To allow 14 year old to gave piercing to cure migraines

[WillowKnicks]

My 14 year old dd doesn't even have her ears pierced but asked if she can have the daith piercing, as it's supposed to cure migraines (of which she is plagued with).

Has anyone had this done & it helped/cured their migraines?

Oops, should have said have piercing 🙄

I know a couple people who swear a daith piercing has all but cured their migraines. I'd let her do.

I'd let a 14 year old get pretty much any piercing they liked. But she clearly has a good reason, which would make me doubly approve.

How would school be about it?

It works for some migraines so it's worth a try. Better than betablockers if it works.

What would be your reasons for not allowing it?

A family member who has chronic migraines got that piercing, it didn't work.

Yes I absolutely would.

I'd double check the school policy on piercings though and possibly raise it (and the medical reasons for it) with them in advance if I thought there would be an issue.

My husband had it and it’s been a god send for him.

It doesn't work

It probably won't help the migraines but unless its against school uniform policy I see no reason for her not to have it as long as she can be trusted to look after the healing process.

I'd allow it. I've had mine done I think it has helped with my migraines but it was really painful having it done. (And I've got a lot of piercing and tattoos). It takes quite a while to heal and you can't remove it so I don't know how she'd get on at school for pe etc

Has she seen a Neurologist? DH is a headache specialist and there are many things that help migraines, including Botox. I haven’t heard of this piercing. Can you give more info?

No, you shouldn’t allow it. There’s no actual proof the daith piercing helps migraines; just anecdotes.

(And I am a severe migraine sufferer.)

It works for some people, so absolutely yes.

If it doesn't work, look into her migraine causes; food allergy / red or blue light intolerance etc. Mine were blue light intolerance so I've been able to almost entirely avoid them for many years now.

I’d also like to add there is no cure for migraines. You can try and prevent them, but they can never be cured; they’re a neurological condition.

It's not that I won't allow it but she plays a lot of sport & the reason she has never had her ears pierced, is that she felt they'd get in the way & chose not to (she horse rides & plays rugby)

School is an issue too that I'd not thought about but if it helps her, I would talk to school.

My cousin swears it's helped her. She had migraines all her life (mid 20s) especially round her time of the month, at least once a fortnight. She got the piercing and claims she hasn't had a migraine in 2 years.

I wouldn’t actually, until a bit later. It will get bashed in rugby and school will probably either not allow it or require it to be covered with a plaster?

I think it's one of those 'no harm in trying' things.

Can she try acupuncture on the point the piercing would be as a stop gap?

I had it done on both sides and it really helped

And could she comfortably get a riding helmet on with it in while it heals?

It’s pseudoscientofic nonsense with no evidence base. None.

I only wish I was surprised by this. So a parent turns to mumsnet in order to find out if she can allow her kid to have a piercing because it might magically cure their kids migraines?

We need to sort out scientific illiteracy, and fast.

Yes, yes and yes again.

Chronic migraine sufferer for 5 years, around 16/18 migraine days a month. Tried everything the doctors prescribed and nothing, apart from awful side effects. I started taking Feverfew (a herb, you can buy it from many places) as recommended by the migraine trust, which halved them to around 8. Frustrated that they still dominated my life I thought I'd try the piercing (I have a few anyway). It was like a miracle. Not only have they dropped to just 1 or 2 a month, they don't even require triptans anymore, just ibuprofen. I still feel sick and off, but NOTHING like before. According to the ongoing survey by the migraine clinic, (the first ever global survey about Daith) the results are incredible (and not a placebo like non-migraine sufferers think).

Responses are:
 75% say their migraines are “greatly improved” or they “no longer have them”
 82% with a Daith Piercing for migraines say they are “very pleased” or “delighted”

Schools are funny about piercings, so I would take a copy of the report with you as evidence, you might not get that from a doctor.
The pain of a daith is nothing like the pain of a migraine. Please, please get it done for her, it really could change her life. And get her the Feverfew too.

Good luck x

I've got one and ride, never had an issue when it was healing with my riding hat. It's right in your ear so you can even sleep on it. It's worked for me too.

IdaBWells. She is being referred to a specialist.

The piercing is supposed to help as it's an acupuncture point, I think.

She's not bothered about the piercing as a fashion thing, just as a remedy.