Cupping Services Edmonton2023-09-14T03:25:31+00:00

Cupping Services Edmonton

Cupping Services Edmonton

Red Leaf Wellness offers functional medicine services, including cupping, in the Edmonton, Alberta region. We provide whole health and alternative medicine strategies by blending the best of ancient Eastern healing with modern Western medicine.

The practice of cupping traces back thousands of years ago to ancient Chinese, Egyptian, and Middle Eastern cultures.

In fact, the technique is described in one of the oldest medical textbooks known as the “Ebers Papyrus”, suggesting that ancient Egyptians were using cupping therapy as early as 1,550 B.C.!

Cupping

Cupping is a technique that is often used to treat musculoskeletal pain and is available in 30 and 60 minute increments or in conjunction with our acupuncture or massage services. The cupping sessions involve the use of silicone or glass cups that are placed on the skin’s surface. This creates a reverse pressure massage that reaches tissues at a much deeper level.

This in turn causes the fascia to realign and restructure the tissue while also promoting blood circulation, lymphatic drainage, and toxin release.

Your practitioner may apply a thin layer of oil to your skin and move the cups around the affected area or leave them in strategic places depending on your unique needs.

Despite certain cupping techniques that exist, there is no bleeding involved with our therapy – although you may experience redness and round bruise-like marks for 3 to 5 days. However, unlike bruises, they’re not caused by ruptured blood vessels due to impact or injury, so they’re not painful. Cupping marks are the result of stagnant blood, cellular debris, or pathogens from a past or present injury or illness that are brought to the surface. This allows the waste to be cleared out through the lymphatic system and new blood to flow through your injury, promoting further healing and range of motion. Cupping is not painful and feels like being massaged.

The Benefits of Cupping

Cupping stimulates the temperature of the tissues by increasing blood flow to the area – which is important in relaxing your muscles and decreasing tension.

This is done by creating a vacuum pressure that lifts up tissue and brings circulation to the surface, providing more nutrients and oxygen to the tissues.

This therapy technique also promotes the removal of waste in your tissues by increasing blood flow to nourish the muscles and skin and allowing toxins to be carried away through the lymphatic system.

Cupping also decreases cortisol and creates a sense of relaxation. Cortisol is a hormone that, when released, causes stress in your body. While it is necessary for our “fight or flight” response, heightened levels of cortisol can lead to anxiety, headaches, and weight gain.

While cupping increases temperature, it also calms the nervous system – this helps to calm the feeling of stress. This therapeutic effect is beneficial to those who have high blood pressure, anxiety, and fatigue.

Getting the Most Out of Cupping Therapy

Before you attend your appointment for cupping at Red Leaf Wellness, it’s important to prepare your body for maximum effects. This includes drinking plenty of water and eating about an hour before your appointment.

It’s also important that you do not shave the area to be cupped within four hours of your appointment to avoid irritation. Likewise, if you are recovering from a sunburn, it is best to postpone your visit.

After your cupping appointment, you should continue to drink water to help flush your lymphatic system. Try to keep the area where you received cupping warm and get some rest following the appointment.

For about 4-6 hours after cupping, you should avoid caffeine, alcohol, sugar foods/drinks, dairy, and processed meats – these foods slow down your body’s ability to process the treatment. Also avoid hot showers, saunas, hot tubs, and strong air conditioning to prevent irritation to your skin.

Specialists on our Team:

Tammy Lalonde, CEO and Registered Acupuncturist

Dr. Tammy Lalonde 🇬🇧

Position: CEO, Acupuncture, Herbalism
Categories: Acupuncture, Addictions, Administration, Allergies, Amputation (Phantom Limb), Anxiety, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Auto-Immune Health, Back Pain, Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH), Cardiovascular Health, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Chronic Fatigue, Chronic Inflammatory Disease, Chronic Pain, Cupping, Cycle Health and PMS, Depression, Diabetes, Digestive Health, Electrostimulation, Emotional Health, Fertility, Fibromyalgia, Functional Medicine, Gender Reassignment, Guillain-Barre, Headaches & Migraines, Herbal Medicine, HIV and AIDS, Hormone Health, Inclusive Health, Insomnia and Sleep Health, Lupus, Men's Health, Menopause, Moxibustion, Musculoskeletal, Myasthenia Gravis, Neurological Health, Oncology, Pain Management, Post-Covid Syndrome, Pregnancy, Prostatitis, Psoriasis, PTSD, Respiratory Health, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Sciatica, Seniors Health, Service, Sexual Dysfunction, Soft Tissue Injury, Specialization, Stress, Temporal Mandibular Joint (TMJ), Thyroid Disorders, Vasculitis, Whiplash, Women's Health

