Tragus piercing for migraines

Some people believe that tragus piercings, a type of ear piercing, may help alleviate symptoms of migraine headaches. However, current evidence is mainly anecdotal.

Apr 4, People with migraine headaches are always on the lookout for better relief. There are plenty of prescription and non-prescription drugs available, but a lot of migraineurs would rather not depend on them too much. Tragus piercings are gaining popularity as one of those tools, but do they really work for migraines? The tragus is the small flap of cartilage at the front of the ear canal.

Tragus piercing for migraines

Daith and tragus piercings are among the most talked about — and controversial — alternative therapies for migraine. Some people believe these cosmetic procedures — which involve piercing a small fold of cartilage near the opening of the outer ear — have benefits similar to acupuncture for migraine pain. If so, where do you get it done? Like acupuncture — a common migraine treatment — daith and tragus piercings are thought to treat migraine pain by activating specific pressure points in the ear. Specifically, daith and tragus piercings are thought to activate the vagus nerve, one of many nerves that carry messages to and from the brain. Possible vagal modulation stimulation of the vagus nerve interferes with signals to the brain that cause migraine pain. This mechanism is also seen in U. Food and Drug Administration FDA -approved vagus nerve stimulation devices for treating migraine headaches, which use electric currents instead of earrings or needles to block pain signals. According to a study published in Frontiers in Neurology, migraine symptoms improve for some people after a daith piercing but worsen for others. The researchers concluded the treatment could not be recommended without further study.

How Well Do You Sleep? Migraine is a neurological condition that affects nearly three times more women than men. Though research into the potential benefits of daith and tragus piercing is lacking, some believe it may work similarly to auricular acupuncture by stimulating the same nerves in the ear, tragus piercing for migraines.

A tragus piercing is a type of ear piercing that places a hoop or stud through the cartilage that partially covers your ear canal. The tragus itself is located right below another commonly pierced part of ear cartilage called the daith. Daith piercings have become a popular alternative treatment for migraine headaches. Although the evidence for daith piercings as a migraine treatment is mostly anecdotal, some people believe that tragus piercings could work in the same way to help relieve migraine pain. Scientists are actively investigating how, and if, a piercing could alleviate migraine pain. What we know so far about tragus and daith piercings for migraines is limited. Some migraine specialists believe that a piercing could do more harm than good.

Some people believe that tragus piercings, a type of ear piercing, may help alleviate symptoms of migraine headaches. However, current evidence is mainly anecdotal. While medication is often the primary treatment option for migraine, many people pursue alternative therapies. Some of these alternative treatments include meditation, acupuncture, and, more recently, ear piercings. In this article, we discuss daith and tragus piercings as treatments for migraine headaches and pain. We explore the reasons that these piercings might help, the scientific evidence behind them, and possible adverse effects. When problems with the vagus nerve are responsible for migraine headaches, tragus or daith piercings may help. The vagus nerve is long, and it branches into several parts of the outer ear, including the daith and the tragus. Researchers are currently exploring vagus nerve stimulation VNS as a possible treatment for a number of medical conditions, including:.

Tragus piercing for migraines

Not only do they cause intense pain, they can prevent you from living your best life. Could a tragus piercing help remedy the piercing pain of migraine? A tragus piercing goes through the cartilage that partially covers your ear canal. But we def need more research to find out if the perks are for real. According to the American Migraine Foundation , up to 80 percent of folks who live with headache and migraine disorders have tried alternative treatments. One of these methods is the tragus piercing. The tragus piercing may help stimulate the vagus nerve , the longest of the 12 cranial nerves. It carries tons of info from your brain to your organs and vice versa.

The whole shebang nyt

Christiane Wolf on self-kindness, which gives you more s The tragus is the small flap of cartilage at the front of the ear canal. Pain is generally felt on one side of the head, but can also occur…. Conditioned placebo analgesia persists when subjects know they are receiving a placebo. Hiding Migraine Symptoms Studies indicate that as many as 62 percent of people with migraine headaches downplay their symp However, the scientific evidence supporting the effectiveness of daith piercing as a treatment for migraine is limited. The right piercer is someone familiar with acupuncture points and migraines. How we reviewed this article: Sources. Some migraine specialists believe that a piercing could do more harm than good. Migraine is a neurological condition that affects nearly three times more women than men. Several studies have demonstrated that acupuncture and auricular acupuncture , specifically, can provide short-term and long-term relief from migraine-related pain. Risks of tragus piercing. Welcome to MyMigraineTeam — the place to connect with others living with migraine. Check out this great guide.

A tragus piercing is a type of ear piercing that places a hoop or stud through the cartilage that partially covers your ear canal. The tragus itself is located right below another commonly pierced part of ear cartilage called the daith. Daith piercings have become a popular alternative treatment for migraine headaches.

Some research indicates vagus stimulation has promise for headache relief, at least in relation to daith piercings. We avoid using tertiary references. What we do know is that the tragus and the daith are at about the same pressure point in the ear that acupuncturists use in targeting migraines. Learn More. But it might be worth a shot! In one Cochrane review , researchers analyzed the findings of 22 trials that collectively included 4, individuals to look at the effects of acupuncture on migraine prevention. Acupuncture for the prevention of tension-type headache. Though research into the potential benefits of daith and tragus piercing is lacking, some believe it may work similarly to auricular acupuncture by stimulating the same nerves in the ear. Though some individuals have reported that daith and tragus piercings provided migraine relief, scientific evidence is limited. It is difficult to tell how effective daith and tragus piercings are as an alternative treatment for migraine pain. Email us at article-feedback bezzy. Does it matter which ear you pierce? Some people view daith and tragus piercings as more permanent forms of acupuncture because they involve the same points that acupuncturists stimulate when treating migraine pain. As with any piercing, there is also some pain involved. Migraine Tragus Piercings for Migraine Relief?