Acupuncturists have long studied the healing potential of piercings— particularly their ability to relieve migraines and help stave off allergies. Indeed, according to the book Mysteries of The Ear, published by Assouline and written by the neuropharmacologist Dr Nadia Volf, the ancient Egyptians, Romans and Persians practised auricular acupuncture to aid everything from digestion to eyesight and menstrual problems, while the reason pirates wore a ring in one earlobe is that, according to folkloric tradition, the piercing enhanced their vision.
