Training hard is part of cycling, but so is taking a day off

Cycling isn't just about getting a good bike -- it's also about learning how to become a great rider. Join a live web chat on Monday, July 18, at 11 a.m. PDT (1 p.m. CT, 2 p.m. EST) with top cycling coach Joe Friel and learn tips that will make your training more efficient.

Rodent of the Week: Ritalin and Prozac -- a troubling combo for children?

Four in 10 kids who get a diagnosis of either depression or attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) end up getting both diagnoses sometime in their young lives. That means a lot will spend some part of their adolescence taking two psychiatric medications: methylphenidate (better known by its commercial name, Ritalin) and fluoxetine (better known as Prozac, the only of the new-generation antidepressants approved for kids as young as 8 years old). A new study conducted on rats suggests that taking that combination of drugs may change the adults they will become in ways that are distinctly troubling.

Can bad driving be diagnosed? Chinese doctor thinks risky and clumsy drivers should be barred

If bad driving is a disease, some people should be locked up in deep quarantine. Turn signal phobia, red light blindness, tailgate-itis, cellphone dementia -- today's roads are a hot zone of pathology.

There are options for penis repair after mutilation

The actions of a Southern California woman who allegedly cut off her husband's penis has horrified men throughout the country, perhaps even the world.

Head to the front of the cycling pack with training tips from top coach Joe Friel

A good training program can take a cyclist from the middle of the pack to the front. Get tips on improving endurance, speed and strength from top cycling coach Joe Friel in a live Web chat Monday, July 18, at 11 a.m. Pacific time (1 p.m. Central time, 2 p.m. Eastern time). Friel is the author of "The Cyclist's Training Bible" and is a USA Triathlon and USA Cycling-certified elite-level coach. Friel, who lives in Scottsdale, Ariz., has a master's in exercise science, trains amateurs and pros, and is the founder of TrainingBible Coaching, a Web-based coaching site.

Stem cell clinical trials to treat eye diseases begin at UCLA

After more than 20 years of research, doctors at UCLA’s Jules Stein Eye Institute have begun treating the first patients in clinical trials for two progressive eye diseases that cause blindness: dry age-related macular degeration and Stargardt’s macular dystrophy.

Is the World Wide Web becoming our external memory drive?

Whether our laptops, tablets and smartphones have made us smarter or dumber is a matter of endless debate and of scant but growing research. A new study grabs hold of an important corner of that question, finding that we have adapted the way we remember things to a world in which virtually everything is available on the Web.

Placing obese children in foster homes a controversial proposition

Foster care might be the best place for extremely overweight kids — or so says Dr. David Ludwig, director of the Optimal Weight for Life program at Children's Hospital in Boston, and one of the country's leading crusaders against childhood obesity.

Campbell's to add salt back into Select Harvest soups: Good health doesn't sell

Reducing salt may be healthy for consumers, but it doesn't seem to be going down well for business.

Positive thinking makes for happy old people

Older people are, well, old. They are in declining health, confronting death and may already be losing some of the people closest to them. So why do many seniors seem so happy?

Asthma study reveals the power of the placebo effect

The placebo effect is alive and well, at least for patients with acute asthma.

Drinking six to eight cups of water called 'nonsense' in editorial

Drinking six to eight glasses of water each day is healthful, most health experts agree. But apparently not everyone is on the same page.

Demi Lovato talks about eating disorders -- but why are they so hard to shake?

Admitting you have an eating disorder after living with it for years is no easy task -- but that's exactly what Demi Lovato told Ryan Seacrest in an interview.

'Carmageddon' can be motivation to get out and move

Trapped in your neighborhood this weekend due to "Carmegeddon," or just afraid to venture out in an automobile? No worries -- consider using this weekend as an excuse to burn calories doing mind-numbing errands.

Genetics: Scientists seek diversity in genome study subjects

Genomics research, in which researchers scan subjects' DNA in search of the genetic basis of many diseases, has focused too narrowly on studying subjects of European descent, write a team of genetics experts in the journal Nature this week.

Men more likely to die from cancer than women

Cancer kills more men than women -- some forms more than others, finds a new study.

PET scans for detecting Alzheimer's disease appear accurate

PET scans to diagnose Alzheimer's disease will be available someday soon, according to accumulating research showing the scans can accurately diagnose the disease.

Michelle Obama splurges on burgers, fries and shake, and that's OK

First Lady Michelle Obama is a champion for healthful eating and exercise, home gardens and salad bars at school lunches. Now she’s been caught in an unflattering lunchtime act.

ACL tears are a worry during the Women's World Cup, but they may not mean the end for an athlete

With the Women's World Cup in full swing in Germany, our thoughts are turning to... ACL tears. Studies have shown that women are more vulnerable than men to injuring their anterior cruciate ligament, which is found in the knee and helps to keep the joint stable. Some sports in which collisions and stop-start, jumping and pivoting movements are common--like soccer--can up the ante.

Fertility researchers can predict which pregnant women are at greatest risk of miscarriage

Fertility scientists gathered in Stockholm last week to present their latest research on in vitro fertilization, high-risk pregnancies and other topics at the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology conference.