The Certified Prick by Gwenn Canlas

21/06/2026

FACT CHECK:
🚨 ​The information in this video is FALSE and DANGEROUS.

​Submerging a hand in cold or icy water does not lower blood pressure. In fact, the exact opposite happens: it spikes and increases blood pressure and heart rate.

​In the medical field, this is known as the Cold Pressor Test. It is used by doctors and researchers to test how quickly a person's heart and blood vessels react to stress. When the body senses extreme cold, it signals the nervous system to constrict the blood vessels (vasoconstriction), which causes a sudden spike in blood pressure.

​What to do during a high blood pressure emergency (Hypertensive Crisis)
​If someone at home is experiencing a severe spike in blood pressure (for example, 180/120 mmHg or higher) accompanied by symptoms such as:
🚨 ​Severe headache
🚨 Dizziness or blurred vision
🚨 ​Chest pain or difficulty breathing
🚨 ​Weakness in the face, arm, or leg (signs of a stroke)

​These are the proper steps to take:

✅ ​Do not waste time on unverified internet hacks like soaking hands in ice, pricking fingers to bleed, or administering random herbal remedies during an emergency.
✅ ​Have the patient sit down and rest in a comfortable position to help keep them calm.
✅ ​Administer their emergency maintenance medication if they have a specific drug prescribed by their doctor for these situations.
✅ ​Call an ambulance immediately or bring them to the nearest hospital (Emergency Room) so they can be given the correct medication to lower their blood pressure safely and under control.

Another friendly reminder from The Certified Prick.

16/01/2026

😵‍💫 Your Body Clock is Drunk!? 🕒
Ever wonder why your brain decides 2 AM is party time even though you should be asleep? In my latest column, I break down circadian rhythms, insomnia, and why your internal clock might literally be off its rocker. 🧠🍷
👉 Read it here:

https://thephinsider.net/your-body-clock-is-drunk-circadian-rhythm-insomnia-and-why-youre-awake-at-2-a-m/

👇 Do me (and your sleep) a favor:
💬 Comment if you’re part of the “wide awake for no reason” club
🔁 Share the column with your fellow midnight zombies
❤️ React if you’ve ever stared at the ceiling questioning existence

Let’s finally figure out why we’re all up at the worst hours — and maybe get some sleep! 😴💀

LET’S CLEAR SOMETHING up.If you’re exhausted all day but wide awake at night, you’re not cursed, possessed, or secretly nocturnal.Your

11/01/2026

PLEASE READ, SHARE AND COMMENT

New year. Same heaviness.
If January feels less like a fresh start and more like emotional jet lag, congratulations—you’re not failing at life. Your nervous system is just done.

In my bi-monthly column, I dismantle the January Blues: post-holiday burnout, low mood, and why forcing optimism is basically emotional violence. We’ll talk real regulation, real resets—and yes, why sometimes the body needs needles, not affirmations.

READ IT HERE
👇👇👇

JANUARY IS MARKETED as a reset. Clean slate. New planner. New you.In reality, many of us wake up feeling flat, tired, irritable, and quietly

11/01/2026

If you keep waking up between 2 and 3 a.m., your body might be trying to tell you something—and no, it’s not just being dramatic.
Occasional wake-ups happen. That’s normal. But when this becomes a pattern, it’s often tied to something deeper going on under the hood.

Here are some of the more common reasons.

✅ Hormones Out of Whack
Cortisol—your main stress hormone—naturally rises in the early morning hours. When cortisol is chronically elevated, that rise can come too early and too strong, jolting you awake before your alarm ever gets the chance. Over time, unchecked cortisol issues are linked to problems like insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, and conditions such as Cushing’s syndrome.
✅ Sleep Disorders
Not all sleep problems look the same. Insomnia, sleep apnea, restless legs syndrome, and circadian rhythm disorders can all cause you to pop awake in the middle of the night, even if you fall asleep just fine. If you’re waking up tired, foggy, or sore despite “enough” hours in bed, this matters.
✅ Stress and Anxiety
This one’s a classic. High stress keeps your nervous system on edge, so when your brain hits lighter stages of sleep around 2–3 a.m., it snaps fully awake. Sometimes it’s internal—racing thoughts, worry loops. Sometimes it’s external—noise, light, or a partner who snores like it’s their job.
✅ Magnesium Deficiency
Magnesium plays a quiet but important role in nerve function and hormone regulation. When levels are low, the nervous system struggles to fully relax. The result? Lighter, more fragile sleep that’s easier to interrupt.
✅ Spinal or Nerve Issues
Degenerative changes in the spine—especially the lower back—can cause subtle nerve irritation. That tingling, numbness, or discomfort in the legs can be just enough to pull you out of sleep, even if you don’t immediately register pain.
✅ Other Health Conditions
Nighttime awakenings can also show up with diabetes, frequent nighttime urination (nocturia), menopause-related hormone shifts, and obstructive sleep apnea. These aren’t “just sleep problems”—they’re health issues that happen to show up at night.
✅ Aging
As we get older, sleep becomes more delicate. Deep sleep shortens, circadian rhythms lose some rigidity, and waking up at odd hours becomes more common. It’s not inevitable—but it is easier for sleep to fragment.
✅ Lifestyle Factors
Alcohol, caffeine, late meals, bright lights, and certain medications all interfere with sleep architecture. Even if they don’t stop you from falling asleep, they can absolutely wake you up later.

Where Acupuncture Fits In

When stress, hormone imbalance, or nervous system overdrive are part of the picture, acupuncture can be a helpful adjunct. By calming the autonomic nervous system and supporting better cortisol regulation, it may reduce those early-morning wake-ups and help the body stay in deeper sleep longer. It’s not a standalone fix—but for some people, it’s the missing piece.

If waking up between 2 and 3 a.m. keeps happening, don’t brush it off. Persistent sleep disruption is a signal, not a personality flaw. A healthcare professional can help identify what’s driving it and build a plan that actually addresses the cause—not just the symptom.

Because good sleep isn’t optional. It’s foundational.