Can Piercings Be a Solution for Migraine?

Deena E. Kuruvilla, MD, a board-accredited neurologist and the director of the Westport Headache Institute, specializes in managing individuals with headache issues applying a holistic biopsychosocial method to analysis and procedure.

If you have ever had a migraine, you know how debilitating its indications can be: powerful throbbing, soreness, extreme sensitivity to light and seem, and nausea—all without having warning. But the conventional drugs aren&#8217t always productive (or they lead to facet effects), which can guide clients to research for alternate strategies to locate relief from their serious discomfort.

One unconventional remedy that has received recognition above the earlier 10 many years is daith piercing, which is an ear piercing via the cartilage of the inner fold of the ear (above the earhole). The concept arrives from the medical practice of dealing with migraine with acupuncture—the locale of the daith piercing is at a website of a meridian position used in an acupuncture protocol to minimize migraine indications. Soon after seeing helpful effects from acupuncture (and in some instances acupressure), people today began to talk to: Can we completely create migraine reduction by piercing the same place?

In limited, the response is in all probability not. We don&#8217t have the scientific evidence to display that the piercing is helpful. And from my encounter of observing headache sufferers for about a 10 years, most people who get a daith piercing possibly don&#8217t benefit at all or have some short-term relief for a couple of times or months, and then the signs return. The daith piercing tactic is normally ineffective due to the fact of 3 crucial matters.

1. It’s not a complete protocol. The locale of the daith piercing signifies only 1 acupuncture site—a one element of a higher acupuncture protocol that trained specialists use for migraine aid. Activating this just one internet site will not have the results of a full acupuncture process.

2. The piercing site is not precise. Daith piercings are not performed by acupuncturists, which usually means it is not likely that the area of the piercing would be at the exact meridian point wherever an acupuncture needle is placed for migraine aid. (This variability in the piercing internet site contributes to the irregular final results of the piercing.)

3. There is a superior possibility of infection and nerve harm. Even if you had been to get momentary reduction with a daith piercing, the challenges outweigh the added benefits. Having a piercing in that specific spot is probably to guide to an an infection, specifically if you’re not equipped to retain up with the daily disinfection process (cleaning two or a few periods a day). This form of piercing can also direct to excruciating nerve soreness. This happened to 1 of my patients final 12 months who got a daith piercing and, sad to say, produced an intractable ear pain—even following taking away the piercing, she had a taking pictures discomfort that lasted for quite a few weeks.

Acupuncture, natural vitamins and minerals (especially magnesium and riboflavin), conscious meditation, yoga, and training are all study-backed means to manage migraine signs. If you’re wanting to find other secure alternate options, the Nationwide Center for Complementary and Integrative Health and fitness (NCCIH) is a good resource to assistance you determine your ideal tactic.

This posting is for informational uses only, even if and no matter of regardless of whether it attributes the advice of medical professionals and medical practitioners. This short article is not, nor is it intended to be, a substitute for qualified health care suggestions, diagnosis, or treatment method and ought to never be relied on for distinct health-related advice. The views expressed in this post are the views of the expert and do not always represent the sights of goop.