Getting Your Ears Pierced May Help With Anxiety
With mental health becoming a regular conversation more and more people are seeking for help. Unfortunately therapy can be very costly and being prescribed a variety of medications at a time doesnt really solve the problem but creates a dependance. These factors and more have led to a surge of people seeking for alternative therapy that may be less costly and may have less of an overall effect on the body. Some methods that have arisen are acupuncture, and as an extension from it – ear piercings.
What is acupuncture?
To get a better idea as to where the belief that ear piercings help with anxiety, well start at the root cause. Acupuncture according to Acupuncture Canada is a form of ancient traditional Chinese medicine that is considered essential to health. It stimulates the balance and flow of Qi energy. When the body is healthy, Qi flows smoothly through pathways in your body. When the flow or balance of Qi is obstructed it can lead to diseases or illness.
Ear Acupuncture Points
The acupuncture points on ones ears are often tied to the vagus nerve, which extends from your brain to the rest of your body. The practice crossed over to piercings when people started wanting longer lasting solutions to their problems. When it comes to piercings there are three different areas that can help with anxiety: the Shen Men which is a stress relieving point, point zero which is a claiming point, and the tranquilizer point that aids with relaxation.
Daith Piercing
Shen Men Piercing
Why Is It Called Conch And Where Is It Located
As indicated by Ruby Buddemeyer from Cosmopolitan, Your conch is smack-dab in the middle of your cartilage and it kinda-sorta resembles the spiral shape of a conch shell. Youve got two options when youre getting your conch pierced: inner or outer, both of which depend on the anatomy of your ear, since you might have more room on the higher fold of your ear or the lower fold .
You can consider it looks very cute or nice or you simply want to try it to relieve chronic back pain or migraine headaches, whatever the reason is, it is important to know the risks first and be prepared just in case.
Also, consider that conch piercings typically take 6 to 9 months to fully heal, so they will definitely take longer than when you pierced your ear lobe for the first time.
As it is expected, the area might get red, swollen and you will even see some clear-ish fluids coming out from it.
But lets also see what happens when it does get infected.
What Is Daith Piercing
Daith piercing is a type of ear piercing done on the innermost fold of the cartilage present at the entry of the ear canal. This tough fold of cartilage is also called the crus of the helix. The term daith seems to have originated from a Hebrew word . There were ancient beliefs that a piercing in this area makes a person listen to only intelligent speech. There have been claims in the last few decades that wearing an earring in this area helps treat migraines. There is, however, no medical or scientific evidence to support this.
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Things You Most Likely Didnt Know About The Shen Men Piercing
By chronicon May 1, 2019
Anxiety and migraines can be life-changing challenges. One moment youre fine, the nextsometimes with little to no warningpain or panic interrupts your focus. The world is spinning. You cant function. Youre not sure how long it will last, but you know its significantly disrupted your day.
If that sounds familiar, youre not alone: Nearly one out of five people experiences anxiety, and about one out of ten battles migraines.
Some find relief through a Shen Men piercing.
What is a Shen Men piercing, and how could it help with anxiety, migraines, and possibly more? In this article, well dive into the details about Shen Men piercings. By the end, youll have a better idea of whether or not a Shen Men piercing is right for you:
How Long Until You Can Sleep On A Helix Piercing
You dont have to use a travel pillow, you can also just not sleep on that side. Edit: to answer your question OP, normally you should avoid sleeping on it for at least a few months. Definitely stay off it until the bar is downsized and then leave a couple of months after that to make sure its healing fine.
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What Do Rook Piercings Help With
Just like other body piercings, most people get rook piercings primarily for body ornamentation. Practitioners of ear acupuncture , a form of alternative medicine, say that ear piercings have therapeutic benefits, and rook piercing can relieve stress.
Auriculotherapy is based on the idea that the ear is a microsystem that reflects other parts of the body, and stimulating points in the ear can treat conditions that affect the corresponding reflex point in the body.
Auriculotherapy is believed to help with various neurological conditions such as migraines, chronic pain, depression, and insomnia, however, the available scientific research and evidence are limited.
What If My Conch Piercing Gets Infected
Are you getting or did you get a piercing? It can happen that you get one as a form of personal expression or because you wanted to give it a try and experience yourself the benefits it is supposed to have.
However, there are always risks when your body is injured and it is believed that cartilage piercings are more prone to infections, and getting an infection can be not only extremely painful but also may require antibiotics.
If you believe you have an infection, refrain yourself from removing the jewelry unless your physician has indicated you to do it.
If you remove your jewelry while having an infection, it can cause an infected abscess to keep growing. Some symptoms of an infection include:
- Noticing the area turning red and swollen skin around the jewelry
- Pain or tenderness.
- Feeling your symptoms get worse or persist for more than a week.
Remember, always consult with a doctor if you experience any of the signs of infection.
Some of the warning signs of a series infection include having high fever, sweating, chills, vomiting, and pain that gets worse over time.
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Do Daith Piercings Help With Sinus Headaches
Generally, people who seek out daith piercings to treat their migraines are people that have found acupuncture helpful but are looking for a long-term solution. However, neurologist and trustee of the Migraine Trust, Dr. Fayyaz Ahmed, has said: There is no evidence that daith piercing work to help migraine.
Read also
What Precautions Do You Take Before Getting A Rook Piercing
Rook piercing is a minimally invasive procedure and can be safely done with proper precautions such as the following:
- Make sure you go to a certified and experienced piercer.
- Be fully informed of the procedure, the risks and complications involved, and the required aftercare.
- Make sure the salon is clean and hygienic, the equipment used is properly sterilized, and the piercer wears surgical gloves.
- Ask for a new, sterilized single-use needle to be used which is immediately disposed of appropriately.
