Have you ever wished that you could take control of your own health, ageing and happiness and just feel great for the whole of your life? In other words, do you wish you could make your healthspan last as long as your (extended) lifespan? Yes, I guess that’s what most of us want and it is natural to want these things. Well, there is a growing number of people around the world who are doing just that, and they are called biohackers. But before you get going, you might want to check out the good, the bad and the ugly of this new movement.
What Exactly is a Biohacker?
A biohacker is an ordinary person who chooses to learn about their own biology and how to change it for the better so that they can have a healthy body and mind now and into the future. Well, at least that’s my definition as there are no official rules at the moment as the biohacking community has only emerged in the past decade and it continues to grow and evolve all the time.
However, my favourite definition is from Dave Asprey, founder of Bulletproof and considered the godfather of biohacking. He says - "Biohacking is the process of using science, biology, and self-experimentation to take control of and upgrade your body, mind, and life."
Biohacking: The Good
There is a lot that is exciting and life-changing about biohacking, for both individual people and society as a whole.
It is very empowering to feel like you can take care of your own health (to a degree of course). If I was in a road accident I would want to go straight to A & E at the hospital and I know that they would do a great job of saving me and putting me back together. However, in my opinion, the medical profession is at a bit of a loss as to how to treat many of today’s (and tomorrow’s) chronic illnesses. Drugs often do not solve the problem and can even create new ones. It can even feel quite frightening if you know that there is really no cure or help for your condition as I found out when I had Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. I have also witnessed several of my friends and family passing due to cancer which is generally considered untreatable as a long-term solution. Note: it is possible to turn around even stage IV cancer with emerging remedies and I have seen it done.
So, as a biohacker, you know that you can stay well and not live in constant background fear of falling ill and being helpless. It also means that you don’t have to sit on endless waiting lists while your condition deteriorates, and drag yourself through life rather than living it.
It also means that you will probably live longer and be well and vital for all of your life, not spend the last quarter struggling through pain and limitation. This may become even more critical as governments keep raising the pension age. When you feel well you can not only achieve more of what you want to in life, you can actually enjoy it and the more joyful people that there are in the world a better place it will be.
Biohacking has also given me a greater appreciation of my mind and body and, strangely, nature itself. When you realise how much we depend on nature for our health and wellbeing you start to see the magic of it all and this is its own kind of joy.
Biohacking: The Bad
One of the disadvantages of biohacking is that it does cost money to buy the supplements, technology and treatments. It would be hard to biohack if you are on a small income although there are still many things that you can do that don’t cost a lot of money. I have just blended a digestive calming tea from herbs that cost me £4 for a large packet and you can buy a kilo of sprouting seeds for around £10 that will last you for weeks. But I realise that even these amounts can be significant for some people. There are a lot of bits of kit that I would like to buy for myself that are outside my budget too (like a red-light therapy unit or having stem cell treatment) which are, at the moment, for the relatively well-off. Dave Asprey said that he spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on biohacking to get himself well, but he is a successful entrepreneur and can afford to do this. However, these new treatments and tech will come down in price as we go into the future.
Another challenge of biohacking is that it is experimental and sometimes you can get it wrong. I have tried various supplements and treatments that have not worked and occasionally have adverse effects. But these effects don’t last long and give you valuable feedback and, at the end of the day, this is pioneering stuff, so you just have to accept the risks.
Biohacking: The Ugly
Sadly, as with all things human, there will always be a shadow side and biohacking is no exception. There is a subset of biohackers known as grinders who choose to biohack by becoming more cyborg. They choose to enhance themselves by implanting technology in their bodies, sometimes with a scalpel on the kitchen table. While there is a place for implants which can, say, monitor our health, this movement feels like it might be coming from an unbalanced place and there seems to be an addictive quality to it.
I also wonder at the hazards that can come from having electronic tech in you that can be hacked by unscrupulous people, especially if my implant holds personal or financial data. If I have an implant in my hand that acts as my front door key or opens my car (all happening now) then if somebody wants to burgle me or steal my car do they not just hold me down and cut out the implants? Also, as this tech becomes more common, will there become a black market for stolen ‘wetware’ as it is called? Maybe I am just being pessimistic here, but some might say realistic.
There is also a trend to doing genetic engineering at home with a kit that you can buy online called CRISPR. At the moment this is in its infancy but if you get it wrong who knows what the result will be in your genetic coding and what this will do to your body. Of course, genetic modification can be an amazing tool for altering the genes that prime us for serious illnesses and it has the potential to be a key health tool. However, there is also the possibility that people might start to use it in a freakish way. One well-known DIY genetic coder says - why get something as boring as a tattoo when you can alter your DNA and grow a tail! Could it also eventually split society into those that can afford to modify themselves and an under-class that can’t?
Natural Biohacker
Anyway, one thing is for sure, biohacking is here to stay, and I think it is generally a good thing if used consciously and wisely. There is no doubt that our world is going to become more digital in the near future, in fact, I think we are on the cusp of a digital explosion. There will be stunning new tech that comes out of this and I enjoy a good gadget as much as the next person, but I do think we need to be discerning about what we embrace and what we avoid. We need to find the sweet spot.
Personally, I choose to be a more natural biohacker which is somebody who uses mainly natural compounds and techniques to enhance their health and lifespan. However, I will use technology that makes me more human, not less. I find that there is so much untapped magic in the natural world that can enhance human beings and I choose to explore that before reaching for the scalpel.