Caring for people is my passion and one of the greatest callings life has to offer.  I am a seasoned Paramedic and Acupuncturist with extensive experience assisting patients as they cope with obvious and invisible injuries. I have been there for those in desperate medical, psychological or traumatic situations, delivered beautiful babies in vehicles parked along the side of the road, and administered care in such odd locations as on a domestic airliner at 30,000 feet or when flying emergency medevacs over Arabian desertscapes. I know full well how to care for those in true crisis but have also witnessed so many more whose illnesses and injuries could be traced back to their treatment of the body as a whole, whether through their diet, fitness levels, or neglect. As my career has evolved, so has my focus, which has shifted to helping a greater number of people early on to prevent minor issues from evolving into larger and costlier illnesses.  In my practice I have found a niche offering by pairing these strengths in emergency care and women’s health with the respected skills and techniques from top practitioners in oriental medicine. All care is focused on returning the body, mind, and spirit to a whole.

My academic preparation closely incorporates oriental medicine with Western healthcare. My passions build on natural strengths in highly stressful complex interactions, care management, and treatment of anxiety, depression and PTSD – particularly amongst Armed Forces and Emergency Services personnel. Within North America and the Middle East I have enjoyed a long standing career as a respected clinician, clinical educator, fire and emergency medical dispatcher.  I hold active licensure/registration with the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM), the College of Acupuncturists of Alberta (CAA), the California Acupuncture Board, and the Alberta Herbalists Association (AHA).  I am a past Board Director with the Alberta Pain Society and a present member of the CAA Competence Committee.


Education:

  • Doctorate of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine (DACM), American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine
  • Master of Science (MS) – Traditional Chinese Medicine, American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine
  • Master of Science (MS) – Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, cum laude, South Baylo University
  • Bachelor of Science (BS) – Holistic Science, South Baylo University
  • Diploma – Emergency Medical Technician (Paramedic), Augustana University

Licensure

  • RAc – Registered Acupuncturist of the College of Acupuncturists of Alberta (CAA)
  • RH – Registered Herbalist of the Alberta Herbalists Association (AHA)
  • LAc – Licensed Acupuncturist of the California Acupuncture Board
  • Dipl.Ac – Diplomate of Acupuncture of the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM)
Tammy Lalonde, CEO and Registered Acupuncturist

Dr. Tammy Lalonde 🇬🇧

CEO, Acupuncture, Herbalism

Caring for people is my passion and one of the...

Dr. Michell Winton, Registered Acupuncturist

Dr. Michelle Winton 🇬🇧

Position: Acupuncture, Massage
Categories: Acupuncture, Back Pain, Cardiovascular Health, Chronic Pain, Cranial Sacral Therapy, Cupping, Cupping, Depression, Digestive Health, Electrostimulation, Gender Reassignment, Gua Sha, Headaches & Migraines, Inclusive Health, Insomnia and Sleep Health, Massage Therapy, Moxibustion, Musculoskeletal, Pain Management, Pregnancy, PTSD, Relaxation Massage, Respiratory Health, Sciatica, Seniors Health, Soft Tissue Injury, Sports Injury, Stress, Temporal Mandibular Joint (TMJ), Therapeutic Massage, Whiplash

Massage Therapy Pressure Scale 5-8Helping people comes naturally to Michelle! As a highly skilled Acupuncturist, Massage Therapist, and Advanced Care Paramedic she is widely recognized for developing unique care plans which draw on her knowledge and therapeutic touch gained across each of these specialized disciplines. Having over twenty years of combined expertise in caring for her patients, Michelle has had a front row seat to observe how stress and emotion affect the mind and body. Complementing her acupuncture services at Red Leaf Wellness, Michelle offers a variety of therapeutic and relaxation massage therapies, including pregnancy massage, myofascial release and myofascial cupping.

Michelle began her health career as a massage therapist, graduating the 2200hr Massage Program at Macewan University in 2001. Being active in competitive sport in her youth, Michelle understood the benefits of massage on sport performance, recovery and injury prevention. She subsequently branched into emergency care and became an Advanced Care Paramedic where she was able to offer a calming presence in stressful, emergent situations. Michelle has always believed that soft skills, an extra moment spent with family, or a hand to hold on the way to the hospital, can be as healing as the specific medical interventions themselves. Working as a Paramedic Michelle saw, and began to question, how it is that people differ in disease and the aging process and why the same drug benefited one person, but not the other. Her lifelong learning journey had her begin to look for these answers in the time-tested practice of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Acupuncture, thus kicking off another quest for knowledge at MacEwan University’s Acupuncture Program.

