Can Ear Piercings Help To Treat Headaches?

Written By Dan Hunter on December 21, 2019
Last Updated: November 27, 2020

Extreme headaches — or migraines, as they’re commonly known as — can be crippling. Unfortunately, up until now, there’s no simple treatment you can take that’ll cure them. As a result, people are researching the effects of alternative medicine, especially as a result of ear piercings.

Getting your ears pierced could potentially help to alleviate the symptoms of a headache or migraine. It’s classed as an alternative medicine. There’s more to it than just piercing your ears, though.

Ear piercings might help your headaches since they:

Act as a form of acupuncture
Are piercings in the innermost fold of your ear
Target a pressure point to trigger a response

Alternative Medicines and Headaches

Headaches and migraines can sometimes cause nausea and make you sensitive to light or noise. Their symptoms can be present for a couple of hours or up to a couple of days.

Due to the recurring nature of migraines, especially, it’s not always an option to keep taking painkillers. Maybe it’s time to start thinking out of the box?

Have you exhausted mainstream medicine? Or perhaps you don’t like the number of chemicals that are present in medication these days?

Alternative medicine has been practiced by some cultures for thousands of years. It describes anything that steps outside the boundaries of mainstream medication, including:

Acupuncture
Herbal remedies
Energy therapy
Ayurveda
Oriental medicine

Ear Piercing as an Alternative Medicine

It’s been claimed that ear piercings — specifically a daith piercing — can potentially relieve symptoms caused by a headache. Tragus piercings have also been mentioned in the past, but there is no evidence to back up effectiveness.

The daith piercing is made on the most inside fold of your ear, namely the crus helix or daith. It’s derived from the discipline of acupuncture. Acupuncture is a Chinese medicine that uses needles to penetrate the skin in certain regions of the body. It claims that health complaints will be treated, or symptoms relieved, by the body’s response to the needles.

How Does a Daith Piercing Work?

It’s believed that the ear contains many pressure points for the body, and the crus helix contains a specific pressure point. When it’s penetrated, it triggers a response that alleviates the symptoms of headaches. A piercing here is called a daith piercing and is viewed as a continuous form of acupuncture.

Are Ear Piercings Effective for Headaches?

There’s an upward trend of experimenting with alternative medicine. As of yet, though, there’s no scientific evidence to prove that daith piercings are effective. That’s not to say they don’t work — there just haven’t been any controlled tests conducted yet.

The only available references to the effectiveness of daith piercings are from personal testimonies. Anecdotal studies have discovered a common theme, which is that while the daith piercing is new, it helps to alleviate symptoms. However, once it has healed, the headaches return. This could be because:

Acupuncture relies on triggers to get a response
You’re experiencing the placebo effect

Triggering a Response

For acupuncture to be effective, it requires the body to respond when the daith is punctured. This will be when the piercing is first done. For your body, this feels unusual, and a response will be triggered.

However, once the piercing begins to heal, your body becomes accustomed to its continual presence. This becomes the new normal, and it’ll no longer trigger a response from your body.

The Placebo Effect

Have you ever wanted something to be true so much, you convince yourself that it is? This is similar to the placebo effect.

If you hear many people saying that a daith piercing can cure headaches, you might start to believe them. If you get this piercing done, you’ll naturally be hoping and expecting it to help you. This can result in your body reacting to reach your expectations.

For example, you expect a daith piercing to relieve the painful symptoms of a headache. Your body can react by producing more endorphins, which relieve pain naturally.

The placebo effect is frequently associated with negative connotations; however, it isn’t necessarily a bad thing. If your headaches improve, then that’s good. Remember, though, the placebo effect is probably only a temporary effect.

What to Keep in Mind

If you’re getting a piercing to relieve the symptoms of headaches, then you’ll be invoking the use of acupuncture. This is a specific practice. The person doing your piercing should be trained in the pressure points of acupuncture. This is important so that they pierce precisely the right area.

Do your research so you can find the right person to administer your piercing. After all, you’ll want to give yourself the best possible chance of success.

It’s also reported that getting a daith piercing can be quite painful. The nerve endings in this area are more sensitive than in other parts of your ear. Of course, this all depends on your level of pain tolerance. For those of you who don’t handle pain well, talk to your piercer about making the process more comfortable.

What Are the Risks Involved?

Similar to any piercing, there are some health risks involved with this procedure. These include:

Infection
Allergic reactions
Swelling
Bleeding
Nerve damage
Scarring

One of the most critical factors for a successful daith piercing is making sure all the equipment is properly sterilized. An unclean environment can lead to germs and bacteria getting into your piercing. This can lead to an infection.

The best way you can avoid these risks is by getting your piercing done by a professional. They’ll know the importance of proper sanitary conditions. They’ll also be able to make the piercing as pain-free as possible.

Remember, if something doesn’t seem right about your piercing, you can always seek medical advice. The quicker you identify the problem, the sooner you can find a solution.

Other Alternative Medicines for Headaches

If you’re not convinced about a daith piercing, there are other, less invasive alternative medicines you can consider:

Herbal remedies
Essential oils
Diet changes
Vitamins

A Piercing for Your Headaches

Although there isn’t any scientific evidence to support the success of daith piercings, that doesn’t mean they don’t work. Many people have reported an improvement in their symptoms.

If you like the idea of a daith piercing, then it’s definitely something to look into. However, if you’re not entirely comfortable with such an invasive technique, it might be worth researching other methods beforehand. Whichever decision you make, we wish you good health.

If you want to ensure your piercing heals as best as it possibly can, it’s imperative that you follow your piercer’s aftercare advice closely, and be sure to invest in a high-quality aftercare solution to aid recovery.

The best piercing aftercare product I’ve ever had the pleasure of using up to this point is the After Inked Piercing Aftercare Spray. Not only is it vegan-friendly, but it’s also completely alcohol and additive-free. The solution works well on all skin types including sensitive skin, and it comes in a generously-sized mist-spraying bottle for easy application.

When using it from the very start of the healing process, the spray helps to decrease healing times and aims to eliminate any lingering pain or soreness.