Unfortunately, for a long period of time there hasn’t been sufficient information for daith piercing. However one study included 380 people that suffer from migraine and the daith piercing just to see the effects.
One specific kind of daith piercing was popular in the press and the social media as an example of alternative treatment of migraine. Many popular publishers have talked about this.
However, the true impact it has is kind of hard to determine.
Here’s what you need to know about daith piercing for migraines
This type of piercing is one that is placed in the most inner cartilage fold of the ear. This piercing has been practiced for very long time, but it can be very painful because of the bony cartilage, and understandably – proper care is necessary to maintain hygiene and for infections prevention.
Obviously, when conventional treatment measures fail, patients often turn to alternative ones.
Often, acupuncture is a one such method. Supporters of this method say that daith piercing is effective due to the pressure point it affects that is usually used in acupuncture treatments.
Experts’ Opinion
One popular acupuncturist, Dr. Booth, claims the following:
The point for daith piercing looks like a point used in Chinese acupuncture used for treatment of the large intestine. The channels of this organ are also commonly used for treating conditions such as migraines and other types of headaches.
Some other points for this goal seem to deal with other organs, not particularly connected with the head. Furthermore, it is important to note that acupuncture points in the ear are very specific, and the person doing the piercing would have to be very careful to pick the right location for this purpose. At the end, he concluded with a suggestion to patients seeking alternative treatment to look for a qualified acupuncturist to be present when piercing, if they want to have a chance of effective treatment.
Another doctor, Dr Thomas Cohn, specialist for pain claims that some people that had Daith piercing done, have experienced improvement of migraine symptoms coincidentally. This has not been sufficiently and formally studied, therefore it is not universal. Success can be simply due to some people having the right acupuncture spot at the place where the piercing is.
If you really want to try this Dr Cohn says you should visit an acupuncturist to see if this method helps with headache relief, and only after that if you think is worth it – get the piercing.
One piercer from New York says that piercing is basically founded on the same concept as acupuncture. He recommends getting the pierce on the side that you have more migraines at. What he also claims is that in the long run it is actually a toss up.
Simon Evans, CEO of Migraine Action (a national charity in the UK) said:
It is unfortunate that what may work for one person, may not for another. So this daith piercing practice have to be dealt with a level of caution. He recommends that all migraine patients should continue with the medically prescribed treatment.
One patient expert and blogger for migraine wrote an article on this topic. His name is James Cottril and he says that after he researched this, he was still very much unimpressed. He moreover encourages migraineurs to use their mental and emotional energy, as well as money into something that has been proved. If you like the daith piercing, then go for it but be aware that it could actually give you a headache, especially in the beginning.
While there is still not enough evidence, anecdotal stories shared on social media become more and more popular. Here are a few:
“I think it’s a bit like everything else we read or hear, someone I know got rid of the migraines when he/ she changed their diet, or only drank water, or eats 5 bananas every day (yes I have heard that one) etc etc. For some people, yes it may have an effect, for every one, no. I don’t have any food triggers, and only drink water. But my triggers are everything else, not enough sleep, too much sleep, bad sleep, low blood sugar, wind, cold temperatures and warm temperatures. Sun light, sharp lights in general. Noise. Stress. I get a migraine just going to my mail box if the weather is just right for it.”
“As cool as this sounds it is bull*%&# I have it pierced on both ears and have for almost 7 years and I still get really bad migraines.” – Bliss H
On the other side guest user Lea has following testimony:
I get mensural migraine for a solid week every month. My trigger is when I have my head at rest for a long period of time in the same position ( watching TV, using computer, reading, doing my job, sleeping) so I do ALWAYS end up triggering during that week cause everyone has to sleep. Also, I can not rest or relax it away because holding my head still is a trigger so I am forced to work through it to get any relief, house work job, walking ect. Still not enough relief because even if I’m feeling better by the end of the day I (again) still have to sleep, then I wake up ( usually early or still in the night) with the renued thunder in my head. I was skeptical of the piercing because the migraine is due to varying levels of hormones during my mensural cycle and not some begnine mysterious cause that other people have. My thoughts were – why would a piercing help with my hormones? I got my piercing on day 5 of my migraine not able to deal with the pain any longer ( and a total fear of piercings) I decided that it was worth a shot. I had my daith piercing done on the side of my migraine pain. The Piercer pinched from the bottom to the top and I told him when to stop when I felt the most pressure and relief. That is the spot he pierced. The piercing felt like a whole lot of pressure because they have to push your ear flat and a sting. Over the next hour after the pressure in my ear went down I noticed an immediate release of my migraine tension. I could still feel that it was there, they way you k ow it’s still there when your taking pain relief pills. I attributed it to me movi g around like normal to work through the pain. At the end of the night I was not looking forward to sleepiness g because my pain had been gone the whole day and I didn’t want to cause it to come back. So I grudgingly went to bed… And woke up with pain in my ear and no migraine! I finished the rest of my mensural cycle with an achy ear and a clear non painful head 🙂 the interesting thing is this.. When I get a migraine or feel it coming on, the muscles in that side of my neck tighten up so much they nearly bulge. The last few days of my mensural cycle they were loose and a little sore from being stiff so long… I would recommend this piercing to anyone who is suffering migraine pain for any cause. It’s definitely worth the trouble of trying.
Whatever you decide to do, be aware of these points:
- Piercings are usually no more than $100 so this could be a cheap alternative if it works.
- Until clinical evidence shows up it will be an individual choice based on a ‘less-than-informed’ decision. But if you enjoy piercings then this may be an easy decision.
- Beware of the “honeymoon affect”. Commonly after very encouraging and positive results for the first period for some reason relapse into old migraine pattern happens. The “honeymoon” period wears off. Are we just hearing from everyone in their honeymoon phase?
- Natalie Thompson tweeted “39 days and counting since my last migraine” but has since admitted that it has not eliminated her daily headache pain.
- There are definitely better, proven treatments with clinical evidence to support their efficacy.
