Headache pain medication ads are everywhere — from glossy magazine spreads to flashy TV commercials.  The message is simple:  Your headache deserves a strong painkiller, which will instantly cure the problem.  Pain should not slow you down, since there’s an easy, swift solution.  But is there really?

Doctors of chiropractic, such as Dr. Smith, wholeheartedly disagree with the advertisers’ quick-fix pill solution.  What the ads don’t mention is that the strategy often backfires:  The pills can eventually cause more pain than they cure.  When this happens, a condition called medication overuse headache (MOH) ensues.

MOH is a relatively new term for a long-standing, “unnamed” and largely unrecognized condition caused by taking painkillers — daily or on a regular basis — for migraines or other headaches.  Sadly, this condition is common.  Dr. Smith often cares for individuals with MOH.  About one in 50 people develops this problem at some point.  It affects five times more women than men.

For doctors of chiropractic, the solution to headaches isn’t in a pill.  In addition to spawning MOH, pain medication does nothing to prevent future pain and is often accompanied by multiple side effects.  The solution is the chiropractic lifestyle, which involves stress reduction, chiropractic care, healthy diets and exercise.  All of the components of this lifestyle are proven ways to eliminate head pain and are free from side effects.