- Methadone, a drug commonly used to wean heroin users away from their addictions, is increasingly being prescribed by doctors to combat severe pain, but many are unaware of the dangers of the synthetic opiate.

The New York Times reported Sunday that Methadone has become the fastest growing cause of narcotic death, quickly surpassing Oxycontin and Vicodin, two widely prescribed pain killers

Exercising won't help people avoid gaining weight if they consume foods containing monosodium glutamate, or MSG, as a flavor enhancer, researchers found.

A study done by scientists at the University of North Carolina's Chapel Hill School of Public Health found that people who consumed foods containing MSG were more likely than people who didn't use it to be overweight, even if the two groups exercised the same amount of time and consumed the same number of calories

Low levels of Vitamin D may contribute to chronic pain among women and taking an extra daily dose of the sunshine vitamin may prove beneficial, studies suggest.

The same, however, does not hold true for men as they have different hormones, British researchers say in a study published in the Annals of Rheumatic Diseases

The Philadelphia VA Medical Center is investigating its treatment of 114 cancer patients on suspicion they might have received the wrong radiation doses.

The hospital admitted its error Tuesday, saying it's reviewing records of prostate-cancer patients who underwent brachytherapy during the past six years. The men may have received radiation dosages below the recommended levels. The treatment involved implanting radioactive rods or seeds in and around the prostate to destroy cancer cells in men who have low-risk prostate cancer

It is possible to be fat and fit at the same time, a surprising new study has revealed. In the first national study of its kind, researchers found that at least half of overweight adults, and close to a third of obese men and women, have normal blood pressure, cholesterol and other measures of heart health.

Researchers from the University of Michigan also found that close to a quarter of U.S. adults in the recommended-weight range had risk factors for heart disease or diabetes. That means some 16 million of them are at risk for heart problems, the study said