Daith in Botox patients
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Daith ear-piercing in patients with chronic migraine receiving botulinum toxin
IRAS ID
262147
Contact name
Benjamin R Wakerley
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
N/A, N/A
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 5 months, 30 days
Research summary
Migraine is the commonest cause of disability in adults under the age of 50-years. Chronic migraine occurs in patients who complain of more than 15-days of headache a month, of which at least 8 are migrainous, for more than 3 consecutive months. Botulinum toxin (Botox) is very effective for the treatment of chronic migraine and is used in specialist headache centres.
Patients with migraine frequently explore non-medically proven alternative treatment options. For example, many patients report to having tried reflexology, homeopathy and cranial osteopathy, none of which have been shown to be effective and cannot be recommended by medical professions.
The Daith ear-piercing, commonly known as “The Daith” was first created in 1992 by a New York piercer, Erik Dakota, for aesthetic reasons. The procedure can be carried out by most high-street piercers. The Daith can be inserted unilaterally or bilaterally into the crus of the helix. Although the mechanism of action remains unknown, the location of the Daith differs from that of other ear piercings in that it is innervated by the vagus nerve. Electrical stimulation of the vagus has been used in the treatment epilepsy and migraine.
Some people began to report improvement with their migraines following insertion of the Daith and this has been reported in the literature. Since 2015 there has been a significant uptake in the number of migraine suffers who have tried the Daith, with many tens of thousands having had the procedure in the UK. Although the scientific community remains sceptical about the Daith, a surprisingly large proportion of those who have had it report some benefit.
In this survey-based study we aim to investigate what proportion of patients with chronic migraine attending clinic for treatment with botulinum toxin (Botox) have or have heard of the Daith and what their experience has been.
REC name
East of England - Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
19/EE/0292
Date of REC Opinion
10 Dec 2019
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion