Of all the parts of the body smoking can damage, the back doesn't seem like it would be one of them. Many smokers with lower back arthritis, however, may beg to differ. Smokers with this condition may not respond as well to treatment as nonsmokers.

Stress is a feared enemy of heart health, but most people have a hard time kicking it out of their lives. Learning to cope with stressful events may be an important step for women recovering from a heart attack.

Pain medications can be a double-edged sword. People in pain need help. Too much of a good thing, however, can cause addiction and endanger health.

Achillion Pharmaceuticals Inc. announced today that its experimental hepatitis C treatment may be able to reverse hepatitis C in as little as six weeks.

Some parents have raised concerns that vaccinating young girls against HPV, a sexually transmitted illness, might lead to more unsafe sexual activity in these girls. New evidence, however, suggests that's not the case — and the vaccine could prevent serious health problems.

In the quest to find the cause of ADHD, anything a child is exposed to can be on the list of suspects. New evidence may mark one potential cause off that list.

In the past, patients with Lyme disease — a disease spread through the bites of ticks — had a single doctor visit and were prescribed antibiotics. That course of treatment, however, may not be enough for all patients. And more treatment could increase health care costs.

The beliefs many Americans hold about their cancer risk might be doing them a disservice.

Young adults may be less likely than older people to worry about their health, but this can spell trouble down the road — especially when a chronic condition is involved.

Money — or at least the love of it — may be the root of all evil, as the old saying goes. And it may also be the root of a lot of stress among Americans.