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

Gerson, Trevor; Connelly, Mark; Boorigie, Madeline; Bickel, Jennifer; Dilts, Jennifer J.

doi:10.3390/j3030022

Cited by 2 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…Out of these individuals, six (75%) claimed that DP improved their headaches and quality of life. One person reported minor adverse effects 17 …”

Section: Resultsmentioning

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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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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“…Out of these individuals, six (75%) claimed that DP improved their headaches and quality of life. One person reported minor adverse effects 17 …”

Section: Resultsmentioning

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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“…Specifically, helical crus ( Fig. 1 ) piercings, known as daith piercings, have been used to mitigate migraine symptoms [ 8 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Migraine symptoms induced by an auricular piercing in a 27 year old female: a case report

Uddin,

Terry

2024

Case Rep Neurol

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Introduction. Migraines are common, debilitating, and have high direct and indirect costs. They can be difficult to treat, and many patients make use of alternative medicine techniques. One of these is acupuncture applied to locations on the auricle thought to modulate migraine symptoms. Some patients obtain piercings in these locations in hopes of relieving their symptoms, however, the literature does not address the possibility of migraine symptoms being worsened or even induced by such piercings. Case presentation. We present a case of a 27 year old female with a history of transient hemiplegia without headaches who developed headaches, visual disturbances, and nausea after a piercing of the inferior crus of her left antihelix (known as a rook piercing). No abnormalities were found on workup, and symptoms were treated with supportive care. After removing the piercing nine months later, the patient’s symptoms resolved. Conclusion. The mechanism linking the piercing with the migraine symptoms is unclear, but may involve modulation of trigeminal or vagal pain pathways, as both of these cranial nerves innervate this area of the auricle. Regardless, in patients presenting with migraine symptoms, history and physical exam should not overlook piercings as potential contributory factors.

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

Cited by 2 publications

References 26 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

Migraine symptoms induced by an auricular piercing in a 27 year old female: a case report

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