Medication is often a necessary part of headache treatment, but rarely is it the complete answer. Some medications when used too frequently can actually cause headaches. Optimal headache care almost always involves a partnership between the headache sufferer and the physician. The sudden onset of frequent, severe headaches should be investigated by a physician. But research suggests that heavy cigarette smoking combined with using birth control pills by women over the age of 30 is more predictive of the possibility of a stroke than the occurrence of headache.
Brain tumor are a rare cause of headaches.
Usually, tension in the neck is the result, not the cause, of headache. The diagnosis of most headaches rests solely on the medical history because there are no tests that substantiate the diagnosis. Severe headaches should be diagnosed by a physician to begin proper treatment. This is reflected in the fact that 3 times more women have migraine than do men. Quality of life studies of those patients with migraine demonstrate greater impairment of lifestyle than with most other chronic illnesses.