Introduction to Biohacking
Have you ever heard of red-light therapy? Cold plunges? What about grounding, or peptides? These are all examples of a term that’s taken the world by storm called "biohacking." According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary, biohacking is the experimentation done on oneself through a variety of drugs, treatments or practices to improve the qualities or capabilities of life. Basically, it’s using means outside of traditional medical or scientific research to try and not only make your life better, but potentially live longer.
Personal Experience with Biohacking
Back in 2020, Sandy Martin was sick, she says not "being able to have the energy to stay awake past 7/8 o’clock a night was devastating to me, and it was going to impact my future, my career, everything. So, I started to invest money into solving the puzzle.” She spent $97,000 in a year to try to figure out the problem. "I bought an oxygen chamber, I went off the deep end because I was scared. I bought a red-light therapy, sauna, I had a helmet called the v light that was putting infrared and red light into my brain. And it wasn’t the right approach, because I didn’t know the root cause of what was making me sick," she said. The cause was a mold infection. Martin says that eventually she healed by using biohacking. The transformation was so significant she now runs South Florida’s Biohacker Expo that has more than 1,600 attendees who are eager to learn more about the field.
Optimizing Life
“I stepped into biohacking almost 20 years ago when biohacking first got started,” said Jean Fallacara. Fallacara is the CEO of Biohackers Magazine and his company Lifespanning. He is one of the pioneers of the biohacking movement alongside celebrities like Dave Asprey and Ben Greenfield. He identifies as a scientist and a guinea pig to the biohacking movement. “I started to use tracers, trackers, I got them all from Garmin and Fit Bit and back then AI didn’t exist so I was making all the calculations and models on excel sheets, and I was trying to see how I could improve my life and my performances. My HRV, my heart rate, my rest and everything. And from there I never quit.” His day consists of cold plunges and saunas. Every day, he works for 90 minutes and then walks, and repeats that pattern. He also uses a range of different devices. Fallacara is 57, but says because he’s spent years experimenting, his biological age is 33. “I am not a fan of living forever, I am more a fan of optimizing life,” he explained.
Concerns about Biohacking
And while many will praise its results, there are pushbacks to the movement, one of which is the lack of proven research that would indicate that these practices do in fact work. It’s what causes doctors like Dr. Nir Barzilai to be skeptical. “The things that are bothering us is that people are doing things without clinical studies. And that’s very important, and very important to educate the people that when they hear something exciting and that they will live forever, the evidence isn’t what they say. It’s [that] they took people and half of them got this treatment and half of them got placebo,” Barzilai said. He says emphatically: “Biohacking is good, but what are your tools? It’s complicated.” Barzilai is the President of the Academy of Health and Lifespan Research, and the Director of the Institute for Aging Research. His fear is that people are just blindly listening to people who call themselves "biohackers."
The Limits of Biohacking
While he passionately considers himself to be part of the movement, Dr. Mark Zhuk knows the fields limits. “Having a background in Western medicine helps because I know when the limits of holistic or biohacking approaches are reached when it comes to treating a problem, and I know when it’s time for Western medicine to intervene. And unfortunately, not everyone in the biohacking world has my experience in the Western medicine to understand, hold on a second, what we are doing isn’t working. It’s time to go and consume Western medicine,” he explained. But biohackers like Martin and Fallacara say all their techniques come down to the use of natural elements like sunlight, water, minerals and nutrients. Martin believes that Western medicine does more harm than good. “They are safer giving a pill because it is a tried-and-true standard of care that the insurance and hospitals can get behind. Telling a person that doesn’t have a history of moving their body and eating clean that they should do those things, is not a reliable recommendation.”
Conclusion
In conclusion, biohacking is a controversial topic that has lots of people talking. While some people swear by its results, others raise concerns about the lack of proven research and the potential risks involved. It is essential to approach biohacking with caution and to consult with a healthcare professional before trying any new practices. With the growing interest in biohacking, it is crucial to separate the facts from the fiction and to be aware of the potential benefits and risks involved.
FAQs
Q: What is biohacking?
A: Biohacking is the experimentation done on oneself through a variety of drugs, treatments or practices to improve the qualities or capabilities of life.
Q: Is biohacking safe?
A: Biohacking can be safe if done under the guidance of a healthcare professional and with caution. However, there are potential risks involved, and it is essential to be aware of them.
Q: What are some examples of biohacking practices?
A: Some examples of biohacking practices include red-light therapy, cold plunges, grounding, and peptides.
Q: Can biohacking help with chronic illnesses?
A: Some people claim that biohacking has helped them with chronic illnesses, but there is limited scientific evidence to support these claims.
Q: Is biohacking covered by insurance?
A: Most biohacking practices are not covered by insurance, which makes it out of reach for many people.