- Never have your piercing done with a piercing gun because the risk for tissue damage and infection is high.
- Piercing may not be safe with certain medical conditions such as diabetes, heart conditions, and immune disorders. Check with your doctor first before getting a piercing.
- SafePiercing.org offers a detailed fact sheet for more information on a safe piercing.
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Does Claire’s Do Double Ear Piercings
As well as single, pair and multiple lobe piercings, we also offer the following services: Dual lobe piercing Two ear piercing specialists pierce both ears simultaneously. This is a great option for young children or anyone feeling a little nervous. We recommend booking this service with your chosen store in advance.
Can Piercings Cause Depression
The logistic regression results showed that regardless of gen- der, age and nationality piercing desire is significantly associated with depression. Students who desired body piercing are 2.4 times more likely to have moderate depression compared to those who said no .
10 Related Question Answers Found
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Can Ear Piercing Mitigate Migraine Pain
So what does piercing your ear have to do with migraine pain? Why the ear instead of, say, the nose? Getting a piercing in your ear for migraines may seem strange, but many people in recent years have been trying it to relieve their migraines.
The idea is that piercing the same spot on the ear previously treated in acupuncture would bring a constant pressure and alleviate migraine pain.
Ear piercings for migraines and anxiety are done on very specific locations on the ear. The reason is related to acupuncture. This Chinese practice involves inserting small needles into various places in an effort to relieve pain and improve a variety of health conditions. There are specific points on the ear, two in particular, that are known to relieve migraine pain.
Some people who have found acupuncture helpful but wanted a more permanent solution have turned to ear piercing. The idea is that piercing the same spot on the ear previously treated in acupuncture would bring a constant pressure and alleviate migraine pain. Practitioners of this approach believe they have fewer migraine episodes and fewer migraine symptoms overall.
What Is The Most Painful Piercing You Can Get
The most painful piercing you can get is said to be the piercings made in sensitive areas such as nipples or intimate piercings.
On the other hand, the least painful piercings include the earlobe, navel, tongue, and eyebrow piercings while the nostril and male intimate piercings are typically said to be experienced with a medium level of pain.
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Rook Piercing For Anxiety
The second popular place to get an ear piercing for anxiety is in the rook of the ear. This is in the cartilage fold which is below the rim of the ear. You can have a look at our picture of all the various piercing types to see the exact location.
This piercing area is not known to help with headaches or migraines like the Daith area so you can take that into account when deciding which area you would prefer. As the area between the Rook and the Daith is relatively small make sure that you are incredibly specific when you are getting your piercing done. It can be incredibly easy to get the wrong area pierced.
Also as this is yet another cartilage piercing expect it to take some considerable time to heal. In many cases, these types of piercing can take at least a year to settle down.
Placebo Effect Vs Real Science
A placebo is anything that seems to be a “real” medical treatment, but isn’t. It could be a pill, a shot, or some other type of fake treatment. People can have a negative or positive response to a placebo. For instance, the person’s symptoms may improve or the person may have what appears to be side effects from the treatment. These responses are known as the placebo effect. Sometimes, a placebo can produce results even when people know they are taking a placebo. Studies show that placebos can influence the following conditions:
- Depression
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome
- Menopause
There is a correlation between how strongly a person expects or wants to have relief and whether that relief occurs. The stronger the want or belief that the medicine or treatment will work, the more likely it is that a person will experience positive effects.
We recommend getting your daith pierced because its a unique piercing. If you find relief, then great! If not, youve still got a cool piercing.
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What The Research Says About The Shen Men Pressure Point
Some research suggests that this constant pressure can help reduce certain symptoms of migraine and anxiety so what does the science say about the shen men pressure point?
First, its important to note that little research exists to support any effect of the shen men pressure point on pain or anxiety.
But researchers have looked into other effects.
A in Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine suggests that this pressure can help with stress and agitation during recovery from colon removal surgery by keeping your heart rate at a low, relaxed pace.
A placebo effect means that you experience the intended result of treatment not because theres any evidence that it worked but rather because you believed that it would work and it did!
Theres plenty of research on how important the placebo effect is to the outcome of many studies and procedures. In some cases, mind over matter is enough for people to get results.
That may be happening when people get a shen men piercing and get relief for their anxiety or migraine.
Be Playful With Your Perceptions
Find the opportunity in every event as it pertains to your vision. See any setback as though it was supposed to happen. Instead of being grim and wallowing in current circumstances, stand by your decision and follow through.
Be playful with this, start perceiving everything as though it was meant to be, as if its leading you closer to your goal. Synchronicity will start playing out in front of you just follow it.
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The History Of Daith Piercings
The daith piercing was thought to have been invented by Erik Dakota in 1992. His first client was a Jewish woman who proceeded to name the piercing daat, which is Hebrew for knowledge. She believed that a piercing near an orifice was akin to a guardian at a gate, guarding the entrance. Soon it was pronounced as daith in English.
At this point, it was merely an aesthetic that gained popularity in the goth and punk fashion scenes. This might have had something to do with Fakirs Body Play Magazine. The magazine published information, images, and commentary about body modification. Unfortunately, it was discontinued in 1999 after the mainstream media was hesitant to market alternative lifestyles.
The daith piercing lived on, nevertheless, and is now more popular than ever. Its gained traction in the alternative medicine movements for treating anxiety and migraines.
If theres pus coming from the cartilage, however, you might need to be admitted to a hospital to have the infection surgically drained. Avoiding treatment and allowing an infection to fester can result in permanent deformation of the ear, illness and, in some extreme cases, death.
Allergic reactions to jewelry are common, especially nickel. We suggest staying away from this material unless youre sure you arent allergic. Gold or nylon jewelry pieces are a safer option.