by Sarah Jio, Glamour

I was looking at my hair in the mirror this morning and wondering why it was so dry and brittle looking, and then I did some reading about some common medications that can have not-so-good side effects for your hair...

1. Antidepressants: One side effect of certain antidepressants is hair loss. While most women don't experience significant hair loss, it is something doctors warn that can happen, and the drug Prozac is most commonly associated with hair-loss issues. If you're taking antidepressants and experiencing hair loss, ask your doctor about whether there's a better option for you. (For a full list of depression drugs that may mess with your locks, visit americanhairloss.org.) But, I think we can all agree that adequately treating depression is a lot more serious than how your hair looks!

See more: The Dos and Don'ts of Fall 2012 Fashion Trends

2. Birth control pills: According to Australian researchers, women who take hormonal birth control pills, in particu

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Leslie Goldman, SELF magazine

Recommendations change every minute, it seems. SELF's guide ends the whiplash.

YES, YOU SHOULD GET IT:
Mammogram
The American Cancer Society (ACS) recommends yearly mammograms beginning at age 40, but the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) endorses waiting another decade and then getting one only every other year to avoid the risk of unnecessary biopsies. If you're younger than 40 and at high risk, check with your doc.

Pap Smear
The annual Pap is history. Instead, get one every three years, starting at age 21. At 30, you can go five years with a Pap plus an HPV test. In your 20s, HPV is very common, and likely to go away on its own, so the test isn't needed then, says Virginia Moyer, M.D., chair of the USPSTF.

Related: Foods That Fight Belly Bloat

Colonoscopy
No one wants a colonoscopy, but research shows it can lower the risk of developing colon cancer by 77 percent. You don't need to get your first until age 50; then every 10 years

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By Jessica Ashley, Sr Editor, GalTime.com

I am afraid of my breasts. I haven't always been and I don't want to be. But over time and by finding my way through several major life crises, anxiety has rooted in the center of my chest.

I am afraid of breast cancer. And worse, I am afraid, as a single mom, of dying of breast cancer and leaving my child to be raised by someone else. Feel free to judge: I am a therapist's dream with this issue.

I am quite sure my own therapist has taken several cruises on the co-pays for sessions I've spent breathing my way through this fear. You can also feel free to nod along: I know many of us who know we should be doing monthly breast exams or just consider an annual mammogram to be one of the things we have to do, but are scared to touch our bodies because a lump may already be there.

I do faithfully follow through with mammograms. I also have a deal with my gynecologist that she will perform more breast exams for me than normal throughout t

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By Jessica Ashley, Sr Editor, GalTime.com

We've hit the magical and all-too-brief lull between back-to-school and the landslide of holidays that begins at Halloween and ends sometime next April.

It's tempting to rev up the to-do list in these quiet(er) few weeks or zip off for the weekend, and if projects and road trips fuel you, then bon voyage!

But if your brain and schedule are calling for calm, then let this transitional time of year be an opportunity to infuse a few more breaks into your day. If you add in some meditation, prayer, or just a few designated silent moments to your days now, it will be habit by the time the holiday rush starts.

And think of how lovely it will be to greet the crowds, the credit card charges and the extended-family dinners with some more serenity than usual! Here's how to find time to meditate today.

On the Subway

On the subway to work

Think how different a 20-minute ride on a crowded train, waiting for a bus or walking a mile to work could be i

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By Matthew Thompson, Associate Food Editor for EatingWell Magazine

Forget spring-cleaning: fall is the perfect time to spruce up your kitchen. Now that you've recovered from the laziness of summer (maybe I'm projecting a bit here) but before the craziness of the holiday season, there's a perfect window for tossing those mystery items in the back of your fridge, replacing that gray-looking sponge sitting by your sink and cleaning those drips from the ceiling of your microwave. And while you're scrubbing your cooking area to make it look nicer, you may as well do a few things to make it healthier too. Here, I've compiled some of the best, simple tricks that we've published in EatingWell over the years that will help make your kitchen a healthier place for you and your family.

1. Print out a list of the Dirty Dozen. Pesticide exposure is linked with diseases of the nervous system and problems with cell growth, including reproductive problems and some cancers. By keeping a list on

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