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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To allow 14 year old to gave piercing to cure migraines

71 replies

WillowKnicks · 08/10/2018 19:00

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?

OP posts:
puddleducker · 08/10/2018 19:23

PaddyF0dder you don't know hat you're talking about.

CherryPavlova · 08/10/2018 19:23

It’s meant to daith piercing rather than just a pair of lobe studs, isn’t it? I’d probably relent on a 14 year old but there is no evidence piercing makes any different over and above placebo effect.

dinosaurkisses · 08/10/2018 19:23

I’m quite keen to get it done after dc2 is born- I don’t need it for migraines, but I have seen on other threads that some posters have found it really helpful.

I’d approve of her getting it done as long as I was sure she was capable of sorting the aftercare herself without being nagged, and on the basis the jewellery used wouldn’t interfere with sports or uniform policies at school.

whiteblankpage · 08/10/2018 19:24

Have posted re: this before.

Had mine done after getting 3-4 migraines a month since I was 15, have had 5 in the year since it was done. The 5 I’ve had, have been extremely easy to treat. It was painful to have done and took about 6 months to heal completely but worth it a MILLION times over.

My piercer has said it’s now her most requested piercing and she finds it helps about 30-40% of the people she pierces. I know it’s meant to be an acupuncture pressure point which normally I think is whooey so I went into it thinking if it worked then brilliant, if not, I had a nice new piercing.

It’s always worth a try, surely? Like PP suggested, check with school but seriously, migraines are so debilitating, I can’t imagine not letting my DD give it a go.

puddleducker · 08/10/2018 19:25

Oh and here's the link to the survey.

london-migraine-clinic.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Daith-Survey-Report-EV1-final-1-12-17-9am-1.pdf

JasperCopeland · 08/10/2018 19:26

As long as school are ok I would let her. If she doesn't feel it's helping she can take it out if she wants and it can heal up.

dinosaurkisses · 08/10/2018 19:26

Even if it is just a placebo, it won’t do any harm as long as long as the piercing is looked after properly.

It’s not like homeopathy where you’re stuck paying for appointments and tablets etc to maintain the effect- it’s a one off outlay.

GreenTulips · 08/10/2018 19:27

DD is 13 and had hers done last year

It's just a hole

It will heal over if it doesn't help

You have nothing to lose

PaddyF0dder · 08/10/2018 19:32

@puddleducker

If you say so.

PookieDo · 08/10/2018 19:33

I’m considering one myself and would let my teenagers yes

GetOnYerBike · 08/10/2018 19:36

My sister had it and said it has definitely reduced her migraine frequency and maybe the severity too.

I think this is a good video showing the procedure.

ExFury · 08/10/2018 19:37

My 15yo has it. I’m absolutely convinced it’s a placebo, but she feels better and the migraines she still gets don’t make her as down as she feels they are more infrequent so I’m happy with it.

Causeimunderyourspell · 08/10/2018 19:37

It's only a piercing, I'd let her. She could even be numbed beforehand if you're worrying about it hurting! Although no piercing I've had has been as bad as even the mildest of headaches I've had.

If it's no good then she can just remove if it bothers her in sport.

She could have it pierced with a small, well fitting barbell instead of a ring which would make it even less likely to get hurt during sport. When I was at school, we covered ear piercings with micropores (sp?) tape anyway

PookieDo · 08/10/2018 19:38

I took my DD to a tattoo shop for her piercings - painful but seemed better than a gun. I just waited for one to heal up and I am maybe going to get this one!

NorksAreMessy · 08/10/2018 19:38

Placebos are very powerful and can work. They are the great unstudied area of science and we still don’t know just HOW they work

What is she losing here, not much, a tiny hole...pffft?

FekkoTheLawyer · 08/10/2018 19:39

I used to get migraines a lot at that age. Bugger all worked but the just went away when I was about 16. I get a rare one these days.

WillowKnicks · 08/10/2018 19:42

I'm asking for anecdotal evidence, whether it has worked for others or not PaddyF0dder, not whether I can allow my kid to have one Grin.

OP posts:
jamoncrumpets · 08/10/2018 19:43

I had it done just over a year ago and haven't had a migraine since. I used to get at least one a month.

PookieDo · 08/10/2018 19:46

I have had a lot of acupuncture in my life and it’s honestly amazing. So I kind of buy into the pressure point thing

mrpoopybutthole · 08/10/2018 19:47

I had a tragus piercing for this reason (there is as much hype about tragus as daith piercing for migraines). It didn't help. The guy doing the piercing said he's done loads of tragus/daith piercings for migraines but in his experience it's not helped any of them. I think let her do it if she wants to though. Nothing to loose.

What really has helped my crippling migraines though, has been seeing a chiropractor. I had X-rays of my neck/back & found out that I have whiplash (never had a car crash). Since starting a year ago, I have had a LOT less & not as bad. Might be worth getting her checked out?

DianaPrincessOfThemyscira · 08/10/2018 19:47

I agree with @PaddyF0dder.

But even as a placebo it might be worth trying. Cartilage piercings are painful though - I took my two helix ones out as they never stopped being sore.

I have a friend who plays rugby btw and while she hasn’t found the daith helps her migraines (she has Botox to help) she hasn’t found it hindered her rugby playing.

PookieDo · 08/10/2018 19:51

I was wondering about the pain! I had a high lobe slightly in the cartilage done and it hurt like fuck for weeks

Thatssomebadhatharry · 08/10/2018 19:53

A girl I work with suffered terribly with them but has not had one since.

BehemothPullsThePeasantsPlough · 08/10/2018 19:56

It’s very well evidenced that a) many people get good results from placebo treatment of migraine and b) the more aggressive the placebo the better it works: saline injections work better than sugar pills and fake surgery works better than saline inventions.

So even if this piercing doesn’t “work” it has a decent chance of working, and it seems pretty safe and cheap.

Missingstreetlife · 08/10/2018 20:02

Is it legal at her age? Tattoos aren't but even babies have earrings.
I would try acupunture first, from a proper practitioner (do pain clinic deal with migraine).
I will get flamed for this but I know several people cured of migraine, and some others for whom homeopathic remedy has really helped to manage it. Try natur mur, it's derived from salt. You can get low doses from health food shop, or higher dose from Helios or ainsworth chemist (google them) who will also advise. No substitute for seeing a registered homeopath though, orRoyal hospital for integrated medicine in London if your gp will refer.