Meet Our New Acupuncturist: Céline Sandberg

Céline Sandberg, R. Ac. completed MacEwan University’s 3-year acupuncture program, and is registered with the CAAA to practice acupuncture in Alberta. She also completed a 3-week internship at the Beijing Hospital of TCM to study the integration of TCM with Western medicine. Having grown up leading a very active lifestyle being involved in different sports, she has made it her passion to help people return to health after injury. Whether you’re suffering from post-concussion syndrome, other traumatic injuries or a repetitive strain injury to anything in between, she has the training to help your body recover from these injuries. What drew her to TCM acupuncture was the holistic approach to healing; she strongly believes in the power of the mind-body connection and strives to help you achieve mental, emotional, and physical health. 

She has a special interest in treating sports injuries, concussions, migraines and headaches, as well as mental health, gynecological and digestive problems.

Céline is adept with testing and effectively treating your symptoms to produce global effects in the body. She provides strategies for improving your health, consulting you on lifestyle, dietary, and exercise changes. Complimenting tools are integrated in to her treatments to treat specific issues thoroughly:

Myofascial / Fire cupping – same idea as suction cupping, only heat (fire) is used to create the vacuum seal rather than a suction pump. A small flame is inserted to a glass cup long enough to heat the air inside, and then quickly removed before the cup is placed on the skin. As the air cools, a vacuum is created, and the cups are either left stationary, or can be moved around. This technique has both Western and TCM applications.
When used in TCM, the cups are generally used along the acupuncture channels, or on specific points to elicit a certain response. It is beneficial in a multitude of conditions including: pain, digestive disorders. When used with Western ideologies, the cups are often placed around target musculo-skeletal areas. This is perfect for a variety of bone/joint injury or discomfort.

Auricular therapy – this is a type of reflexology using the external ear as a micro system to treat most disorders. This is extremely effective in helping with quitting smoking, and also enhancing and complimenting the treatment done on the rest of the body. Either needles are used, or ear seeds are used in the style of acupressure.

Gua sha – is also known as “skin scraping” or “coining”; either a gua sha tool or a soup spoon is used to “scrape” or massage the skin to remove adhesions and muscle tightness, or can be used along certain acupuncture channels to relieve pain, headaches, and increase mobilization of joints.

IMS/dry needling – are combined with TCM style acupuncture to help treat muscle imbalances. Trigger point and motor point release are used to increase mobility, strength, and flexibility. These techniques are used alongside TCM acupuncture to treat using a more systemic approach. Combining the two results in a prolonged effect due to the reduction of inflammation, the activation of the immune system and a more normalized endocrine system.

Meet the rest of our Reset Wellness Team here.

What Does Acupuncture Treat?

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) acupuncture has been found effective in treating the following conditions:

Musculoskeletal: muscle/joint pain and weakness, sprains, injuries, sciatica pain, arthritis, rheumatism

Circulatory: high blood pressure, angina pectoris, arteriosclerosis, anemia

Gastrointestinal: constipation, diarrhea, abdominal pain, ulcers, nausea, vomiting, colitis, spastic colon, food allergies, hemorrhoids, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)

Neurological: headaches, migraines, facial paralysis, post operative rehabilitation, multiple sclerosis, neuralgia, bell's palsy, cerebral palsy

Emotional: insomnia, depression, nervousness, anxiety

Dermatological: eczema, psoriasis, acne, herpes zoster, skin rashes

Immune Disorders: candida, chronic fatigue, HIV and AIDS, epstein barr virus, allergies, lupus, hepatitis, rheumatoid arthritis

Gynecological/Genitourinary: menopausal symptoms, PMS, infertility, menstrual irregularities, endometriosis, fibroids, morning sickness, complications in pregnancy, chronic bladder infection, kidney stones, sexual dysfunction, impotence

Respiratory: rhinitis, sinusitis, cold, bronchitis, asthma

Other conditions: addictions, stress management, weight loss, fatigue, chemotherapy/radiation side effects, diabetes.

Acupuncture is a gentle and sophisticated approach for unlocking stress built up in your body. It's application is excellent as preventative care and works in conjunction with other therapies to compliment a wide range of treatment plans.

Céline is available at Reset Wellness Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Book Online.

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.