“Does a daith piercing help with migraines?”
I'm thinking about getting a daith piercing since I suffer from really bad migraines. Would a daith piercing help with them?
25 Answers
Sometimes it might help, I suggest you to try acupuncture, massage and herbs ,you can relieve and get rid of migraines for good !
May help moderately and for the short term. Chinese medicine does not endorse "piercing" since it allows Qi to leak out of the body. To really deal with chronic migraines commit to at least 20 acupuncture treatments 2 times per week from a skilled acupuncturist who employs Dr. Tan's Balance Method Acupuncture techniques. You will be well pleased and quite surprised at how fast your headaches go away and stay away. Hope this helps. Mari
No it doesn't, try acupuncture instead
Personally I didn't have patients with daith piercing. I personally use vaccaria seeds to help people with migraines
I can't comment on getting a daith piercing, but I can tell you that acupuncture will most certainly help controlling and eliminating with your migraines.
No.
Acupuncture and herbs can help with migraines.
Unfortunately piercing the daith is not something within our realm of practice, so I don’t feel I can comment on that, but I can say that acupuncture can certainly reduce the intensity, frequency and potentially even the occurrence of migraines altogether. There are herbs such as butterbur and feverfew, along with magnesium and CoQ10 that have also had great results for migraine sufferers.
Why not try acupuncture first? Acupuncture is the best way for migraines. It works immediately.
I would suggest talking to your PCP about the possible dangers/side effects of these first. Acupuncture has enjoyed a lot of success with migraines and is quite non-invasive and safe. It has been used for thousands of years and can be very helpful when combined with lifestyle changes - diet restrictions, stress management, proper and regular sleep, and so on.
Good luck!!
Good luck!!
I cannot diagnose you without seeing you, but I know that daith piercings have helped people in the past. I would advise that you go to an acupuncturist, not just a body piercer, to get a treatment done. They may have better alternatives for you and can give you ear needling sessions that aren't as invasive as a full piercing
No, I don’t do them nor do we recommend them; though they won’t hurt you. It's also unlikely to fix your migraines. I do have semi-permanent piercings that are removed after a week. Any longer the ear becomes desensitized. After a short time the permanent piercing would no longer be effective.
There are more than 9 types of headaches and 10 types of migraines. Each with their own unique cause. There is NO one single acupuncture point for that. In fact, if you look at a chart of the ear, you will notice that the points in that area are unrelated to such things. At most you might improve your digestion.
This type of piercing is a common topic of discussion in the acupuncture community because we cannot figure out where such a false claim came from. At first we were excited to find a new way to help our patients, but it turned out to not be true.
If I could cure a migraine with one point/piercing I would. I’d have many happy patients, a line around the block and I'd be very wealthy. Unfortunately, there is no such point. For some, there is a mild placebo effect for a time. That alone is worth trying it; the mind is, after all, a powerful tool of healing.
I have heard a few local piercing artists heavily promote this and speak with great “authority”. However, when I asked them where they got the info that 5,000 years acupuncture failed to discover, they were unable to provide me with information other than “it’s what I was told” or “Google.” Or “I read an article.” Or my favorite “It’s in a research journal article.” They can never quite recall which one, which is no surprise.
To effectively address migraines, numerous points are involved and should not be left in permanently. Also vital to treating migraines is addressing the root cause, which could be hormone imbalance, nutritional deficiencies, food allergies, a neurological disorder, a tumor, a stress reaction, cervical spine injury or even a side effect of a medication. These underlying causes must be factored into to a treatment plan or the migraines will continue.
There are more than 9 types of headaches and 10 types of migraines. Each with their own unique cause. There is NO one single acupuncture point for that. In fact, if you look at a chart of the ear, you will notice that the points in that area are unrelated to such things. At most you might improve your digestion.
This type of piercing is a common topic of discussion in the acupuncture community because we cannot figure out where such a false claim came from. At first we were excited to find a new way to help our patients, but it turned out to not be true.
If I could cure a migraine with one point/piercing I would. I’d have many happy patients, a line around the block and I'd be very wealthy. Unfortunately, there is no such point. For some, there is a mild placebo effect for a time. That alone is worth trying it; the mind is, after all, a powerful tool of healing.
I have heard a few local piercing artists heavily promote this and speak with great “authority”. However, when I asked them where they got the info that 5,000 years acupuncture failed to discover, they were unable to provide me with information other than “it’s what I was told” or “Google.” Or “I read an article.” Or my favorite “It’s in a research journal article.” They can never quite recall which one, which is no surprise.
To effectively address migraines, numerous points are involved and should not be left in permanently. Also vital to treating migraines is addressing the root cause, which could be hormone imbalance, nutritional deficiencies, food allergies, a neurological disorder, a tumor, a stress reaction, cervical spine injury or even a side effect of a medication. These underlying causes must be factored into to a treatment plan or the migraines will continue.
It really depends what is causing them. It's best to get evaluated by a TCM doctor to determine the cause.
Sorry, I have no research on daith piercing. I can only say that acupuncture is very good for headaches, including migraines, based on my training and experience.
Both acupuncture and daith piercing involve puncturing the skin, but there are some notable differences. In a typical acupuncture treatment, sterile, stainless steel needles are inserted to a depth of 1/4” to 1”. In a daith piercing, metal jewelry perforates through the ear cartilage.
For relief of migraines, several studies provide positive evidence for acupuncture, while that for daith piercing is purely anecdotal. A review of 22 trials involving almost 5,000 people revealed that acupuncture reduced the frequency of migraine headaches with effects similar to preventive medications. Headaches were reduced by more than half in almost 60% of participants.
