The first reports that a Daith ear piercing could help with severe migraine headaches appeared over 30 years ago. After it went viral on social media in 2015, thousands of people around the world have tried it. Dr Blatchley was the first doctor to begin researching the effect in 2017 and has been at the forefront ever since. Over the last 6 years, he has developed the Medi-Daith Protocol. A Medi-Daith is far more than just a cosmetic Daith piercing, and Dr Blatchley's protocol is used to locate the small and easily missed area of skin supplied by the Vagus Nerve, which is believed to be at the heart of the effect. Over 85% of those coming to Blue Banana for a Medi Daith have already visited their family doctor for their migraine headaches and found that the usual medical treatments have not worked adequately. Many have even seen a hospital specialist.

We recorded results from 90 people 2-4 months after they had been fitted at Blue Banana with a Medi-Daith piercing (between August and November 2022). These are the first results of a long-term research programme on 1000 sufferers:- 58 of 90 (64%) described that overall their migraine headache symptoms were 75%-100% better, and 22 (27%) as 25-50% better. Only 8 (9%) said there had been no improvement. 65 of the 90 (72%) reported the migraine headache frequency was "much better", and these found that on average, the frequency of migraine headache days dropped 69% from 5.5 to 1.7 days/month.

The current price of a Medi Daith Piercing is £150 (subject to change). For those who sign up for our Medi Daith research study, the price is £75.

A Medi Daith Piercing is far more than just a cosmetic piercing. It is a skilled procedure that takes extra time and training to carefully measure the optimum piercing position using a special protocol researched by Dr Blatchley. The precise location of the ear varies from person to person, and if the wrong point is pierced, the treatment does not work. Unlike cosmetic piercings, appointments can last for 30 minutes (or more if necessary) to allow for extra time to locate the correct position.

In a Blue Banana piercing studio near you! We're working on rolling out this Medi Daith migraine headache procedure across our Blue Banana piercing studios. Currently, the procedure is available at the stores listed below. If you have any queries, you can either drop into your local branch or request a call-back through a link provided below. Choose the branch closest to you, and a specially trained Medi Daith Piercer will phone you back. They can answer any questions you may have and even arrange a suitable appointment at the branch.

Most people have had their migraine headaches for years and may be finding that treatments from their doctor are not controlling them. If you have already visited your GP about your headaches, then the simple answer is no, you don't need to see anyone before arranging to have a Medi-Daith with Blue Banana.

If you have a chronic skin condition such as Eczema, Psoriasis or Keloid scarring then this may need medical assessment before you have a Medi-Daith piercing. As a daith piercing is through cartilage it may heal very slowly. In fact, this slow healing may well be part of the reason why it can work, because the irritation is thought to stimulate the Vagus Nerve. If you have Eczema, Psoriasis or other similar skin conditions that have affected your ears, then we would not recommend a Medi-Daith piercing. If you have keloid scars on any other parts of your body, then any type of piercing, including a Medi-Daith Piercing, is not recommended because the chance of developing a keloid on your ear is too high.

In our initial research 80% of migraine headache sufferers reported an immediate improvement to a Medi-Daith and 40% found after 12 months that they still had an excellent improvement (or that their migraine headaches had stopped), even for those who were so seriously affected by their migraine headaches that all other treatments had failed.

Understandably people often ask this! Perhaps surprisingly, many people say they hardly felt a thing. Most migraine headache sufferers will say that the pain is only momentary and is not as bad as the pain of a migraine headache.

We are currently offering this piercing to anyone aged 13 or over. You may be required to bring a photo ID and will be required to answer the routine health questions we ask at Blue Banana. If you are under 16, it is a legal requirement that you MUST come with a parent or guardian. Click here for more information.

The appointment takes about 30 minutes. Please arrive 10-15 mins early so we can record some basic information about your migraine headaches before we start. The piercing itself is very quick, but the preparation takes longer than a simple cosmetic piercing because we have to spend time measuring the exact place to pierce. This can't be hurried.