Tribal Expression employees and owners have been longtime Calgarian’s living at the base of the Rocky Mountains foothills. One of the benefits of living at the foothills is the wonderful adverse “Chinooks” that we experience.

A Chinook can be compared to the San Andreas winds in California, a warm wind that brings a temperature inversion that drops out of the Rocky Mountains creating strong warm winds and a dramatic increase of the barometric pressure.

The Chinooks can be fantastic for melting your snow, where it was -30 one day and +5 the next.

Chinooks can wreak havoc on most headache and migraine sufferers. Many individuals in Calgary and the surrounding area experience intense migraines, a lot of this is believed to be due in part to the Chinooks, change in barometric pressure, changes in temperature etc.

Calgary even has some of the best treatments available for chronic pain and migraine relief – Calgary Chronic Pain Centre. Because of the vast number of people that suffer from migraines, it is now just coming into the mainstream opinion that the Daith piercing can help headache and migraine sufferers can alleviate some of their pain or even a few pain points.

Tribal Expression has been open since 2003, in this time we have provided Daith piercings to many migraine sufferers. We have many, many clients that have said that they have experienced benefits from the piercing – reduction in pain, reduced frequency of headaches, and some are even medication free.

Seeing some with such vast results would even cause a critic to have a change of heart. I have personally seen this over the years.
On the other side of the coin, we have also had some clients say they’ve had little to no relief.

As a shop, we try to stay impartial and try not to influence people’s decisions. We believe that the worst thing that can happen is that you get a great-looking piercing.

A lot of people may ask why?

Some theories suggest that there is an exact pressure point in the area, and other theories suggest that it’s got to do with the nerve in the area etc.

This is my opinion, migraine and headache sufferers, it doesn’t matter who you are; whenever we get a headache it is very normal for a lot of people / most people at some point to rub your temples or their ears. Why? Why is it inherently within us to naturally rub our pressure points to decrease the pain or pressure from a headache?

This is the same theory of the Daith piercing, the piercing lies deeper behind the “fold cartilage” this then will create a consistent pressure in that area.

The pressure created is deep enough within the ear area and structure that it is virtually impossible to press or create pressure upon without some sort of foreign object being placed behind it.

The Crux of the helix (the fold of tissue where the daith piercing would be placed), when pierced in the proper placement is pierced not only through and behind the crus of the helix, but it is also placed behind a small band of muscles called the helices minor.

Medically there is still a debate on where the exact intervention of nerves for this area is from. Though it is believed that for some people more involves the facial nerve (auriculotemporal nerve, via an auricular branch of the vagus) for others it will be the Great auricular nerve that supplies most of the cranial surface.

To me, it seems that it would be logical that those that are pierced and their piercings affect the auriculotemporal nerve, would experience some relief if any (theoretically) as it would seem this nerve and others in the same region are the same ones the people get relief from rubbing or massaging during headaches or migraines.

I believe that it is all dependent on anatomy and the structure of your ear, and this could be the thing that makes a difference between people that have a very successful or unsuccessful migraine relief piercing. It is impossible to determine whether the Daith piercing will be successful for any one individual; it would be best just to get the piercing done and monitor for results.

Once the piercing is fully healed, the headache sufferer can press upon the skin and the piercing, creating additional pressure when a headache is an onset, or rotating the jewelry sometimes is enough.

This is only my opinion, based on research, practice and most importantly, on average, doing a minimum of three (3) Daith piercings per day for both sufferers and non-sufferers. I have seen for myself, some amazing results that I cannot deny.

All of this needs more investigation, closer observation from the medical community.

Tribal Expression and Tribal Made Body Jewelry are going to be venturing into an in-depth study on migraine and headache piercings. Tribal Expression will donate all the piercings and Tribal Made will donate all the jewelry.

We are attempting to get medical attention, University attention, and other facilities that are interested in studying and setting up for a real study.
We will keep you all updated on our progress. You will all be the first to know!!

Tribal Expression is always booking appointments for Daith piercings, if you are interested or would like more information please contact our Studio at 403 210 2442.