Dr Henry Hooker is an expert on headaches, and one of only 418 Board Certified headache specialists in the United States.

Chronic headache pain may be a much larger problem in the United States than most people realize. Dr Henry Hooker says that an estimated eleven percent of the American population suffers from chronic headache pain. Combined with Europe, there are some thirty-six million people who have chronic headaches.

An estimated twenty-eight million Americans suffer from migraine headaches, the most debilitating form. Migraines often come with severe pain, nausea, loss of appetite, and a sensitivity to light.

"Migraines are a chronic condition you have to think about like diabetes," he says. "They can be managed, if not necessarily cured. With each new headache patient, we conduct a careful physical and patient history, with imaging of the brain." Imaging of the brain, he adds, means an MRI or CT scan.

There are some practical steps that any migraine sufferer can take to mitigate the condition. "Migraines are often triggered by foods, stresses, and lifestyle habits that can be changed," says Dr Henry Hooker. "Establish a good sleep routine, a good exercise routine, a good diet. These three things are key to preventing migraines."

Commonly prescribed medicine can often make things worse. "One of the most common types of headaches I see is caused by overuse of medication," Dr Henry Hooker says. "You can actually make a headache worse with overuse of analgesics, anti-inflammatory drugs, and opiates. Your pain will not get better until you get off the pills."

The treatment that Dr Henry Hooker recommends to his migraine patients includes physical therapy. His patients have reported remarkable improvement in their conditions once they have been treated by a physical therapist. One patient reported greatly reduced occurrence of migraine headaches after she was given exercises to do at home. The exercises strengthened neck muscles that improved her posture and decreased her pain.

"It's important to know that treating headaches is completely different than treating other pain," says Dr Henry Hooker. "But with an accurate diagnosis and proper education, there is hope for headache pain."