A short YouTube video by Dr. Nicole Cain discussing whether a daith piercing (an ear cartilage piercing) can reduce anxiety and panic. The speaker summarizes three proposed explanations—vagus nerve stimulation, auricular acupuncture point stimulation, or placebo—and notes that research is inconclusive while inviting viewer experiences.
Chapters
Have you ever heard that ear piercing can help with anxiety relief? Today we're going to talk about the number one place for piercing to try to calm anxiety and stop panic. The piercing is called a dathe piercing which is located right up here in the cartilage of your ear. D A I T H so does it really work? Some people swear by it, but according to the research, the jury is still out. A proposed reason why it might be effective to pierce your dath cartilage in your ear is that it's close to the vagus nerve. And we know that vagus nerve stimulation is associated with calming of anxiety by increasing your parasympathetic nervous system activation, AKA makes you feel more calm. Another proposed mechanism of action is acupuncture in that the day piercing is close to auricular acupuncture points that have been associated with calming anxiety and relieving panic. Another theory is that it's just placebo. Have you pierced your dais? And if so, what do you think? Have you noticed any changes in your anxiety or your sleep? I would love to hear in the comments of this video one more time.