Doctors Explain A Headache Hack That The Internet Claims Works Better Than Medication

When you start to feel that pounding sensation in your head, do you feel tired of the go-to tips for headaches, like taking medication, napping and drinking water?

If that sounds familiar, perhaps try grabbing a hair clip. 

According to various social media creators, a quick headache fix (that some claim works better than prescription medicine) is putting a claw clip on your eyebrow. (Watch an example here.)

And unlike many dubious claims on the social media app, doctors say this one may have a little merit (but, as always, there’s still a catch).

Below, experts break it down:

Why some people find relief with this hack

For starters, it’s essentially acupressure, which comes from traditional Chinese medicine. Acupressure entails applying pressure to specific points of the body.

“The clip puts pressure on where branches of the trigeminal nerve run,” explained Dr. Fawad Mian, founder and physician at Ascend Regenerative, who’s board-certified in neurology, clinical neurophysiology and sleep medicine. (The trigeminal nerve plays a role in migraine pain.)

“This gives your nervous system something to focus on, which diverts your attention away from the pain.”

“Applying pressure to the skin can activate competing sensory signals, which may temporarily dampen pain perception, a concept sometimes referred to as ‘gate control’ of pain. This is because pain signals travel slower than sensory signals for touch, pressure and vibration,” explained Dr. Jon Stewart Hao Dy, a board-certified neurologist based in Manila, Philippines.

In other words, your brain may focus more on the applied sensation from the clip than the painful sensation from the headache.

While unstudied, this hack is basically a DIY version of something more scientific and researched.

“Clinical studies have shown that controlled electrical stimulation of the trigeminal nerve can reduce pain, but a claw clip is not a neuromodulation device,” clarified Dr. Lynette Gogol, a board-certified neurologist and lifestyle medicine physician.

Interestingly, this also mirrors the concept of daith piercings, Dy said. Daith piercings go on the innermost fold of your ear, and people claim they help relieve migraines through stimulation. Like the claw clip trend, the benefits of daith piercings aren’t researched, but anecdotal.

“There are no studies showing how quickly a claw clip should work or for how long the relief should last,” Gogol said.

Neurologists agree that the effects would most likely be temporary, unfortunately, and vary from person to person.

“It works better for tension headaches and migraines if you catch them early,” Mian said. “If your migraine is full-blown, this most likely will not help.”

Plus, if it does help, it would only do so while the claw clip is on your eyebrow. Once you take it off, poof: the pain is back. Dy said that it’s “because the clip is essentially providing an external sensory stimulus rather than treating the underlying migraine process.”

If it still works for you, awesome – just keep in mind it’s not a true “cure” or treatment.

Additionally, note that in some situations, it can make matters worse. Mian said it could make you feel worse due to skin sensitivity, and Gogol said a harmless touch or pressure on the face can be painful for some people with migraines. According to Dy, this is particularly true for people who develop allodynia, or extreme sensitivity to touch, during migraines.

If you’re going to try this tip, Mian provided the following guidelines:

Gogol said she wouldn’t recommend it at all, and Dy fell somewhere in the middle.

“If a patient finds that it provides mild, temporary relief and it’s not causing harm, I would not necessarily discourage it,” Dy said. “However, I would emphasise that it should not replace evidence-based treatments, especially for patients with frequent (more than 15 days a month of headaches) or severely debilitating migraines.”

Additionally, he recommended wearing the clip for no longer than 30 minutes.

“In terms of safety, using a claw clip in this way is generally low-risk if it is not applied too tightly,” Dy continued. “Excessive or prolonged pressure, however, could potentially irritate superficial nerves, worsen localised pain or paradoxically trigger a tension-type headache.”

More headache hacks recommended by doctors and patients

While the claw clip hack is interesting, it’s far from the only helpful thing. “Old standbys are always worth doing,” Mian said.

What works for someone else might not work for you – even if it’s an “old standby” – and that’s OK. Mian shared that caffeine and ice packs help some individuals, whereas others benefit more from sleeping in a dark room.

Gogol believed your best bet is aiming for prevention through consistency.

“A regular sleep schedule, regular meals, avoiding dehydration and managing stress can support migraine prevention,” she said.

If and when you do have a migraine, she agreed that two things – putting a cold pack on the head or neck, and reducing light and noise – may also help.

Dy added that putting a cold compress on the achy spot, avoiding food and beverage triggers (such as chocolate, cheese, alcohol and sometimes coffee), and taking prescribed medication can also be beneficial.

“I think migraine ‘hacks’ can be helpful in that they encourage patients to explore non-pharmacologic ways of managing their symptoms, but they can also be misleading if they create the impression that there is a quick fix for a migraine,” Dy concluded.

“They may complement their current treatment, but they should not replace medically proven therapies or proper evaluation by a physician/neurologist/headache specialist, especially when the headaches are frequent, severe, progressive or changing in character.”