Curing headaches lies in knowing the cause

When it comes to fighting headaches, instant gratification is ideal. It's easy to pop a few pain pills and move on with your daily activities. But doctors say the most common remedy used by headache sufferers could actually be a major source of the problem.

Too many pain relievers can ultimately make headaches more painful and less manageable, headache experts say. Because of this, doctors encourage people to try eliminating potential causes - stress, eye strain and certain food or drink - before reaching for the medicine.

"The headache is a unique type of pain," said Dr. Anwarul Haq, a specialist at the Dallas...