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DAITH PIERCING AND MIGRAINE RELIEF
My wife has suffered from migraines for as long as she can re-
member. She deals with them almost daily. The only thing that
has seemed to help is birth control. It seems to slow down the
frequency. However, recently it hasn’t been helping as much. so
she is considering getting the daith piercing. I have done a little
bit of research and don’t feel there are many negative side effects
(aside from the initial pain). What are your thoughts on this
and do you have any other alternatives for relief? If the piercing
is a good idea, how important is the placement and is there a
certain place you would go for this? –Joey P.
Daith piercing involves piercing a cartilage within
the ear and placing a ring or another metal item into
the hole. There are no studies of this treatment, so
we usually do not recommend it. While it is not very
dangerous, rare complications can occur. These include
scarring or an infection with the potential loss of an
ear. If this procedure does provide some relief, it could
be due to an effect similar to acupuncture. We do
have dozens of studies which suggest that acupuncture
helps migraine and tension-type headaches. Inserting
acupuncture needles can also rarely cause an infection,
but it is much more likely with piercing a cartilage and
leaving a foreign body in place. Migraines often subside
on their own, so despite higher cost, it is better to do
acupuncture rather than have a permanent hole in the
ear.
In addition to acupuncture, other alternatives
with some scientific support include biofeedback or
meditation, regular aerobic exercise, and supplements
such as magnesium, CoQ10, riboflavin, feverfew, and
boswellia.
Alexander Mauskop, MD
New York Headache Center
New York, NY
BOTOX USE IN PREGNANCY
Is it safe to have medical migraine Botox during pregnancy?
There are no studies of the safety of Botox during
pregnancy and therefore it cannot be recommended for
our patients at this time.
Vincent Martin, MD
University of Cincinnati
Cincinnati, OH
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HeadW ise ®
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Volume 6, Issue 2 • 2016