Could getting a piercing help with migraine pain?

Those who suffer from migraines know how painful they can be, and also how hard it can sometimes be to treat them.

For many, antibiotics or prescriptions pain pills don’t always help. According to posts and hundreds of comments on migraines blogs and relief sites, there could be a new technique to try for those who have run out of options.

On migraine blogs and relief sites, many have taken to the comments section to offer their thoughts and experience on piercing their daith. The daith is the inner, cartilage part of the ear. Some migraine sufferers claim the method of getting the daith pierced helps with migraine pain. It leaves many others wondering if it’s true.

There has been no medical research or clinical trials done to back up the theory that the piercing actually works. Even so, many migraine sufferers seem to swear by its success, making it quite a popular technique to try.

Local tattoo shops in Pocatello have seen its popularity firsthand.

“On average, I would say we probably do about six a week,” said Todd Shipley, a tattoo artist at Gypsy Tattoo Co. in Pocatello. “It’s probably one of the most pierced areas I’ve seen walk through here lately.”

“We probably get 10 to 15 a week,” said Juan Soltero, tattoo artist and piercer at Salty’s Ink Tattoo. “I’ve had a lot of referrals and calls about it. It’s crazy how many people call us or message us on Facebook asking about it.”

Though it’s not a new trend they are seeing, both tattoo parlors have seen an increase in the number of migraine piercings in the last several months.

Gypsy Tattoo said from piercings they’ve done, the feedback they get on its success is about 50-50. Soltero said he’s seen a little bit higher success rate from feedback he’s gotten.

“I’ve never had anybody come back and say it didn’t work,” Soltero said.

Soltero has been doing migraine piercings for about two years. He said he sees all ages come in for them – young kids, teenagers, elderly customers. He said they get people from all walks of life coming in.

“We see people come in that would never set foot in a tattoo shop,” Soltero describes. “We actually had this old rancher come in and he told us that he’s totally against tattoos and piercings and he said he had a migraine when he came in and we did it. And then he said he walked out with no headache.”

“People say it works,” Shipley said. “I had a kid last week. He was about 21 or something like that. He came in and got both of his [ears] done and he said it was almost instant for him, and he’s not the first one. I’ve have several say that they notice an immediate difference. Some others say even just a mild sense of relief is better than a migraine.”

Tattoo parlors said they don’t know why it works, but people believe it does. Even if it’s just a placebo effect, if it helps, it helps.

Soltero said he is all for anything that doesn’t involved prescription drugs. So he said if it can help, why not try it? The piercings can range from $20 to $40 locally, which could be cheaper than prescriptions in some cases.

Though there is no medical backing to the technique, health experts do have a few words of caution for anyone who wants to consider this technique. First, remember that just because it may work for one person does not necessarily mean it would work for you. Second, be careful of the “honeymoon effect” when researching others’ experiences with this piercing. You may only be reading the initial success stories, when in reality, it may not be a long-term solution. Third, make sure that you get it done professionally if you do decide.

Shipley and Soltero both said they have never had anyone come back in with any bad side effects from the piercing. But Shipley said it is like any other piercing – it will hurt and it will take some time to heal. It also runs the risk of infection if not cared for properly.

With no medical backing to this technique, many say “to each their own.” Many migraine sufferers online who have tried it said they did so because they had run out of other options.

A few of the migraine websites where people have discussed the topic of daith piercings are listed below.

http://www.blog.migrainepal.com/blog/2015/11/17/daith-ear-piercing-for-migraines

http://www.thedailymigraine.com/blog/2016/3/1/does-daith-piercing-really-work-first-anecdotal-study-of-its-kind

http://blog.themigrainereliefcenter.com/do-daith-piercings-work-for-migraines