Does Pressure Point Therapy, Reflexology Really Work? (Guide)

Does Pressure Point Therapy, Reflexology Really Work? (Guide) | Third Monk image 3

Reflexology is an alternate form of therapy that involves the application of pressure to areas of the feet, hands, and ears. Reflexologists believe that these areas correspond to different parts of the body, such as organs.

The body is divided into 10 longitudinal zones—five on each side of the body.

Each organ or part of the body is represented on the hands and feet. The practitioner can diagnose abnormalities by feeling the hands or feet.

Massaging or pressing each area can stimulate the flow of energy, blood, nutrients, and nerve impulses to the corresponding body zone and thereby relieve ailments in that zone. – Reflexology: A Close Look

Although there is no evidence that pressure point therapy actually treats any medical condition, others swear by claims to its efficacy.

“The best evidence available to date does not demonstrate convincingly that reflexology is an effective treatment for any medical condition.” – NCBI

There are some studies from the National Cancer Institute and the National Institutes of Health that found reflexology may reduce pain and psychological symptoms, such as anxiety and depression, while enhancing relaxation and sleep.

With such a wide range in beliefs about the viability of reflexology, one is left to make up their own mind about it’s benefits. If it works for you, great! If you haven’t tried it yet, consider using these helpful photos to aid your attempts.

Hand Reflexology Chart

hand chart

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Feet Reflexology Chart

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Ear Reflexology Chart

EarReflexology

How to Overcome Bike Commuting Concerns (Infographic)

How to Overcome Bike Commuting Concerns (Infographic) | Third Monk image 3

bike-commuting-safety

Biking can be extremely beneficial for our well-being when being done safely. Bike commuting concerns don’t have to be a potential stumbling block when it comes to your ability to enjoy a ride through the city.

So instead of taking a big picture approach to biking, let’s take it one step at a time. Through information and knowledge we can alleviate some of the stress that accompanies a new activity. This infographic about Overcoming Bike Commuting Concerns is a shining example.

Overcoming Bike Commuting Concerns Info-graphic

Don’t forget to also make sure your bicycle is in proper form and will offer you a safe ride. This infographic comes from the collaborative community GOOD and offers some solid advice for checking your bike before heading out. Enjoy and have a safe ride!

Pre-Ride Bicycle Checklist

Universal Life Hacks – Domestic, Productivity, Health, Free Stuff (Infographic)

Universal Life Hacks - Domestic, Productivity, Health, Free Stuff (Infographic)  | Third Monk image 2

Life Hacks are ingenious ways to do everyday things that make life easier, more convenient, more fun, or otherwise better. They require little effort, and can cumulatively make a big difference.

Universal LifeHacks – Domestic, Productivity, Health, Free Stuff  Text Transcript

Domestic Hacks

1.) Reverse your hangers!
Put your clothes in your closet with the hangers reversed once a year. As you pull your clothes out, reverse the hanger. Every year, gie away any clothes that you never took out (hangers facing the original direction).

2.) Get out of the house in time!
Make your playlist exactly as long as you have to get ready in the morning. Go from chill songs to more energetic ones. You will be able to tell how you’re doing on time by the song that’s currently playing.

3.) Unlock a chain lock from outside!
Find a rubber band. Attach the rubber band to the chain lock, then to the inside door handle. As you close the door from the outside, the rubber band will pull the chain and the lock will dislodge. Works like a charm.

4.) Open a banana the RIGHT way!
Instead of tearing open the banana at the stem (which can be a real struggle). just flip the banana over and open it by pinching the stem. There’s a reason monkeys do it this way!

5.) Remember to Bring the Important things!
When you need to remember to bring something with you, put your car keys on it the night before, or put the item you need to remember on your shoes.

6.) Use aluminum foil correctly!
On the ends of every box of aluminum foil there are tabs to push in that keep the foil from popping out, same for cling wrap.

7.) Ice cold drinks in 3 minutes flat!
If you want to cool a warm beer or soda to ice cold in 3 minutes put the can or cans in a pot and cover with ice. Next, add 2 cups of salt and fill with water. It will be cold in 3 minutes.

 

School, Education Hacks

1.) Sources for your Thesis!
If you are charged with writing a lengthy research paper, find one very solid source that directly pertains to your thesis, and then you can use that source’s bibliography to back into locating new sources. Alternatively, use the bibliography of a Wikipedia entry.

2.) Buy some Time!
Need more time writing that paper? Grab a jpg, mp3, or some other media file and rename it “My Awesome Essay.doc” and send to professor. The “paper” will “corrupt” and it’ll buy you a day or two more.

3.) Get your Thumbdrive box!
Put an “identification.txt” file in your flash drives. Include all relevant contact info so you can get it back if you lose it.

 

Work, Productivity Hacks

1.) Get paid to poop!
You’ll be using less of your own time and more of your company’s time. If you poop for an average of 10 minutes per day, your company will have paid you for more than 40 hours of pooping by the end of the year. That’s half as long as most paid vacations!

2.) Keep motivated!
If there’s something big you need to get done, tell all your friends you’re going to do it. The fear of looking like an ass helps keep you motivated.

