Headaches are effectively treated by addressing neck issues.

It is very common when talking to patients for them to separate out neck pain and headaches as two unrelated problems. Before I became a chiropractor, my thinking was that a headache represented some imbalance in the brain. Since the brain has no pain receptors itself, we understood that something outside the brain is the most likely cause. Common causes are muscle spasm or joint problems. When I first started ten years ago, my patients and myself were often both surprised when I treated their necks and their headaches vanished. A recent study found that spinal surgery was effective in relieving headaches in a great number of patients. While surgery has improved, it is unfortunately not the least risky approach to dealing with headaches. A 2007 study on these procedures noted a 1 out of a 1000 risk of death. An earlier meta-analysis identified spinal manipulation as an effective intervention for headaches, comparable in some studies to the relief from pain medication. The risk of death from chiropractic based on most up to date research is considered to be less than 1 in 5 million, this risk is much less than the risk from pain medication.
I would like to point our that I do not talk about the risks to dissuade people from seeking conventional help for headaches, as I firmly believe that all options should be available. I think it's wonderful that the people in the surgical study lost their headaches. In the interest of "first do no harm", chiropractic is a safe option that is often not tried. My colleagues and myself find nothing is quite so fun as taking someone's headache away.