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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.

migraine piercingPros 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.

migraine piercing

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 🙂

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