Patients with chronic daily headache are difficult and often frustrating to treat. They are in many ways similar to chronic
pain patients and patients with other chronic serious illnesses that have come to alter many aspects of their life, affecting
their physical and emotional well-being, their ability to work, and their family and social relationships. The best treatment
strategies for patients with chronic disease combine pharmacologic and behavioral strategies with the behavioral strategies
incorporating body, mind, spirit, and social interactions. Numerous studies have demonstrated a positive association between
being religious or spiritual and improved health, both in response to acute events and in chronic disease. Because religion
is so positively associated with improved outcomes, it is important for physicians to recognize this aspect of a patient’s
life and try to encourage positive use of the patient’s belief system as an adjunct in treatment.