HEALTH WATCH : Mastering Monthly Migraines

If you are a woman who suffers from migraine headaches around the time of menstruation, you are not alone. About 60% of women who get migraines report some relation of their headaches to their menstrual cycle.

Although there is no absolute cure for these headaches, there are lifestyle changes that may help reduce frequency.

* Change drinking habits: Too much alcohol or fluctuations in caffeine levels can contribute to migraines. In some people, even a small glass of red wine can touch off a migraine.

* Lower stress: Contemplate the stresses in your life and formulate plans for reducing their negative influence.

* Exercise: Because migraine headaches are related to blood flow, exercise helps regulate blood circulation and can help reduce migraine occurrence.

* Stop smoking: Nicotine hurts the regulation of blood circulation.

* Biofeedback: Some migraine sufferers may benefit because the electrical monitoring can stimulate blood circulation and increase blood flow to the extremities.

* Read medicine labels: Some drugs, including birth-control pills, may aggravate headaches.

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COMPUTING THE DOPE: There are pills for getting up, going to sleep, gaining weight, losing weight. Pills for not having babies and for having babies. Pills to raise your spirits and pills to bring you back to Earth.

But what if you want to know about those drugs? Well, if you have Windows 3.1, two megabytes of system memory, a mouse, VGA color display and a hard disk with five megabytes of free space, think about PharmAssist, a computer program from Software Marketing Corp. of Phoenix.

PharmAssist gives you information on drugs, drug interaction, drug addiction and complications.

PharmAssist, at $69.95 suggested retail, is available in software stores.

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FRENCH PILL TRIAL: RU486, the drug known as the “French abortion pill,” will be the subject of an FDA-approved Phase II trial at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center to determine its effect on metastatic breast cancer. The medical center is looking for 40 women to enroll in the trial. Candidates should have a measurable metastatic mass and should have been treated with at least one other hormone therapy that responded favorably prior to failing. Women cannot be pregnant and all pre-menopausal women will be subject to a pregnancy test.

For information and eligibility requirements, call (310) 424-0880.