3.) Work as a beer taster!
When you’re about to be born press up, up, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, and select. If you did it correctly, you’ll later get a job as a beer taster. (Ok, this one is a lie)

 

Free Stuff Hacks

1.) Free phone chargers!
Next time you lose your phone charger, don’t buy another one! Go to a hotel and say you think you lost it there. It’s the #1 most left behind item at hotels, so most places have a big bin filled with every phone charger imaginable.

2.) Free hotel porn!
Next time you stay in a hotel that uses a Nokia TV system, enter the following code using the remote control: 2-2-1-Down Arrow then push and hold the OK button.

3.) Free air!
At Shell gas stations, press the button on the side of the pump three times. The pump will start without you having to insert any coins!

4) Free hotel reservation cancellations!
If you’ve got hotel reservations and need to cancel, but you’re already within however many days prior to the cancellation policy stated, just reschedule for a future date (for which there is no charge or penalty), call back, get a different representative, and cancel free of charge!

5.) Free Wi-Fi at Airports!
For those that have “for pay Wi-Fi” by adding ?.jpg at the end of any URL. Often, Wi-Fi at airports do not redirect images, allowing this hack to work.

 

Health, Body Hacks

1.) Don’t lose your hair!
If you are losing your hair, get Propecia for $2.50 a month instead of $189.00. Go to your doctor. Get him/her to prescribe you something called Proscar which is 5 mg of Finasteride (for prostate health) while Propecia is only 1. The good part about this is insurance covers proscar (because there is a medial purpose for it) so instead of paying 189 bucks a month you pay roughly $10 a prescription. Then cut it up into quarters. So it’s a 4 month supply for $15 bucks.

2.) Change your Circadian Rhythm!
Your circadian rhythm can be manipulated by your eating schedule. Stop eating during the 12-16 hour period before you want to be awake. Once you start eating again, your internal clock will be reset as though it is the start of a new day. Your body will consider the time you break your fast as your new “morning.”

3) Prevent “Splashing”!
You know you hate it too. When you have to go number two in a public restroom and you get “splashed”. Before pooping in a public toilet, put a couple sheets of toilet paper in the landing zone. This usually prevents splashing.”

4.) Save a life with coconut water!
Coconut water is sterile, works extremely well as a sports/hydration drink, is nearly isotonic to human blood, and in an emergency can be used as an IV fluid.

5.) Speed up 911!
When calling 911, the very first thing you should state is your location. Cell phone triangulations is imperfect and sometimes landline info is out of date. The moment an operator has an address or intersection, the police can be dispatched.

6.) Cure brain freeze!
Pressing your tongue against the roof of your mouth cures brain freeze fast! It also makes the urge to sneeze go away.

7.) Sneeze fast!
If you’re about to sneeze, but it isn’t happening as fast as you would like, look into a bright light and you will sneeze.

8.) Combat acne!
Persistent acne can be almost universally cured or substantially reduced by sleeping with a freshly washed towel over ones pillow at night. This works better than any acne medication. No lie.

9.) See in the Dark!
When you wake up in the middle of the night to do something, cover one eye with your hand and leave it there until you return to darkness. The eye that was covered will have retained its ability to see well in the dark so you will not run into the dresser on your way back to bed. This advantage is the reason pirates wore eyepatches so they could see in the darkness below deck after being in bright sunlight.

10.) Avoid sinus congestion!
If you have sinus congestion and steam just isn’t doing the trick, there’s another body hack you can try to relieve the pressure. Thrust your tongue against the roof of your mouth, then press between your eyebrows. Repeating these two things rocks your vomer bone back and forth and loosens up the congestion, allowing your sinuses to drain.

 

Miscellaneous Hacks

1.) Extend a remotes range!
If you are opening a gate with a remote and you are a bit out of range, put it under your chin pointing upward. Your skull is a close enough approximation to a parabolic reflector to direct some extra energy forward giving you extra distance.

2.) Use your hand as a ruler!
Measure your hand from your fingertips to palm and memorize it. Now you can judge the size of anything without a ruler. Try to pick a finger that is pretty close to a standard length (1 inch). You will never need a ruler to estimate again.

3.) Reboot the credit card machine!
To piss off an annoying customer behind you in the checkout, hold down all 4 corner buttons on the credit card machine to reboot it. It will take a while to restart.

4.) Go straight to your Floor!
To go directly to your floor on an elevator, even if other floor numbers have been pressed, simply press the desired floor number and door close button at the same time and you will go directly to that floor!

5.) Spend less time in the cold!
If your lock is frozen, use instant hand sanitizer on it. With its heavy alcohol content, it can break down ice. Squirt some in a resistant lock and get out of the cold!

6.) Test a remote!
If you point a TV/DVD remote at a cellphone camera and press any button you can see the infared light. This trick will also let you see if IR security cameras are on in the dark!

7.) Extra batteries!
9 Volt batteries contain six AAAA sized cells that can be used in electronics that take AAA batteries. Small sized 12 volt batteries contain eight 1.5 volt batteries which retail for $3 – $5 dollars each.

