15 Not-So-Obvious Ways To Cure Jet Lag Once and For All

Astonishing truth: Wearing sunglasses inside is a way to cure jet lag. So is exposing yourself to the outdoors in the afternoon.

We already know we should stock up on sleep, and we already know to stay hydrated, but there have got to be more creative ways to zap that terrible jet lag sleepiness. Behold, the folks at travel agency Thomas Cook outline some of their most effective cures (“anchor sleep,” anyone?):

This article originally appeared on Huffington Post and was written by Suzy Strutner

What is Scar Tissue?

Scar tissue replaces normal skin tissue after the skin is damaged. Though scar tissue is made up of the same substance as undamaged skin, it looks different because of the way the fibers in the tissue are arranged. Scars form every time the skin is damaged beyond its first layer, whether that damage comes from a cut, burn, or a skin condition like acne or a fungal infection. Though there are ways to minimize the appearance of scars, there is no way to remove them entirely.

How it Forms

Human skin is made up of three main layers, the epidermis, dermis, and hypodermis. When the dermis — the pink middle layer in the cross-section of skin — is injured, the body first responds by making blood clot in the area to close off the wound. After the blood clots, the body then sends in fibroblasts, a type of cell that helps rebuild skin tissue. These cells break down the clot and start replacing it with proteins, primarily collagen, that make up scar tissue.

Though both scar tissue and normal skin are made with these collagen proteins, they look different because of the way the collagen is arranged. In regular skin, the collagen proteins overlap in many random directions, but in scar tissue, they generally align in one direction. This makes the scar have a different texture than the surrounding skin. Scar tissue is also not as flexible as normal skin, and does not have a normal blood supply, sweat glands, or hair.

Types of Scar Tissue

How an individual scar looks depends on a few things, including the circumstances of the injury and a person's skin tone. For instance, a puncture wound causes a different looking scar than a burn wound, and whether the wound gets infected or not can also influence the appearance of the scar. A wound in a place where the skin is stretched tight, like the chest, often causes a thicker scar, since the body has to make more tissue to keep the wound from pulling open. Skin tone plays a role too. Though scars in general tend to turn white over time, those with dark skin may get scars that get darker with time. Those with darker skin may also be more prone to keloid scars.

There are five main types of scars:

Atrophic scars: These scars are sunken down into the skin. This type of scarring is often seen with acne scars or with wounds where skin or muscle is removed by an injury. This type of scarring can also happen when the body produces so much scar tissue in one area that it prevents new cells from growing where the wound took place.
Hypertrophic scars: These are usually red or purple and are slightly raised above the skin. They tend to fade and get flat over time.
Contracture scars: These types of scars often happen with burns, and end up pulling the skin in towards the site of the injury. This can make the skin look puckered around the wound.
Keloid scars: These are very elevated, red or dark scars that form when the body produces a lot of extra collagen in a scar. Keloid scars are actually a benign type of tumor, and often grow bigger than the area of the original injury. Those with darker pigmented skin are thought to be more prone to keloid scarring, but it's not clear why.
Stretch marks: Also called striae, these are considered a unique type of scar since they don't happen in response to an injury, but because of the skin being stretched rapidly, often during pregnancy or adolescence. The tissue here is often sunken a little into the skin, and tends to fade with time.

Preventing and Treating Scar Tissue

Though there is no way to entirely get rid of scar tissue aside from avoiding a skin injury, there are ways to minimize its appearance both while the wound is healing and after a scar has formed. Except for keloid scars, most scars will fade on their own even without treatment.

While the wound is healing:

Covering the wound with a bandage — This is particularly important before going out in the sun, since UV rays can cause the newly formed tissue to get discolored and may slow down the healing process.
Cleaning wounds properly — Doctors recommend cleaning a wound with a gentle soap and lukewarm water. Cleaning with hydrogen peroxide, alcohol, or iodine can all damage the newly forming cells and lead to a more noticeable scar.
Soothing gels — Rubbing aloe vera gel on the skin after the wound has closed can help lessen redness. Vitamin E gels are not recommended, since studies show that they are not very effective are minimizing scars.
Anti-itch cream — This can help with the urge to scratch or touch the healing wound, which could irritate it and make a more noticeable scar.
Pressure bandages — Some doctors say that putting a specific type of pressure bandage on a wound can help prevent the appearance of elevated scars since it pushes the collagen down. There are several different brand name versions of these bandages, which are often called scar therapy bandages or scar sheets.

