Do you suffer from terrible migraines? You’re not alone: Between 10% – 15% of the population are estimated to experience bad migraines at one point or another, and if you’ve ever felt one yourself, you know that “suffer” is the proper word to explain just how terrible it can feel. With symptoms including pounding headaches, nausea and sensitivity to light, migraines can be truly debilitating. Unfortunately, migraines can also be notoriously difficult to relieve.
When you’ve turned off all the lights, had a fair share of caffeine and even taken a cold shower in hopes of ending the pain, it can start to feel like there’s no way out but through. Thankfully, there’s another trick gaining popularity that is more of a permanent solution. If you’ve tried everything else to no avail, this weird hack just might be the answer to your problems: A Daith piercing.
An inner-ear piercing which goes through the cartilage, the concept of getting a Daith piercing to solve migraine woes plays on the practices of acupuncture to relieve the pain associated with them. By activating specific pressure points, the piercing is said to work the same way that acupuncture might, triggering certain areas in order to experience relief elsewhere.
According to Healthline, case studies have had various outcomes — and whether or not this trick is scientifically sound or more of a placebo is still up in the air. While one case study showed that patients reported less severe migraine symptoms after getting the piercing, more clinical studies are needed before determining a correlation.
Another article from Women’s Health shares one woman’s story, who claimed that the piercing stopped her migraines which used to occur every day. “I can’t speak for everyone but I can speak for myself,” she shared. “And I think that if you suffer from migraines, it might be worth a try.”
To each, his own, and of course getting an extra piercing is a very personal decision. While it might seem like a quick solution to your problem, there are always risks associated with new piercings (such as infection)— but if your migraines are really debilitating, and you’re open to the idea of putting a new hole in your ear anyway, it might be worth a shot.
More evidence is needed to support whether or not there is medical significance behind this remedy, but a quick google search will bring up a number of personal anecdotes praising the piercing for solving their problems. If migraines are your worst foe, it could be a worthwhile consideration to spend a few hours on google deciding if this solution would be something worth trying.