Health briefs: Treating migraines

Dozens of medications are available to prevent debilitating migraine headaches, but most migraine sufferers don't use them, a new study finds.

"Approximately 40 percent of people with migraines need preventive treatment, and only about one-third of them are actually getting it," said Dr. Stephen D. Silberstein, co-author of new guidelines developed by the American Academy of Neurology and the American Headache Society. The drugs include prescription, over-the-counter and herbal medications.

"Although there is no cure for migraine, preventive medications can decrease migraine occurrence by 50 percent or more, as well as reduce the severity and duration of headaches that do occur," said Dr. Brian M. Grosberg, director of the Montefiore Headache Center in New York City. Most preventive treatments are taken daily, unlike medications taken to relieve the pain and other symptoms of a migraine attack once it occurs.

Breast cancer fallout

The stress of caring for a wife with breast cancer can harm a man's health, and this effect can continue for years after her treatment ends, new research says. "Guilt, depression, fear of loss -- all of those things are stressful. And this is not an acute stressor that lasts a few weeks; it's a chronic stress that lasts for years," said study co-author Kristen Carpenter of Ohio State University.

-- HealthDay