If you are faced with migraine attacks, you may struggle to find treatment that helps. You may have heard of daith piercing, aka migraine piercing.
Located on the middle ridge of cartilage within the ear, the external C-shaped part nearest to your ear canal, daith piercing has become popular for those seeking migraine relief. There isn’t much dependable research on daith piercings. Though a few case studies show the piercing substantially improved some migraine symptoms, much of it is anecdotal.
Some say it’s the only migraine treatment that has worked, others say it had no effect, caused an infection or made the pain worse. The leading belief on why daith piercings may help with migraine pain is that similar to acupuncture, the piercing hits on a pressure point within the ear and changes the chemical balance in the brain.
This potentially makes certain people less prone to migraine symptoms. It’s well-known that acupuncture can be very effective for headaches, but the jury is out on whether a long-term ear piercing has the same effect. It’s also thought the piercing relaxes the vagus nerve, which is connected to the ear, that can contribute to headaches. Or, it could simply be due to a very powerful placebo effect, where the person’s belief in the treatment brings real-life benefits.
The tragus, the small piece of thick cartilage on the inner side of the external ear in front of and partly closing the ear canal, is also a popular spot used as a piercing site for more migraine relief. It is also thought to relax the vagus nerve, which is thought to relieve migraine pain.
Once again, only anecdotal evidence exists at the moment, although many people swear by it. Talk to your doctor first before heading in for the needle.
