*I have no medical training and the following information is from personal experience and research.

For migraine and headache suffers, many are willing to try anything to reduce the pain, even by piercings. The unconventional method has gained popularity in recent years.

Your “daith” is located in the innermost cartilage fold of the ear. This area has been targeted in acupuncture to relieve pain through a pressure point and the piercing of this area is seen almost as “permanent acupuncture.”

The website “Power of Positivity” explains:

“Simply put, piercing the skin allows blood vessels around the needle to open up, stimulating blood flow to the tissues in the area,” Power of Positivity said. “While daith piercings haven’t been formally studied in regard to relieving migraines, countless people who have gotten the piercing have reported little to no migraines after getting their ear pierced.”

The Migraine Research Foundation reported that approximately 18-percent of American women and six-percent of American men suffer from migraines regularly. For the lucky other portion of that percentage, a migraine can be debilitating for sufferers. Think of a regular headache amplified and add light sensitivity, nausea, disorientation, dizziness and other fun symptoms.

After hearing about this solution from a massage therapist, I jumped at the opportunity. I had been on daily pain medication for migraines that had left me unable to sleep or work at my worst. I am also a fan of piercings, getting three in a two-month span my first semester of college (sorry, mom) to add to my current total of seven.

I went to my local trusted piercing shop, Nathan’s Tattoos and Piercings in Canoga Park, California, and got ready to be pricked. The piercing was not particularly painful to me but everyone’s experience and pain levels differ. The piercing is in a tight place so there is a little uncomfortable pressure when inserting the jewelry after piercing, but it is quickly over. It is more common to get a captive bead ring but curved barbells are also available for freshly pierced ears.

I had my piercing done about a month ago and I am very thankful to report a significant decrease in my headaches and migraines. My pain that was alleviated was a sharp throbbing on the sides of my head. I still experience dizziness, but the worst of it is gone.

Dr. Thomas Cohn, an interventional pain doctor in Minnesota, wrote on his blog that while many report the piercing helping, it is not guaranteed. Cohn suggests if a piercing scares you to try acupuncture on the spot beforehand to see if the pressure point works for you. Gently massaging the area with your thumb and middle finger is also an option.

Again there is still not medical proof of a daith piercing helping pain and I am not a doctor. If it does not help you will at least be left with some cool new jewelry!