Can Daith Piercing Help in Chronic Migraine?

If you suffer from chronic migraines, you've undoubtedly already tried a plethora of different treatments to relieve the excruciating headache agony. There are many different ways to treat migraines, including diet modifications, massages, Botox injections, and specialty products. However, one of the more unusual approaches is getting your ear innermost cartilage fold; pierced, also known as a daith ear piercing, which some people claim has numbing properties. But does it actually work? The theory behind daith piercings for migraines is based on traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture, which have been used for decades to treat a range of ailments, including pain and inflammation. Acupuncture through daith piercing has been demonstrated in some trials to offer temporary relief from migraine symptoms, while in other research, there was no discernible difference between acupuncture and a placebo. As there have been growing amounts of positive as well as negative reviews regarding daith piercing on the internet and social media, let’s understand daith piercing in detail along with its effect on migraine.

Can Daith Piercing Help in Chronic Migraine?

 

If you suffer from chronic migraines, you've undoubtedly already tried a plethora of different treatments to relieve the excruciating headache agony. There are many different ways to treat migraines, including diet modifications, massages, Botox injections, and specialty products. However, one of the more unusual approaches is getting your ear innermost cartilage fold; pierced, also known as a daith ear piercing, which some people claim has numbing properties. But does it actually work?  
 

The theory behind daith piercings for migraines is based on traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture, which have been used for decades to treat a range of ailments, including pain and inflammation. Acupuncture through daith piercing has been demonstrated in some trials to offer temporary relief from migraine symptoms, while in other research, there was no discernible difference between acupuncture and a placebo.

As there have been growing amounts of positive as well as negative reviews regarding daith piercing on the internet and social media, let’s understand daith piercing in detail along with its effect on migraine.

What is Daith Piercing?

 

A daith piercing is a kind of piercing over the smallest fold of cartilage in the ear, just above the ear canal. Daith piercing in one or both ears. Daith piercing has gained immense popularity in the last 20 years, as people see it as an alternative to medication for migraine pain. Some migraine sufferers have described that the daith piercing has reduced their pain during attacks, prompting others to seek out piercings solely for this purpose.

 

What Is Migraine?

 

A migraine is a type of neurological condition that typically causes intense, throbbing headaches, often on one side of the head. It can last for hours or even days and may be accompanied by other symptoms such as:

 

• Sparks of light
• Vomiting and Nausea
• Blind spots in the eye (retinal migraine)
• Neck stiffness
• Tingling sensations in the arms and legs
• Sharp light and sound sensitivity

When it comes to treatment, not every therapy option will work for every person. Some of the options available to migraine sufferers include the use of:

• Drugs for the treatment and prevention of migraine attacks
• Transcranial magnetic stimulation
• Transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation
• Acupuncture

 Can a Daith Piercing Help With Migraine Pain?

It is usually believed that the location of a daith piercing correlates to an acupuncture point that is used to treat migraine headaches. Hence, piercing this acupuncture point is thought to offer greater long-lasting pain alleviation. Daith piercings activate an inner ear acupressure point, which is also believed to be connected to the vagus nerve, which has a branch on the ear's surface, at the daith. It is believed that the stimulation of the vagus nerve not only reduces the transmission of pain signals but also reduces the excitability of the cerebral cortex of the brain. However, scientists believe that daith piercing effects are just placebo, and there is no scientific evidence to claim the effectiveness of piercing in treating migraine.

 

Risks of Daith Piercing

Daith piercings are risky, just like any other type of body piercing. Because it's a small, curving piece of cartilage, it can be difficult to pierce, and most people don't change the jewelry once it's done. It can also take months to heal and developed infection if not pierced or cared for properly. Among these threats are some that are more dangerous than others, such as:

• Infections with bacteria, yeast, hepatitis, HIV, or tetanus during the healing process
• Bacterial infections that develop after the healing process has finished
• Allergic response (to jewelry)
• Bleeding from the site
• Nerve injury, as well as loss of sensation in the area
• Inflammation and discomfort
• keloids
  
  

Hence, reducing the frequency, duration, or intensity of migraine attacks is the goal of preventive therapy. Many therapies are available that are gaining a lot of traction on social media to relieve headaches, but their effectiveness varies from person to person and may not be scientifically proven. One such alternative treatment includes "daith piercing," which involves making a piercing in the ear cartilage at the helix. Unlike some claims that daith piercing attempts to replicate acupuncture and reduce the symptoms of migraine, scientists believe it to produce only a temporary placebo effect    . Hence, it is always recommended to consult with a licensed acupuncturist or auriculotherapist prior to getting a daith piercing to treat a migraine. Also, find a piercing professional to get daith or any type of body piercing done.

If you have any questions related to curing chronic migraine or alternative therapies regarding treating recurrent headaches, you can check with our therapist or neurologist at Ask a doctor, 24x7.