Including lack of studies in daith piercing, medical professionals cite issues such as successful point location without the extensive training received by acupuncturists and the potential for infection. That being said, some migraine sufferers have reported benefit with daith piercings, but please keep the potential risks in mind.
For relief of migraines, several studies provide positive evidence for acupuncture, while that for daith piercing is purely anecdotal. A review of 22 trials involving almost 5,000 people revealed that acupuncture reduced the frequency of migraine headaches with effects similar to preventive medications. Headaches were reduced by more than half in almost 60% of participants.
Including lack of studies in daith piercing, medical professionals cite issues such as successful point location without the extensive training received by acupuncturists and the potential for infection. That being said, some migraine sufferers have reported benefit with daith piercings, but please keep the potential risks in mind.
Although I have patients who received the daith piercing and are relieved of their headaches, the American Migraine Association's opinion is not to do it. Some of their concerns are that there are no medical professionals doing the piercings so there is a chance of infection and in their research they state that the effects are short lived. They have a website where you can read their remarks and decide if the risk is worth it to you. We did not learn this in acupuncture, so I don't use it. I do acupuncture for migraines and have success with acupuncture protocols for migraines. I suggest you try acupuncture. I believe it will help you.
It’s possible, but not studied. I prescribe GammCore for migraine headache patients. It’s well studied, covered by insurance, and patients agree it works well. An MD has to prescribe this electrical stim device.
Regards,
B
Regards,
B
Hi there,
Please first consult with your family doctor for any condition you may have. Having said that, I don't know enough about daith piercings. However, in TCM, we do have ear acupuncture. You may try ear acupuncture, but first see your primary care physician for recommendation and referral.
Please first consult with your family doctor for any condition you may have. Having said that, I don't know enough about daith piercings. However, in TCM, we do have ear acupuncture. You may try ear acupuncture, but first see your primary care physician for recommendation and referral.
This is not acupuncture treatment. Acupuncture can help migraine headaches approved by insurance companies and WHO.
Hu
Hu
Depends on the cause of your migraines. In most cases of migraines, a lack of blood and poor circulation is the main culprit. Daith piercings are to simulate ear acupuncture to relieve the pain, but will not be effective in eradication of migraines permanently. I recommend you meet with an acupuncturist to better diagnose the cause of your migraines before choosing your next step. The more knowledge, the more power!
Sorry, I am not familiar with the piercing technique. I have many patients had a general ear piercing in the past, but did not change their intensity as well as the frequency of migraine headaches. One of my expertise is migraine treatment with Chinese medicine (including acupuncture). Seventy-five percent of the migraine patients had or has neck pain. My advice is to check or treat your neck discomfort first.
No. If it does help at all, it will fade after time. A full work up with a TCM provider will provide longer lasting benefits. Sometimes a diet change is needed as well. Wish you well!
There is no correlation in auricular acupuncture between migraines and the position of a daith piercing, so I cannot say that it would help from an acupuncture point of view. Having said that, I have had patients tell me that they knew of people for whom the piercing worked, but not them.
I do treat migraines with acupuncture and diet (cutting out aspartame, low inflammatory diet), and herbs, so that might be a more productive direction in which to go.
I do treat migraines with acupuncture and diet (cutting out aspartame, low inflammatory diet), and herbs, so that might be a more productive direction in which to go.
Not knowing your medical history, all I can say is that I have seen people it has worked for and people that it hasn't. It really depends on what the underlying cause of your migraines is.
Best of luck.
Best of luck.
I had a patient ask me about these once before, so I've done a little research already.
Here's what I know: sometimes daith piercings work and sometimes they don't.
Often folks will think that the reason the piercing works to relieve migraines is because of auricular acupuncture and how the body maps on to the ear for this particular modality. I've compared the daith location to common auricular acupuncture systems and I can't see any reason, from a pure acupuncture/Chinese medicine perspective, for why it would work. In other words: there's nothing about the location of a daith piercing that would compel me to use it via acupuncture to treat migraine. Other acupuncturists have made the same comparison and arrived at a similar opinion.
That being said, I've spoken to people who've gotten a daith piercing and it has made a difference for them. The body is a very complicated landscape and no one has the last word on how everything goes together.
Here's what I'd do if I were you: if you haven't tried it already, give regular acupuncture a shot. I typically get excellent results for headache, including migraine, with needles in the body. If you give acupuncture 4 or 5 treatments and you're not responding (either a decrease in migraine occurrence or a decrease in migraine pain levels), then you can always give the daith a go.
If you decide to try acupuncture, for the best results you need to make sure you're seeing an NCCAOM board certified acupuncturist. Start with the "Find a Practitioner" page at NCCAOM.org to find some folks local to you.
Here's what I know: sometimes daith piercings work and sometimes they don't.
Often folks will think that the reason the piercing works to relieve migraines is because of auricular acupuncture and how the body maps on to the ear for this particular modality. I've compared the daith location to common auricular acupuncture systems and I can't see any reason, from a pure acupuncture/Chinese medicine perspective, for why it would work. In other words: there's nothing about the location of a daith piercing that would compel me to use it via acupuncture to treat migraine. Other acupuncturists have made the same comparison and arrived at a similar opinion.
That being said, I've spoken to people who've gotten a daith piercing and it has made a difference for them. The body is a very complicated landscape and no one has the last word on how everything goes together.
Here's what I'd do if I were you: if you haven't tried it already, give regular acupuncture a shot. I typically get excellent results for headache, including migraine, with needles in the body. If you give acupuncture 4 or 5 treatments and you're not responding (either a decrease in migraine occurrence or a decrease in migraine pain levels), then you can always give the daith a go.
If you decide to try acupuncture, for the best results you need to make sure you're seeing an NCCAOM board certified acupuncturist. Start with the "Find a Practitioner" page at NCCAOM.org to find some folks local to you.
