If you suffer from migraines, you know they are much more than a typical headache.

Migraines are an intense headache that usually entails severe throbbing pain, nausea, sensitivity to light and sound and usually on one side on the head. According to Mayo Clinic, migraine attacks can cause significant pain for hours and can be so severe that the pain is disabling.

People who suffer from migraines are always looking for relief and while daith ear piercings have been around for years, they’ve become increasingly popular for migraine sufferers to ease symptoms.

The daith piercing is located in the inner cartilage section of the ear. The piercing resembles acupuncture as it targets pressure points on the body’s surface to ease discomfort. People who have gotten the piercing claim to have seen an improvement in the intensity of their migraines.

Here, Keisha Stokes shares her experience with BlackDoctor.org of getting the daith piercing for migraine relief.

Migraine sufferers everywhere know that having this diagnosis is something that many don’t understand, but it’s a way of life that we have to deal with every day. Since I was a small child, headaches have been one of my worst enemies and I wouldn’t wish the type of pain I am plagued with constantly on anyone. In the U.S. more than 37 million people suffer from migraines, 70 percent of these sufferers are women. Many attribute the headaches to many things – hormones, dietary triggers, lack of sleep and so much more. The one thing that most people don’t understand is that they aren’t just any “headache.” They are debilitating and can make you so sick that you can barely move.

Growing Up In Pain

For as long and I can remember, I’ve always told my mom that my head hurts, even as early as six years old. Of course back then, my parents would question if I was just saying I had these pains to stay out of school, get out of an activity or if there was really something wrong with me. As I grew older, I was prescribed glasses, which helped with some of the pain I would get in school, but it never really went away.

In high school, with the increase of stress in my life they started to become more frequent, and the pain also got worse. I would be extremely sensitive to light, sound, my vision would be blurry, and I was always extremely nauseous. During this time, my mom decided to take me to see my very first neurologist, and I just knew they were going to be the be all and end all to these dreadful headaches, but boy was I wrong.

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