Your last headache! Figure out what's causing the pain--and you may never suffer again.

Good Housekeeping, August, 2006 by Landau, Meryl Davids

the pain often begins slowly, but before long, a tight band of achiness has spread to your neck and forehead, while a fierce throbbing has taken over the temples. A tension headache has arrived.

Blame biology if you're one of the millions who suffer such pain regularly. "Some people have an easily excitable brain, one that doesn't need much to tip it into trouble," says Lawrence Robbins, M.D., of the Robbins Headache Clinic in Northbrook, Illinois. But there are underlying causes, too, and avoiding them is the best way to keep tension headaches at bay. The most obvious trigger-no surprise-is stress. Minimize yours by exercising, eating healthy, or simply slowing down. Other, less well-known triggers are frequently to blame as well.

BAD HABITS...