Piercings are known to be a thing of beauty. It turns out, there’s more to some of them. Some ear piercings are now said to help heal constant headaches also called migraines.
To be specific, daith and tragus ear piercings.
But can they really help with migraines and relieving headaches quickly? Which side should you get it to stop headaches; the left ear or the right ear?
Here is fact-based information and reviews on the effectiveness of such cartilage piercing s for migraine relief.
What is a daith piercing?
It is a specific type of ear piercing that passes through the middle ear’s innermost cartilage. (See pictures below). It is therefore a type of ear cartilage piercing.
While some people will get this piercing from a studio near them for beauty reasons, others are doing it as a treatment for persistent headaches.
There are claims that this kind of ear cartilage piercing can help relieve migraines. Not much of scientific studies show the direct use of piercings to treat migraines effectively.
However, anecdotal evidence and reviews show it is possible to cure migraines with daith piercings. But how does it work?
Dos it help with migraines?
The use of daith piercings to help relieve migraines comes from acupuncture. Studies have shown that acupuncture can heal migraines. According to WebMD1 reported study, “After completing the study, all of the participants — including those in the sham group — reported fewer days with migraines than before the study began.”
- A daith piercing works in the same way acupuncture works to relieve migraines.
- Both hormonal and stress-related migraines are related to the pressure the patient feels in the ear, temples etc. resulting in headaches.
- Piercing the ear relieves tension points, thus stopping the migraines.
How does the daith piercing work to relieve nagging headaches? The pressure point is located in the cartilage found in the innermost fold of the ear. By piercing this cartilage, the pressure and tension are relieved, this stopping the migraines.
FACT CHECK: According to the Migrane.com statistics:
“In the U.S., more than 37 million people suffer from migraines. Some migraine studies estimate that 13 percent of adults in the U.S. population have migraines, and 2-3 million migraine sufferers are chronic.”
Acupuncture techniques work by stimulating nerves in muscle tissues and under the skin. It makes the body produce endomorphs – pain relieving substances. As a result, the body is relieved of any pressure and pain that is causing the discomfort.
Some acupuncturists prefer embedding a little steel ball in the daith piercing jewelry or inside the piercing for easy and quick relief of headaches. When you feel the signs of migraines, you can push on it to get relief.
While there is very little science to support the success of a daith piercing for migraines, those who believe in alternative medicine, as well as the overwhelming social evidence and reviews show that this treatment works.
“Acupuncturists target this area during sessions, and many people experience short-term headache relief after treatment” says Dr. Thomas Cohn, a pain relief specialist.
- Daith piercings for migraines may not work for everyone.
- Acupuncture points do not produce the same result for every patient.
- Most health professionals advise that you continue to use migraine medication even after or when planning to get a daith piercing.
Which side is best?
Which side to get daith piercing for migraines? Migraines can affect one side of the head, or come at random on both sides of your head. Some people are able to relieve migraines by massaging the particular side of the head that suffers the migraines.
So, should it be the left or right ear daith piercing for migraines? You can pierce the left ear cartilage if you get the migraines more often on the left side of the head. However, if the pain and pressure occurs most on the right side, do a daith piercing on the right side and see if it will stop the headaches.
- The best way to determine which side of daith piercings will help migraines is by massaging the ear or head on one side first.
- If the results are encouraging, get a daith piercing on that side.
- However, you can also opt to relieve headaches with daith piercings on both sides of the ear.
If you are trying to determine which side to get a cartilage ear piercing to stop a migraine or headache, you may also want to see an acupuncturist. The practitioner will help determine whether one piercing on either the left ear or right ear is all you need, or both. This way, your piercing may be a long term solution for your migraines.
Does acupuncture stop migraines?
Acupuncture is a holistic health approach originating from traditional Chinese medicine. In its practice, acupuncturists insert needles in the skin on specific points on the body at varying depths to help relieve pain, tension and discomfort.
In acupuncture, although needles are inserted on the body, the practice is pain-free. The connection between acupuncture and tragus piercings and daith piercings in healing headaches, anxiety and migraines is that a pressure point that is a possible cause of migraines and headaches are relieved.
In the modern practice and use of acupuncture, it is possible to treat the following ailments:
- headaches, including reducing the frequency and intensity of migraines
- muscle spasms and pain
- neck pain
- osteoarthritis
- digestive problems
- knee pain
- chronic back problems and pain
- allergies
- mood, depression
Acupuncture points are located on the meridians through which viral energy runs according to traditional Chinese medicine theory. Clinical trials have shown effectiveness in the use of this technique to stop migraines or at least reduce the frequency of severe headaches and anxiety in a good ratio of patients.
“Acupuncture is believed to stimulate the body’s natural painkillers, increase blood flow, stimulate nerves, muscles and tissues. The traditional Asian practice of acupuncture has the goal of balancing the body’s energy, called the body’s life force or qi or chi.” [Migraines.com]
It is very important to note that acupuncture helps treat migraine pain in some patients, and not others, just like other medications used to get rid of headaches. Therefore, not everyone will have similar results with acupuncture and daith piercing for migraine treatment.
Reviews
There are a lot of reviews and social testimonials claiming that daith piercings work when it comes to stopping migraines, headaches and anxiety. Here are a few we collected around the web to help with the evidence.
Although there are not many clinical studies that show solid evidence explaining how these work, most people have shown that their migraine symptoms have improved since getting the piercing done.
Mitchelle’s review on Migraine Pal: “One month since piercing. I’m in love with it. Still no migraines and still no headaches. The best thing ever. Make sure when or if you get the piercing it’s from someone that has done the training and knows exactly where to put it, otherwise it won’t work. It needs to go on the acupressure point. Feeling free at last.”
Review from Dianne Anderson Kane on The Daily Migraine: “I got my daith piercing 6 weeks ago… Had a headache when I got it done, headache gone within an hour. It’s been 6 weeks now without a headache. This is a record for me, as I usually have a daily background headache with a full on migraine more than once a week. I have tried everything over the past 30 years and this is the first time I’ve gone this long without one.”