Medication-overuse headache (MOH) is surprisingly common. Put simply, painkillers such as paracetamol, ibuprofen and codeine, and migraine medications like sumatriptan can relieve and cause headaches, fuelling a downward spiral in those who don’t realise they are unwittingly exacerbating their symptoms.

MOH is particularly common in women in their thirties and forties, and tends to affect people who take regular painkillers only for headaches, rather than for other conditions.

As per a Norwegian study published in the latest edition of The Journal of Headache and Pain 52% people experience regular headaches, while 1 in 6 experience in any given day.

Tension headache and migraine account for most of these, but it is important to note that 1 in 50 of the UK population, the recurrent headaches are triggered by the thing that they take to relieve them: painkillers.

Painkillers, taken regularly and in more dosage, can have other side effects on organs like liver.

Ayurveda offers safer approach to treat various types of headaches.

Treatments like Marma Therapy, Shirodhara can reduce headache, treating symptoms and many times the cause as well.