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Case Reports
. 2020 Feb 13;12(2):e6978.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.6978.

Daith Piercing: Wonder Treatment or Untested Fad?

Priyanka Bhandari  1 , Eukesh Ranjit  1 , Amit Sapra  1 , Dean Davis  1 , Careyana Brenham  1
Affiliations
Case Reports

Daith Piercing: Wonder Treatment or Untested Fad?

Priyanka Bhandari et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

Daith piercing is a form of body piercing that involves the crux of the ear's helix. While daith piercing has been used as an esthetic piercing since the 1990s, it is gaining popularity in the general population as an alternative treatment in chronic headaches, especially migraines. Despite its use, the evidence is currently lacking. Postulated hypotheses include vagal neuromodulation vs. placebo effect. We present a case of a 47-year-old female patient suffering from refractory cluster headache who underwent daith piercing. We aim to raise awareness among the general practitioners of this health-related practice prevalent in the community.

Keywords: alternative medicine; body piercings; chronic migraine; complications of piercing; daith piercing; headache; headache treatment; resistant migraine.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Daith piercing located at the crus of the helix in the left ear
Figure 2
Figure 2. Daith piercing located at the crus of the helix in the right ear
Figure 3
Figure 3. Non-contrast computed tomography head revealing no acute intracranial findings
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