Daith Piercing: Wonder Treatment or Untested Fad?

Bhandari, Priyanka; Ranjit, Eukesh; Sapra, Amit; Davis, Dean; Brenham, Careyana

doi:10.7759/cureus.6978

Cited by 5 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…The person still took amitriptyline 25 mg/day and indomethacin 50 mg four times a month to manage any potential headache attacks. 4 Case report by Bhandari et al 3 A case report of a 47-year-old woman who had been experiencing frequent headaches since age 10, with the intensity increasing in her teens and early twenties. The headaches were mainly located in the occipital and periorbital regions and occurred six to eight times a day.…”

Section: Retrospective Study By Gerson Et Al 17mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Eventually, her neurologist determined the diagnosis to be either cluster headache or hemicrania continua. 3 Case report by Bryson 18 A case report of a 30-year-old woman experiencing hemicrania continua since the age of 16. Her symptoms were characterized by a burning perception radiating from the periorbital area and spreading to the posterior part of her left scalp.…”

Section: Retrospective Study By Gerson Et Al 17mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Daith piercing: Revisited from the perspective of auricular acupuncture systems. A narrative review

Pradhan,

Gantenbein,

et al. 2024

Headache

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BackgroundDaith piercing is a special ear‐piercing method that punctures the crus of the helix. The penetrated site at the ear's innermost point is assumed to stimulate a pressure point associated with the vagus nerve. It has been reported that the pierced spot relieves migraine and tension‐type headaches by activating vagal afferents, leading to the inhibition of neurons in the caudal trigeminal nucleus via the nucleus tractus solitarii.ObjectiveThe objective of this narrative literature review is to summarize the current state of knowledge concerning daith piercing for the treatment of migraine and tension‐type headaches from the perspectives of the Chinese and Western auricular systems.MethodsPubMed and China National Knowledge Infrastructure databases were searched using the keywords “daith piercing,” “auricular points,” “headache,” and “acupuncture” from database inception to September 1, 2023. Only studies on humans were eligible; otherwise, no further restrictions were applied to the study designs, type of headache, or patient population of the identified articles. Bibliographies of all eligible studies were screened for further eligible studies. The main outcome of interest was a quantitative measure of pain relief by daith piercing. Secondary outcomes were relapse time of headache and further outcomes related to daith piercing, if available.ResultsFrom a total of 186 identified articles, one retrospective study and three case reports fulfilled the inclusion criteria. No clinical trial was identified. The obtained studies describe patients experiencing chronic headaches undergoing daith piercing without changing or reducing their usual medication. In all case studies and the retrospective study, patients reported substantial reductions in pain immediately after daith piercing; however, headache symptoms recurred several weeks to months thereafter. From the perspective of the Chinese and Western auricular systems, no sufficient explanation for the described treatment effect of daith piercing was found.ConclusionThe available literature, combined with the reported recurrence of pain as well as the associated side effects of daith piercing, indicate that current evidence does not support daith piercing for the treatment of migraine, tension‐type headaches, or other headache disorders.Plain Language SummaryThis paper summarizes what we know about Daith piercing (DP) for chronic migraine and tension‐type headache and discusses how DP might work. Current evidence does not support DP as an effective treatment of chronic migraine and tension‐type headache. These findings might assist clinicians in discussing this subject with patients as well as guide future research.

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Section: Retrospective Study By Gerson Et Al 17mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Retrospective Study By Gerson Et Al 17mentioning

confidence: 99%

Daith piercing: Revisited from the perspective of auricular acupuncture systems. A narrative review

Pradhan,

Gantenbein,

et al. 2024

Headache

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“…Daith is an ear piercing at the crux of the helix of the ear, its popularity bolstered by advocacy groups and case reports postulating a vagally mediated treatment mechanism. However, no evidence exists that daith piercing improves migraine frequency or severity 102103…”

Section: Non-drug Treatmentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Management of chronic migraine

Hovaguimian

Roth

2022

BMJ

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Chronic migraine is a neurologic disorder associated with considerable disability, lost productivity, and a profound economic burden worldwide. The past five years have seen a dramatic expansion in new treatments for this often challenging condition, among them calcitonin gene related peptide antagonists and neuromodulatory devices. This review outlines the epidemiology of and diagnostic criteria and risk factors for chronic migraine. It discusses evidence based drug and non-drug treatments, their advantages and disadvantages, and the principles of patient centered care for adults with chronic migraine, with attention to differential diagnosis and comorbidities, clinical reasoning, initiation and monitoring, cost, and availability. It discusses the international guidelines on drug treatment for chronic migraine and evaluates non-drug treatments including behavioral and complementary therapies and lifestyle modifications. Finally, it discusses the management of chronic migraine in special populations, including pediatrics, pregnancy, and older people, and considers future questions and emerging research in the field.

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“…We also hoped to gather data from any patients who had already undergone Daith piercing in order to gain preliminary understanding of the risks and benefits of the treatment, and to determine whether a future prospective study might be warranted based on results. Since the completion of the current study, two case reports have now been published [15,16] but still no systematic investigations have been completed. We undertook the current study to better understand attitudes toward and experiences with Daith piercing as a headache treatment modality in our pediatric population.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Perceptions Regarding Daith Piercing in Migraine, A Survey of Pediatric Patients

Gerson

Connelly

Boorigie

et al. 2020

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The treatment of migraine is evolving to include non-traditional approaches, as pharmacologic therapy alone is unsuccessful in many patients. Daith piercing, a cartilaginous ear piercing, has become popular as a potential nonpharmacological treatment option for migraine. However, there are no systematic data on the utilization and efficacy of these piercings. Therefore, we investigated the perceptions of pediatric patients regarding Daith piercing and gathered initial retrospective data for patients who had already received it. Patients presenting to a pediatric neurology clinic were invited to complete a questionnaire to assess knowledge about and attitudes towards Daith piercing and their willingness to undergo such a treatment. For those with a Daith piercing, the effects on headaches, function, and mood were evaluated. Of the 171 respondents, 61% had prior knowledge of Daith piercings, 27% knew someone with a Daith piercing, and 60% of patients presenting with headache were willing to undergo piercing. Of the eight patients (5% of respondents) who had already undergone piercing, six (75%) reported improvement in headaches, five (62%) had missed fewer days of school or work, and seven (87%) reported mood improvement. The high proportion of pediatric patients willing to undergo this form of treatment speaks to the desire for and acceptance of nonpharmacologic treatments. Although based on a small sample, the data from children who have already undergone Daith piercing is promising and supports a need for further systematic investigation into this treatment approach.

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Daith Piercing: Wonder Treatment or Untested Fad?

Cited by 5 publications

References 9 publications

Daith piercing: Revisited from the perspective of auricular acupuncture systems. A narrative review

Daith piercing: Revisited from the perspective of auricular acupuncture systems. A narrative review

Management of chronic migraine

Perceptions Regarding Daith Piercing in Migraine, A Survey of Pediatric Patients

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