If you suffer from migraines, you know they are much more than a typical headache.
Migraines are an intense headache that usually entails severe throbbing pain, nausea, sensitivity to light and sound, and usually on one side of the head. According to the Mayo Clinic, migraine attacks can cause significant pain for hours and can be so severe that the pain is disabling.
People who suffer from migraines are always looking for relief, and while daith ear piercings have been around for years, they’ve become increasingly popular for migraine sufferers to ease symptoms.
The daith piercing is located in the inner cartilage section of the ear. The piercing resembles acupuncture as it targets pressure points on the body’s surface to ease discomfort. People who have gotten the piercing claim to have seen an improvement in the intensity of their migraines.
Here, Keisha Stokes shares her experience with BlackDoctor.org of getting the daith piercing for migraine relief.
Migraine sufferers everywhere know that having this diagnosis is something that many don’t understand, but it’s a way of life that we have to deal with every day. Since I was a small child, headaches have been one of my worst enemies and I wouldn’t wish the type of pain I am plagued with constantly on anyone. In the U.S. more than 37 million people suffer from migraines, 70 percent of these sufferers are women. Many attribute the headaches to many things – hormones, dietary triggers, lack of sleep and so much more. The one thing that most people don’t understand is that they aren’t just any “headache.” They are debilitating and can make you so sick that you can barely move.
RELATED: Migraines: Why Do They Start & How to End Them
For as long and I can remember, I’ve always told my mom that my head hurts, even as early as six years old. Of course back then, my parents would question if I was just saying I had these pains to stay out of school, get out of an activity or if there was really something wrong with me. As I grew older, I was prescribed glasses, which helped with some of the pain I would get in school, but it never really went away.
In high school, with the increase of stress in my life, they started to become more frequent, and the pain also got worse. I would be extremely sensitive to light and sound, my vision would be blurry, and I was always extremely nauseous. During this time, my mom decided to take me to see my very first neurologist, and I just knew they were going to be the be-all and end-all to these dreadful headaches, but boy was I wrong.
The main focus of the doctor visits was more about my lifestyle and home life than finding a cure. I was asked if I was depressed, abused, in a bad relationship, was I being bullied, did my parents fight, were my siblings mean–every question under the sun!
After several CAT scans and MRIs, I was told that my brain was beautiful and they couldn’t see any damage, so unfortunately they didn’t have an answer as to why this was happening to me. The only suggestion I was given was to try several different migraine medications until we found the right one, and take some antidepressants because they will help as well.
I went along with the doctor’s plan and tried all of the medications except the antidepressants because I knew that I didn’t want to become dependent on those types of medications, especially since I wasn’t depressed. Unfortunately, none of them worked. I had all kinds of adverse reactions to the drugs, so I stopped taking them altogether.
RELATED: 7 Natural Remedies For Migraines (That Work!)
Fast-forward 20 years and here I am, still suffering. Over time, I’ve seen other doctors, and had more tests run, and to this day no one has been able to provide me with a root cause for my migraines, and unfortunately, there aren’t any known cures that will get rid of them.
Since I’ve gotten older, the frequency of my headaches has increased to at least 2-3 per week, making my life extremely miserable. In searching for alternatives to provide me with some relief, I came across a post online stating that there was a piercing I could get that was helping others with their migraines and I became immediately intrigued.
The daith piercing has been recommended for migraine relief because it is the piercing of the innermost cartilage fold of the ear, and by doing so, you will target pressure points on the body’s surface to provide relief just like with acupuncture. While there aren’t any medical studies that prove this to be the cure we all have been wishing for, many migraine sufferers have stated that they have gained immediate relief from getting this piercing done. I did a ton of research on other websites, blogs, vlogs, and just about everywhere I could, and so many people were reporting that this was the help they had been searching for and that it has truly been one of the best decisions they could have ever made.
So, I got up the nerve and went to a local tattoo shop and got my daith pierced on January 27, 2017, and I, too, have been very happy with my decision. Truth be told, I am extremely scared of needles, and I have a very low pain tolerance, but if this temporary pain could cause me a lifetime of freedom, I was all for it!
The procedure was quick, easy, and to the point. My piercer went through the entire process with me from start to finish and she was patient with me because I was so nervous. The healing process was very easy so far; I cleaned it twice a day and left it alone, which is best. After having the piercing for just 30 days, I only had one severe migraine. One as opposed to 3 to 6 is pretty fair in my book.
I am not a medical expert by far, but I can say that at this very moment, I wish I had known about this piercing long ago. I am hopeful that over time, my headaches will continue to diminish and eventually go away altogether. If by chance they don’t, I still have a pretty cool piercing from the experience that I absolutely love!
The daith piercing is done with a straight needle that’s passed directly through the center of the cartilage. The piercing costs between $50-$100 and takes about 10 minutes to complete. As Keisha states, the effectiveness of daith piercings has not been officially studied, so there is no guarantee that the piercing will treat migraines.
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