HeadOn Apply Directly to the Forehead

I'm sure that nearly everyone has seen those annoying advertisements on TV for HeadOn, a headache remedy developed by Miralus Healthcare that you rub onto your forehead. Despite being heavily advertised it seems that most people do not believe such a treatment can cure a headache. However, some people must believe that HeadOn is an effective treatment because it is still on the shelves of drug stores today and has even led to the spin-off products ActiveOn and and PreferOn that are supposed to reduce arthritis pain and reduce the appearance of scars.

I understand why people might believe that a product like this would help their headache. If its your head that hurts why wouldn't a medication that treats your head be effective? HeadOn is ineffective because it is very doubtful that its ingredients can pass through a person's skin and treat their headache. Also, what if its the back of your head that hurts? It is very unlikely that the ingredients in HeadOn are capable of moving from the forehead to the exact area of the head that hurts.

A chemical analysis of HeadOn has shown that the product is almost entirely made up of wax. The three active ingredients are iris versicolor (one part per trillion), white bryony (one part per trillion), and potassium dichromate (one part per million). Iris versicolor, a flower and white bryony, a vine are ingredients commonly used in homeopathic medicines, however, there is no scientific evidence that either plant is an effective pain reliever. Potassium dichromate also has no known pain relief effects, is a known carcinogen, and can irritate the skin in higher concentrations. Also, even if these ingredients had pain relief effects, the concentrations of these substances in HeadOn are not great enough to relieve a headache.

While HeadOn may seem attractive at first, further investigation will show that the

concept behind it does not make sense. With no scientific proof that its ingredients work, it is

likely that any apparent headache relief from using this product is simply caused by the placebo

effect. Also, even substances proven to treat headaches would not be effective in the extremely low

concentrations used in HeadOn.