Lucid Dreaming Quick Cheat Sheet (Guide)

Lucid Dreaming Quick Cheat Sheet (Guide) | Third Monk

By lucid dreaming you can open your experience up to infinity. Life doesn’t stop when your eyes close.

First – Make an effort to remember your dreams

Tell yourself before you go to sleep that you WILL remember your dreams.

Start a journal, blog, or podcast, record the entirety of your dream in some concrete way.

Second – Reality Check

Reality checking is making a habit of checking whether or not you’re dreaming, while you’re awake. This habit will carry over into you’re dreaming.

Look over the dreams you have recorded and note patterns. These patterns will help you identify when you are dreaming.

Looking at digital clocks, into mirrors and flipping light switches are all great ways to check on reality.

Third- Now You’re Lucid Dreaming

Explore your imagination. Fly, breathe underwater, space travel, time travel get crazy with it and enjoy.

When dreaming rub your hands together and spin to prolong a lucid dream state.

Instead of thinking about what you want to do when you become lucid, think about it while you’re awake.

Fourth – Lucid Dreaming Supplements

Practice meditation. You get used to being in an altered state of mind and become more comfortable with lucid dreaming.

5-HTP is a natural dietary supplement that aids in serotonin production. 5-HTP has been proven to make lucid dreams more common and more vivid.

> Lucid Dreaming | High Existence

Polyphasic Sleep Cycles Increase Waking Hours

Polyphasic Sleep Cycles Increase Waking Hours | Third Monk image 3

Most people only think that there is one way to sleep: Go to sleep at night for 6-8 hours, wake up in the morning, stay awake for 16-18 hours and then repeat. This common routine is called the monophasic sleep cycle, which is only 1 of 5 major sleep cycles. The other 4 are considered polyphasic sleep cycles due to the multiple number of naps they require each day.

How is this possible? How is this healthy? Well, the most important stage of every sleep cycle is the Stage 4 REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep, which has been shown to provide the benefits of sleep to the brain above all other stages of sleep. When changing over to a polyphasic cycle, the lack of sleep tricks the body into entering REM sleep immediately instead of 45 to 75 minutes into sleep like in the monophasic cycle. This way, you still get the benefits of 8 hours of sleep without wasting all of the time it takes to get to REM cycles, resulting in a much more efficient sleep cycle.

 

Polyphasic Cycles

Uberman Cycle:

20 to 30 minute naps every 4 hours, resulting in 6 naps each day. The uberman cycle is highly efficient, and usually results in feeling healthy,  feeling refreshed upon waking and extremely vivid dreams. Many uberman-users report increased ability to lucid dream as well. However, the rigid schedule makes it near impossible to miss naps without feeling horribly tired. Blogger Steve Pavlina tried the cycle for 5.5 months and had amazingly positive results. Read his articles and updates on the cycle here.

 

 

 

Everyman Cycle:

One longer “core” nap that is supplemented with several 20-30 minute naps. The most successful variations are either one 3 hour nap and three 20-minute naps or one 1.5 hour nap with 4-5 20 minute naps, all of which have equal amounts of time in between each nap. This cycle is much easier to adjust to than the Uberman and allows for more flexibility in nap times and in skipping naps when necessary. It is also still extremely efficient compared to monophasic with only 3-4 hours of sleep per day.

 

 

 

Dymaxion Cycle:

Bucky Fuller invented the cycle based on his belief that we have two energy tanks, the first is easy to replenish but the second tank (second wind) is much harder. So Bucky began sleeping for 30 minutes every 6 hours. That’s 2 hours a day of sleep! He reported feeling, “the most vigorous and alert condition I have ever enjoyed.” Doctors examined him after several years of using the cycle and pronounced him perfectly healthy. The most extreme of the 4 alternate cycles, but also the most efficient.

 

 

 

Biphasic “Siesta” Cycle:

The biphasic cycle is basically that of every college student in America. The biphasic cycle consists of sleeping for 4-4.5 hours at night, and then taking a 90 minute nap around noon. So not all that different, still more efficient than monophasic, but not by much.

 

 

 

 

Choosing a Polyphasic Sleep Cycle

The cycle that can work for you completely depends on your lifestyle. If you decide to switch to either the Dymaxion or Uberman cycles, note that you will be a zombie from day 3 to around day 10 until your body fully adjusts to the cycle. Here are some tips gathered from reading other people’s progress

Eat healthy, avoid fatty foods and the adjustment will be much easier

-Make sure you have a project to work on during all of your new awake hours as it makes the time go by faster

– Also make sure you have two or three weeks of freedom to adjust to the cycle so that you don’t go to work or school completely dead from sleep deprivation

– Hang in there. Each of the cycles will get exponentially easier all of the sudden after the first 2 weeks or so. Just be patient and diligent! Don’t skip naps or change your nap times around or you will basically have to start your adjustment period over.

– Use natural cues for being waking up from naps like sunlight and loud music, while using darkness and silence for sleep (obviously)

If you are seriously considering making the switch over the a polyphasic sleep cycle, a really enjoyable and informative read is Steve Pavlina’s extremely in-depth report of his experience with the Uberman cycle, available here.