Daith Piercing, a Social Media Hype on Youtube for the Treatment of Migraine? A Systematic Video Analysis

ABSTRACT Background and Aims Nowadays, the social media video‐sharing website YouTube is globally accessible and used for sharing news and information. It also serves as a tool for migraine sufferers seeking guidance about Daith piercing (DP) as a potential migraine treatment; however, shared and di...

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Main Authors: Saroj K. Pradhan, Michael Furian, Giada Todeschini, Qiong Schürer, Xiaying Wang, Bingjun Chen, Yiming Li, Andreas R. Gantenbein
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2025-06-01
Series:Health Science Reports
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1002/hsr2.70880
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author Saroj K. Pradhan
Michael Furian
Giada Todeschini
Qiong Schürer
Xiaying Wang
Bingjun Chen
Yiming Li
Andreas R. Gantenbein
author_facet Saroj K. Pradhan
Michael Furian
Giada Todeschini
Qiong Schürer
Xiaying Wang
Bingjun Chen
Yiming Li
Andreas R. Gantenbein
author_sort Saroj K. Pradhan
collection DOAJ
description ABSTRACT Background and Aims Nowadays, the social media video‐sharing website YouTube is globally accessible and used for sharing news and information. It also serves as a tool for migraine sufferers seeking guidance about Daith piercing (DP) as a potential migraine treatment; however, shared and disseminated video content is rarely regulated and does not follow evidence‐based medicine. This study aims to investigate the content, quality, and reliability of YouTube videos on DP for the treatment of migraine. Methods YouTube videos were systematically searched from the video portal inception until 17th January 2024. “Daith piercing” AND “migraine” were the applied search terms. The primary outcome of interest was assessing the Global Quality Scale (GQS) and DISCERN to evaluate each video blog's quality, flow, and reliability. Secondary outcomes included the relapse time of migraine after DP, and further outcomes related to DP. Results In the final analysis, 246 videos were included (N = 69 categorized as Personal Experience; N = 176 as Others, defined as videos from bloggers, piercers, or other persons; and N = 1 as Healthcare Professionals). The GQS rating in the category Personal Experience revealed that the quality of 50.7% of videos was very poor; 29.0% poor; 11.6% moderate, and 8.7% good. In the category Others, GQS rating showed that the quality of 60.8% of videos was very poor; 25.6% poor; 11.9% moderate, and 1.7% good. The one video in the category Healthcare Professionals was rated “poor quality”. Ratings applying the DISCERN tool were comparable. Overall, 111 (45.1%) videos recommended and 14 (5.7%) discouraged DP for migraine relief. Conclusion Based on the GQS and DISCERN scores, the information, usefulness, and accuracy of most YouTube content on DP for migraine treatment are generally of poor quality and reliability. The lack of high‐quality and reliable videos might expose users to potentially misleading information and dissemination of unproven medical interventions.
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spelling doaj-art-05bb1908f9564c52843d1a2265079dc32025-08-20T02:35:26ZengWileyHealth Science Reports2398-88352025-06-0186n/an/a10.1002/hsr2.70880Daith Piercing, a Social Media Hype on Youtube for the Treatment of Migraine? A Systematic Video AnalysisSaroj K. Pradhan0Michael Furian1Giada Todeschini2Qiong Schürer3Xiaying Wang4Bingjun Chen5Yiming Li6Andreas R. Gantenbein7Research Department Swiss University of Traditional Chinese Medicine Bad Zurzach SwitzerlandResearch Department Swiss University of Traditional Chinese Medicine Bad Zurzach SwitzerlandResearch Department Swiss University of Traditional Chinese Medicine Bad Zurzach SwitzerlandResearch Department Swiss University of Traditional Chinese Medicine Bad Zurzach SwitzerlandResearch Department Swiss University of Traditional Chinese Medicine Bad Zurzach SwitzerlandResearch Department Swiss University of Traditional Chinese Medicine Bad Zurzach SwitzerlandResearch Department Swiss University of Traditional Chinese Medicine Bad Zurzach SwitzerlandNeurology & Neurorehabilitation Department Rehaklinik, ZURZACH Care Bad Zurzach SwitzerlandABSTRACT Background and Aims Nowadays, the social media video‐sharing website YouTube is globally accessible and used for sharing news and information. It also serves as a tool for migraine sufferers seeking guidance about Daith piercing (DP) as a potential migraine treatment; however, shared and disseminated video content is rarely regulated and does not follow evidence‐based medicine. This study aims to investigate the content, quality, and reliability of YouTube videos on DP for the treatment of migraine. Methods YouTube videos were systematically searched from the video portal inception until 17th January 2024. “Daith piercing” AND “migraine” were the applied search terms. The primary outcome of interest was assessing the Global Quality Scale (GQS) and DISCERN to evaluate each video blog's quality, flow, and reliability. Secondary outcomes included the relapse time of migraine after DP, and further outcomes related to DP. Results In the final analysis, 246 videos were included (N = 69 categorized as Personal Experience; N = 176 as Others, defined as videos from bloggers, piercers, or other persons; and N = 1 as Healthcare Professionals). The GQS rating in the category Personal Experience revealed that the quality of 50.7% of videos was very poor; 29.0% poor; 11.6% moderate, and 8.7% good. In the category Others, GQS rating showed that the quality of 60.8% of videos was very poor; 25.6% poor; 11.9% moderate, and 1.7% good. The one video in the category Healthcare Professionals was rated “poor quality”. Ratings applying the DISCERN tool were comparable. Overall, 111 (45.1%) videos recommended and 14 (5.7%) discouraged DP for migraine relief. Conclusion Based on the GQS and DISCERN scores, the information, usefulness, and accuracy of most YouTube content on DP for migraine treatment are generally of poor quality and reliability. The lack of high‐quality and reliable videos might expose users to potentially misleading information and dissemination of unproven medical interventions.https://doi.org/10.1002/hsr2.70880acupuncturecomplementary and alternative medicineheadache disordersmigraine piercingpainYouTube
spellingShingle Saroj K. Pradhan
Michael Furian
Giada Todeschini
Qiong Schürer
Xiaying Wang
Bingjun Chen
Yiming Li
Andreas R. Gantenbein
Daith Piercing, a Social Media Hype on Youtube for the Treatment of Migraine? A Systematic Video Analysis
Health Science Reports
acupuncture
complementary and alternative medicine
headache disorders
migraine piercing
pain
YouTube
title Daith Piercing, a Social Media Hype on Youtube for the Treatment of Migraine? A Systematic Video Analysis
title_full Daith Piercing, a Social Media Hype on Youtube for the Treatment of Migraine? A Systematic Video Analysis
title_fullStr Daith Piercing, a Social Media Hype on Youtube for the Treatment of Migraine? A Systematic Video Analysis
title_full_unstemmed Daith Piercing, a Social Media Hype on Youtube for the Treatment of Migraine? A Systematic Video Analysis
title_short Daith Piercing, a Social Media Hype on Youtube for the Treatment of Migraine? A Systematic Video Analysis
title_sort daith piercing a social media hype on youtube for the treatment of migraine a systematic video analysis
topic acupuncture
complementary and alternative medicine
headache disorders
migraine piercing
pain
YouTube
url https://doi.org/10.1002/hsr2.70880
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