asheville area health calendar

FREE CHOLESTEROL SCREENINGS: Lipid and glucose profiles by finger stick, along with blood pressure and body mass index screening. Today, Dollar General, Edneyville.

Ask Dr. Gott: Meds give reader dizziness

Dear Dr. Gott: I am constantly dizzy. I was taking 160 milligrams of Diovan for a long time, but my doctor changed me to 150 milligrams of Tekturna. Now I'm dizzy on that.