Education:

  • Diploma – Acupuncture, Macewan University
  • Diploma – Emergency Medical Technician (Paramedic), Augustana University
    • Honors standings
  • Certificate – Massage Therapy Grant MacEwan College

Licensure:

  • RAc, College of Acupuncturists of Alberta (CAA)
  • RMT, National Health Practitioners of Canada (NHPC)
  • ACP, Alberta College of Paramedics
Dr. Michell Winton, Registered Acupuncturist

Dr. Michelle Winton 🇬🇧

Acupuncture, Massage

Helping people comes naturally to Michelle! As a highly skilled...

Yoko Masuda, Acupuncturist

Dr. Yoko Masuda 🇬🇧 🇯🇵

Position: Acupuncture
Categories: Acupuncture, Addictions, Amputation (Phantom Limb), Anxiety, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Back Pain, Cardiovascular Health, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Chronic Fatigue, Chronic Pain, Cupping, Cycle Health and PMS, Depression, Electrostimulation, Emotional Health, Gender Reassignment, Headaches & Migraines, Inclusive Health, Insomnia and Sleep Health, Menopause, Moxibustion, Musculoskeletal, Pediatric Acupuncture, Post-Covid Syndrome, PTSD, Sciatica, Soft Tissue Injury, Sports Injury, Stress, Temporal Mandibular Joint (TMJ), Thermie (Tiger), Whiplash

Dr. Yoko Masuda is a master practitioner – skilled in the rare craft of Japanese style acupuncture – where she incorporates and tailors gentle needling, moxibustion (specific deep heat), therme (heat massage) and cupping into her acupuncture treatment plans. These skills, as well as her reputation for delivering tangible results, make her a sought-after provider, especially in the areas of pain management, sports injuries, orthopaedic injuries and emotional health. Yoko firmly believes that the mind and the body are intertwined in healing and she continually advocates for a healthy lifestyle alongside of the care she provides.

Yoko received her acupuncture degree in Japan and, after working at several clinics in Tokyo, she accepted a staff acupuncturist position with the world renowned Cirque du Soleil touring show. For nearly twenty years, she went on to travel the far reaches of the globe, working on several other productions, and earning the respect of an international group of artists, staff and athletes before eventually selecting Edmonton for her permanent clinical practice. As a former high school physical education teacher, and also as an alumnus of the Japanese national rhythmic gymnastics team (where she competed internationally on numerous occasions), she has amassed an impressive background in sports therapy and physical education, uniquely positioning her to address all manner of orthopedic and performance related concerns.

Outside of work, Yoko enjoys travelling, the outdoors, and spending time with her husband and two elementary-aged daughters.

Education:

  • Diploma of Acupuncture, Hanada College, Tokyo, Japan

Licensure:

  • RAc, College and Association of Acupuncturists of Alberta (CAA)

Fluency: 🇬🇧 – English |  🇯🇵 – Japanese

Yoko Masuda, Acupuncturist

Dr. Yoko Masuda 🇬🇧 🇯🇵

Acupuncture

Dr. Yoko Masuda is a master practitioner – skilled in...

DR.CIARA BUCHAN

Dr. Ciara Moynihan 🇬🇧

Position: Acupuncture, Reiki
Categories: Acupuncture, Anxiety, Back Pain, Chronic Fatigue, Chronic Pain, Cosmetic Acupuncture, Cupping, Cycle Health and PMS, Depression, Digestive Health, Emotional Health, Facial Rejuvenation, Gender Reassignment, Gua Sha, Headaches & Migraines, Hot Flashes, Inclusive Health, Insomnia and Sleep Health, Menopause, Pain Management, Pediatric Acupuncture, PTSD, Reiki, Respiratory Health, Sinuses, Soft Tissue Injury, Sports Injury, Stress, Temporal Mandibular Joint (TMJ), Whiplash

Dr. Ciara Moynihan, a distinguished graduate from the Acupuncture Program at Reeves College. With nearly two decades of experience as a Personal Fitness Trainer, she possesses a profound understanding of the human body and its intricate workings. Dr. Moynihan’s career in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Acupuncture is anchored by her unwavering commitment to holistic healing—addressing not just the physical, but also the emotional and mental dimensions of her patients’ well-being.

