Daith piercing for migraines. Fact or myth?
The daith piercing is the piercing that runs on the innermost fold of the cartilage, the crus of the helix. It is generally performed using a 16 gauge captive bead, segment or a curved barbell. First performed by Erik Dakota in 1992,over the years it gained popularity due to its unexposed placement and obscurity, however the recent boom in daith piercings can be largely attributed to the articles claiming it has migraine healing properties.
A good while back I was entirely sceptical of this piercing, and always advised against getting it for migraine relief as opposed to aesthetic appeal. In time I came to realise how counterproductive this would be for any relief (or even partial relief) of a migraine, as if there was any basis to the theory, I would be denying my clients an easy way of reducing extreme pain while getting a great looking piercing.
Whether it cures migraines or not is still up for debate. There has been no clinical studies that would allow us to say it definitely does or doesn’t work. I have received a great deal of positive feedback from clients, along with some negative feedback however.. The primary reason given for the piercing’s numbing properties are that it stimulates certain nerves, much the same as acupuncture. However the counter-argument being that a healed piercing wouldn’t have this effect. The secondary argument being placebo effect and the healing capabilities of the mind. If this were the case I would not imagine as many positive reviews as it has garnered.
From being highly cynical of them, I know I would try it if I ever suffered from migraines, if it didn’t work for me I would still have a cool piercing.