Ways to minimize scars after they form:

Massage — Massaging a scar with lotion or a doctor-recommended gel can help fade many types of scars. This is particularly recommended for keloid scars, since this can keep them from getting sensitive and painful, and can help break down some of the built-up collagen.
Injections — Steroid injections may help with hypertrophic or keloid scars, and atrophic scars can sometimes be filled in with collagen injections. One downside to this type of treatment is that it is almost always temporary, and has to be repeated regularly.
Skin resurfacing — This can be done with lasers or with equipment that works like very fine sandpaper in a procedure called dermabrasion.
Cryotherapy — This is a technique of freezing the scar, and can reduce the appearance of keloid and hypertrophic scars.

In extreme cases, a doctor might recommend surgery. Though surgery can't get rid of a scar, it can make it less noticeable. Surgery is not recommended for hypertrophic or keloid scars though, since it can make them worse. Another type of treatment for severe scars is radiation therapy, which can sometimes reduce keloid and hypertrophic scars.

This article originally appeared on wisegeekhealth.com

Your Partner in Allergy Relief Strategies: Acupuncture

Acupuncture already helps to relieve pain in some patients, and the latest study hints that it might relieve sneezing and itchy eyes as well.

Most patients plagued with sniffles brought on by seasonal allergies turn to antihistamines for relief, but when they don't get relief, some opt for alternative treatments like acupuncture, in which tiny needles inserted just under the skin at specific points in the body are used to reduce certain symptoms.

In a study published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine, researchers examined 422 people who tested positive for pollen allergies and had allergic nasal symptoms such as a runny nose. The participants reported their symptoms as well as what medication and doses they used to treat them.

The researchers then divided them into three groups; one received 12 acupuncture treatments and took antihistamines as needed, a second group received 12 fake acupuncture treatments (needles placed at random, non-meaningful points in the body) and took antihistamines as needed, while the final group only took antihistamines for symptoms.

After two months, the researchers asked the patients about their symptoms and how much medication they used. The participants who received the real acupuncture treatments with their antihistamines showed a greater improvement in their allergy symptoms and less use of antihistamines compared to the other groups.

But the fact that even the participants receiving the sham acupuncture therapy reported some relief of their symptoms suggests that a strong placebo effect may be responsible for at least part of the improvement.

That possibility was supported by the fact that after four months of follow-up, the difference between the groups was less pronounced. The researchers speculate that the patients' expectations of how much the acupuncture might help them could have influenced their reports of improved symptoms.

But if the treatments are providing some type of relief, then acupuncture's potential role in treating allergies should be investigated further, the authors say. "The effectiveness of acupuncture for (seasonal allergies) compared with other antiallergic interventions and the possible underlying mechanisms of any effect, including context effects, need to be addressed in further research," they write in the study.

That view is supported by Dr. Remy Coeytaux of the Duke Clinical Research Institute and Dr. Jongbae of the Regional Center for Neurosensory Disorders and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, who wrote an editorial accompanying the study.

They note that acupuncture's benefits have started to emerge over the last 15 years and enough high-quality clinical trials support "patient-level meta-analyses for several clinical indications." They suggest that more rigorous research, which would include comparing acupuncture with existing treatments for conditions such as allergies, should be conducted in coming years.

They write: "It may be time to begin asking such questions as: How does acupuncture compare directly with other therapeutic approaches? Which of the many acupuncture traditions or approaches is most effective or appropriate for a given clinical indication? What outcomes or process measures should we be assessing in clinical trials of acupuncture? Is the magnitude of effect, if any, associated with acupuncture for a given clinical indication 'worth it' from the perspective of patients, payers, or policymakers?"

In the meantime, study author Dr. Benno Brinkhaus of the Institute for Social Medicine, Epidemiology and Health Economics at Charité University Medical Center in Berlin wrote in an e-mail response describing the study that "From my experience as a physician and acupuncturist, and as a researcher, I would recommend trying acupuncture if patients are not satisfied with the conventional anti-allergic medication or treatment or they suffer from more or less serious sides effects of the conventional medication. Also because acupuncture is a relative safe treatment."

This article originally appeared on time.com and was written by Alexandra Sifferlin.

