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Study: Doctors Are Over-Treating Headaches

BOSTON (CBS) - More than 12 million Americans see their doctors every year for headaches, which costs up to $31 billion a year in healthcare costs and lost productivity. Dr. Mallika Marshall spoke to the lead author of a local study which shows one big problem is that doctors are over-treating patients with tests and drugs they may not need.

Researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center looked at more than 9,000 clinic visits for headaches over 10 years and found that the number of patients referred for a CAT scan or MRI, or referred to a specialist, like a neurologist, essentially doubled over the decade, and that counseling about lifestyle changes that could help prevent or treat headaches, fell considerably.

Dr. John Mafi, a physician at Beth Israel and the study's lead author says, "That represents a general trend in American medicine where doctors are increasingly hurried and their visits are being reduced to ordering more tests, referring to other physicians, giving medications and spending less time talking to their patients and possibly connecting with their patients."

Lifestyle changes that can make a big difference when it comes to headache are include avoiding certain foods or drinks, reducing stress, getting better sleep, getting regular exercise, and limiting pain medication.

So instead of being sent for scans or diagnostic tests, the vast majority of patients with a headache should get good bread and butter advice from their doctor about how to manage their headaches at home.

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