Women who took the birth control pill beginning in the late 1960s lived longer than those never on the pill, according to a  new study published in the British Medical Journal, BMJ.

Over-the-counter weight-loss pills are no quick fix to melt away extra pounds. Many local drugstores sell diet pills, and even more choices are available on the Internet. But most diet pills haven't been proved safe or effective, and some are downright dangerous, according to a special report in the November 2009 issue of the Mayo Clinic Women's HealthSource.

We’ve gotten used to taking pills for everything that ails us, but medications have side effects and cost money.

The April 2008 issue of the Harvard Health Letter takes a look at how to manage seven common conditions without taking medication. It takes some discipline, but in many cases, the nonpharmacological approach can do as much as pills.