In today’s fast-paced society, Dr. Moynihan is a strong proponent of adopting a gentle, compassionate approach to self-care. She firmly believes that this foundation of self-compassion is essential for achieving optimal health and vitality. Specializing in acupuncture, she employs this ancient technique as a primary tool for delving into and resolving her patients’ deeper health challenges, empowering them to lead flourishing lives.

Certified in Reiki and Crystal Healing, and holding a Doctorate in Acupuncture, Dr. Moynihan synthesizes her diverse expertise to cultivate a nurturing and empathetic therapeutic environment. She is highly regarded for her skillful touch, compassionate demeanour, and her knack for demystifying complex medical jargon, thereby instilling confidence in her patients as they navigate their unique paths to healing.

Dr. Moynihan’s clinical acumen spans a broad spectrum of health issues, ranging from stress and emotional disorders to digestive problems and headaches. She has a particular zeal for addressing fertility issues and women’s health, and her proficiency in pediatric acupuncture, Reiki, Fire Cupping, and other TCM modalities has solidified her standing in the holistic health community.

Trained by some of the foremost experts in Oriental Medicine, Dr. Moynihan is also a recognized authority in Cosmetic and Facial Rejuvenation Acupuncture. Additionally, she holds a certification in Subconscious Imprinting, a technique she employs to identify and eradicate subconscious patterns that could adversely affect her patients’ overall health and life quality.

At the core of Dr. Moynihan’s practice is her holistic philosophy that every individual is entitled to a vibrant, fulfilling life. She is passionately devoted to turning this philosophy into a lived reality for all her patients.


Education:

  • Diploma of Acupuncture (Dipl.Ac) Reeves College

Licensure:

  • RAc, College and Association of Acupuncturists of Alberta (CAA)
DR.CIARA BUCHAN

Dr. Ciara Moynihan 🇬🇧

Acupuncture, Reiki

Dr. Ciara Moynihan, a distinguished graduate from the Acupuncture Program...

Headshot of a smiling woman with long wavy brown hair, wearing a rust-colored sweater and a heart-shaped pendant necklace.

Dr. Olivia Wiebe 🇬🇧

Position: Acupuncture, Herbalism
Categories: Acupuncture, Anxiety, Cosmetic Acupuncture, Cupping, Cycle Health and PMS, Electrostimulation, Emotional Health, Facial Cupping, Facial Rejuvenation, Gua Sha, Headaches & Migraines, Herbal Medicine, Hormonal Health, Hot Flashes, Insomnia and Sleep Health, Menopause, Moxibustion, Pain Management, Pregnancy, Stress, Women's Health

Olivia Wiebe is a dedicated practitioner of Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine, offering a compassionate and holistic approach to wellness. Graduating from MacEwan University in 2017 with a diploma in Acupuncture, Olivia’s journey into this ancient healing practice began during her high school years, where she first experienced its transformative effects. This initial exposure led her to a profound understanding of the body’s complex interplay with lifestyle and environment, shaping her therapeutic approach.

Equipped with deep knowledge in yin/yang theory, 5-element theory, meridian channels, and organ diagnosis, Olivia views health as a harmonious balance between physical, emotional, and environmental factors. Her commitment to expanding her expertise led her to pursue an additional 2.5 years of study in Chinese Herbology at Pacific Rim College in Victoria, BC. This rigorous training, coupled with her experience in Western Herbology, has enabled her to integrate a rich tapestry of herbal wisdom into her practice.

Olivia’s therapeutic focus includes alleviating aches and pains, addressing insomnia, stress, and anxiety, and enhancing women’s health, among other areas. She is passionate about assisting her patients in every step of their healing journey, regardless of their familiarity with Acupuncture or Chinese Medicine.

Beyond her professional pursuits, Olivia is an avid nature enthusiast, often found embracing the tranquility of the river valley or indulging in forest bathing with her beloved dog. She is also a skilled pianist, classically trained through the Royal Conservatory, and has shared her love for music by teaching piano lessons for over a decade.

At our clinic, Olivia Wiebe stands as a testament to the power of integrative care, combining her rich knowledge of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine with a deep-rooted passion for natural healing. Whether you are new to Acupuncture or seeking advanced care, Olivia welcomes all questions and looks forward to guiding you on your path to wellness.

Education

  • Diploma of Acupuncture, MacEwan University

Certifications/Licensure

  • Registered Acupuncturist – College of Acupuncturists of Alberta (CAA)
Headshot of a smiling woman with long wavy brown hair, wearing a rust-colored sweater and a heart-shaped pendant necklace.

Dr. Olivia Wiebe 🇬🇧

Acupuncture, Herbalism

Olivia Wiebe is a dedicated practitioner of Acupuncture and Traditional...

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