Float Therapy: Mental and Physical Relief From Chronic Pain

Chronic pain (anytime) in the summertime can be a double whammy of discomfort. Those suffering from chronic pain find that relaxation and sleep is even harder to come by due to the heat, and lack of sleep can intensify pain. It’s a vicious circle. There are ways to beat the heat in the summer, including keeping a cool, dark bedroom for sleeping, exercising in the morning when it is coolest, and eating refreshing summer fruits and veggies to keep your internal fires cool.

In addition to those tips, many chronic pain sufferers find relief through meditation.

One way to get your zen on is by visiting a float tank, also known as a sensory deprivation tank. Flotation REST (reduced environmental stimuli therapy) was developed in the 1950s by John C. Lilly, M.D. and uses a water-filled tank that is approximately the size of a bed and heated to skin temperature. The water is saturated with Epsom salts so that the patient can float without any effort.

Patients remove their clothes, enter the tank, turn off the lights, and relax. The idea is that this sensation of zero stimuli will help to focus inward, eliminating distractions and calming the mind and body. The Fibromyalgia Floatation Project (FFP) believes that spending an hour in a float tank will help sufferers reduce pain significantly.

Some of the potential benefits for fibromyalgia include:

• Eliminates stress, or improves ability to handle stress better, by lowering cortisol
• Promotes deep rest, eliminating fatigue
• Aids in combating insomnia
• Improves focus and concentration
• Increases dopamine production, the “feel good” hormone produced by the brain
• Reduces pain by relaxation and hormone production

When external stimuli are eliminated, the fight-or-flight response is deactivated. This response is the cornerstone of the stress response, and many chronic pain sufferers are constantly in this state of stress as their body reacts to pain. Chronic stress increases pain intensity. Eliminating or coping with stress better can help decrease sensitivity to pain.

• Manages arthritis, back pain, sports injuries, and pregnancy discomforts
• Improves chronic pain conditions
• Relieves pain and emotional stress for fibromyalgia patients
• Creates an ideal environment for pain relief with weightlessness and lack of effort
• Floating provides natural traction for a wide range of spine-related injuries

These claims are supported by research done by Thomas H. Fine, associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry of the Medical College of Ohio, and Roderick A Borrie, Ph.D., clinical psychologist at South Oaks Hospital, Amityville, New York. They found that:

“[F]lotation REST can have an important role at several stages of the pain management process. By reducing both muscle tension and pain in a relatively short time and without effort on the part of the patient, flotation provides a dramatic demonstration of the benefits of relaxation. Relief is immediate and, although temporary, offers promise of further relief from REST and other relaxation-based strategies. Symptom reduction gained from flotation can increase a patient’s motivation and interest in the remainder of the therapy plan. Pain patients generally come into treatment feeling suspicious and skeptical, requiring a clear demonstration that they can be helped.”

In their research, they found extraordinary benefits for chronic pain patients. Most of the patients that utilized flotation REST suffered from chronic pain for longer than six months and floated from one to 16 sessions. Overall, they reported a reduction in pain that averaged 31.3%, with the highest level of relief in the upper back at 63.6%, and the lowest in the legs at 15.3%. This seems to be a “clear demonstration” that float tanks help with chronic pain.

A small-scale 2012 study also showed the profound benefits of float tanks. 81 volunteers with fibromyalgia were given three free float sessions in exchange for feedback on a questionnaire.  Across the board, participants reported an immediate drop in pain and an increase in well-being. They also indicated a drop in pain over the course of the three sessions, so that their pain levels when they entered the tank were lower than they had been when they entered in the previous sessions.

This result speaks to the long-term potential for pain reduction.

In addition to chronic pain, advocates of flotation therapy also tout its benefits for creativity and excellence in sports. Researchers Oshin Vartanian of the University of Toronto and Peter Suedfeld of the University of British Columbia found that musicians who floated in the tank for one hour per week for four weeks showed better technical ability at the end of the research. The researchers compared two-minute recordings before and after from the study participants and the control group and found “a significant difference between the treatment and comparison groups on technical ability, but not on any other dimension.”

College athletes benefited from REST also. Multiple studies have found that when combined with imagery, athletes from gymnasts to professional tennis players to collegiate basketball players improved performance measurably over the long term.

This article originally appeared on paindoctor.com