10/06/2026
My piercing is doing whattttt? 👀
When I was at uni, we didn’t spend much time studying auricular medicine. Looking back, it’s a shame, because it now features heavily in my clinical practice. Over the years though, one lesson from uni has stuck with me.
One day our supervisor was going around the room analysing the ears of students when she stopped at mine and asked about my tragus piercing.
How long had I had it? How was life around that time? Did I notice any changes?
I answered that I couldn’t think of anything significant.
She then asked me (what I would consider) a strange question, “What was your appetite like?”
Huh? My appetite? What did that have to do with anything?
Perplexed, I told her I thought it was normal. She smiled, seemed interested, and moved on.
On the train ride home I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Why had she asked about my appetite? I pulled out my lecture notes and saw that the tragus sits near an auricular point commonly associated with appetite regulation.
Okay?? Interesting. But what’s that got to do with my piercing?
When I got home, I dug out some old travel journals from around the time I had the piercing done.
To my surprise, there it was in my own handwriting
Reading over my journals I found repeated references to a significant decrease in appetite that persisted for months before gradually returning to normal. What struck me most was that I had completely forgotten about it 😵💫
Needless to say, I was excited to report back to my supervisor the following week and she gave me a knowing smile.
Around that same time, “migraine piercings” were becoming popular, so I asked her what she thought about them.
Her response has stayed with me:
The ear is a microsystem of the whole body. A small point can have a profound effect. When a point is pierced, it may create a strong response initially, but over time that effect will diminish and the point will no longer be effective. It is not wise to use the ear points in this manner.
I can’t say for certain whether my piercing had anything to do with my decreased appetite 🧐 BUT I can say that it was the moment I realised just how fascinating the ear can be 👂✨🤯
