Migraine Piercing (also known as daith piercing) may be a foreign term to you right now, but by the end of this article you’re going to know what it is, how it works, and why migraine suffers like you might think about getting one.
Ready?—let’s go!
Migraine Piercing—so what is it?
A migraine piercing is a piercing placed inside the ear, along the innermost cartilage. (View the image to the right to see more clearly what this looks like.)
Like Tragas or Helix piercing, migraine piercing is nothing new. In fact, it has probably been done for Millennia.
Why even get a migraine piercing?
Similar to acupuncture which employs super-fine needles to activate natural pressure points along the body, a migraine piercing triggers a natural pressure point in the ear.
When triggered, the pressure point tells the body to produce endorphins and other hormones for pain and tension-relief.
…Or so the theory goes.
The scientific community hasn’t spent much time or money investigating the efficacy of migraine piercings. Which means, as of right now, it’s impossible to say with any certainty whether they do or do not work.
Pros and Cons
PRO — Wallet-Friendly
As treatments go, a migraine piercing is extremely affordable. Especially when considering it’s a one-off treatment. Expect a single piercing to cost between $40 and $60 dollars.
A lot less expensive that repeated trips to the pharmacy or doctor.
CON — Health Risks
Piercing—be it migraine piercing or something else—is a violent action that involves passing a needle of some shape and size through living tissue.
You are, quite literally, creating an open wound on purpose.
Open wounds (even tiny ones from something as innocuous as a migraine piercing) can get infected.
Infections are bad. Enough said.
PRO — Speed
You can enjoy potentially permanent relief from migraines in less than an hour—it’s a hard prospect to pass up.
CON — Pain
Piercings can be unpleasant. And because the needle has to pass through a rigid piece of cartilage, a migraine piercing can be particularly unpleasant.
PRO — Try Before You Buy
Unlike so many other migraine treatments, you don’t have to try a migraine piercing straightaway to see if it works.
Since the medicinal principle behind both treatments is the same, try acupuncture before committing yourself to a migraine piercing.
If you find acupuncture effective—great—a migraine piercing might be worth your time! But if you don’t, chances are high a migraine piercing won’t do much good.
CON — No Science
For all the blog comments and online advocates that vehemently support the efficacy of daith piercing for migraine relief, there’s little if any actual science.
What infinitesimally small science there is suggests a correlation between migraine relief and daith piercings in some people—hardly concrete proof.
So, should you go out and get a migraine piercing? Is it worth your time and money? That’s a difficult question to answer, especially considering the nature of piercing, which is painful and somewhat permanent.
Ultimately, the best you can do is reflect on the topic, discuss it with friends, and then make a thoughtful decision based on the conclusions you draw.
If you have already gotten a daith piercing (or even if you’re just thinking about getting one) we’d love to hear your thoughts on the subject. Please share your wisdom below…we’re all listening 🙂
I had heard of it before, but never saw as comprehensive of an explanation than the one you provided. Thanks so much for this, Erin. For men, is the piercing typically a stud, or is it a ring as well? Thanks for an interesting post with several honest points to help those who suffer make as educated a decision as possible!
Good question – I should have mentioned you can choose a stud or a ring! Thanks April 🙂
I’ve heard about this before. I even try acupuncture to lose weight. I know that if you pinpoint the specific nerves you can get great healthy results.
I had my piercings done October 2015. I had constant headaches with migraines a few times a month and I was taking painkillers 1-2x/daily. I still have constant headaches and get about one migraine every 2-3 months, but neither are even close to being as bad as they were before the piercings. Now I only take painkillers a couple times a month, and they actually work. I hadn’t tried acupuncture before getting the piercings. I have hoops like the ones in the above pictures.
My friend had both ears pierced and swears it works. Do you have to do both ears or would one be enough??
What I’ve read is that people will try it first on the side that they tend to get more migraines (assuming your headaches are one-sided)
Wow…I swear Erin, you are my go to woman for migraine knowledge and overall “I-want-to-learn-something-brand-new” person. I must live on a different planet because I never heard of these migraine piercings, and your post is so comprehensive for a lay person (who does not suffer from migraines–thankfully) but knows many women who do….fantastic post, such a clear writer…that’s the engineer in you, I suppose. Thank you again.
I’ve recently read many articles about daith piercings, and different causes and remedies for migraines. While I’m not sure I would get one myself, it’s wonderful that people have discovered so many different ways to find relief.
Great explanation! I get migraines. At the end of October I was to the point where I was unable to function 3 days a week. I let go of 3 people in my business and started some new medicine. (My headaches are stress related). They’ve reduced by 80%. If I thought for sure this piercing would work, I’d do it. I appreciate your honesty and your pros and cons.
My brother told me that they do something similar for the active me and women. He said that it works. I haven’t gotten one yet because he told me that everyone is different and so are the outcomes. I have priced the piercing where I got my tongue done and it is cheap, around 20 dollars. I am thinking of getting mine done this week.
I have a friend who suffered chronic migraines, and she got her daith pierced. She hasn’t had a problem since.
Interesting! I suffer from migraines but I have never heard of this before. I will definitely reflect on this and see if it is a good fit for me.
I get migraines and did not even realize this could help. Thank you for the in depth explanation and tip about acupuncture. I will have to look into that more.
I have heard that these piercings work from so many people. I wonder why they haven’t done more research?
Oh wow I had no idea! I always thought it was cosmetic and just something people wanted to do for fun and fashion. I use to suffer form migraines and they are awful. So I would definitely do this if I knew it would give me some relief.
I have heard of this before, and it would be interesting to give it a try. I would be nervous about it being a painful piercing!
This is an interesting read! I was thinking of getting a helix, but I suffer from migraines quite a lot, so I think I need to dig in deeper about migraine piercing. Thanks for all the insights!
Wow!! I remember going to get my nose pierced and my my was I terrified !!! but I still went ahead and did it, your post has inspired me to try it on my ears and it has so many benefits too !!
I tend to believe more in science. However, I do wonder if some find it helpful.
This is awesome!
If I had known this as a teenager, growing up with migraines – that was the worst!
This is the first time I heard about it. I think it will only get infected if you don’t clean it or if it was not done in sanitary conditions. Seems promising!
Woah, I didn’t know about this until I read this post. Now I am thinking of getting one! Haha! Thanks for the information too!