Your most common queries on biohacking for health optimization are answered here:
What is biohacking for health optimization?
Biohacking can mean different things for different people or communities, but at its core, it is all about applying the so-called hacker ethic to better our biology. In other words, it is about improving our physiology and psychology by experimenting on ourselves with various hacks or potential improvements that combine two elements of the hacking culture – freedom of experimentation and an aim for the common good. Biohacking is increasingly getting popular for the simple reason that more and more educated people are getting disillusioned with the traditional treatment-based protocols of medical science, and are in search of wellness hacks that can help prevent diseases.
Are there different types of biohacking?
Broadly speaking there are three different kinds of biohacks. First comes the research-validated lifestyle modifications, second is the quantified self tools like the wearables and cybernetic devices, and third comes the extreme measures like implantable devices and biochemicals. Basically, the people going in for these different categories of biohacks, are also different in their perspectives and objectives. People who value authentic medical research and would prefer endorsement by the medical community are the ones going in for research-based lifestyle changes or hacks. Quantified self tools like wearables and cybernetic devices are preferred more by the younger and tech savvy crowd. Much innovation is seen today in this group. Having said these, it should also be mentioned that these two groups are also found together these days. But the third group is made up of the extreme experimenters or adventurers who don’t mind risking their health for some lofty health objective. More often than not, these experiments with chips, implants and biochemicals are not research validated and therefore potentially unsafe.
How does biohacking work in optimizing health?
Most people mistakenly think that for a biohack to alter their biology and optimize their health, it has to be extreme like an implantable device or a risky biochemical. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Multiple studies have proven that the very act of just getting up from your couch and starting to walk or jog on the spot can trigger dramatic and beneficial changes in over 3000 molecules in our blood and tissues. Or the simple hack of starting to sleep between 10 to 11 every night, can start rectifying your altered circadian rhythm inside your cells as well as bring down chronically elevated inflammation levels. Such inflammation control is also seen when you shun inflammatory foods totally and adopt anti-inflammatory foods. But for getting the maximum positive changes at the cellular level in your body, you need to adopt lifestyle modifications that are personalized for your unique genetic and metabolic makeup. Such personalization improves the precision and effectiveness of biohacks multifold.
How safe is biohacking?
There are safe biohacks and dangerous biohacks. If you stick with research-validated lifestyle modifications, especially those personalized for your unique geno-metabolic makeup, you should do fine. Same goes with most of the wearables, provided their readings are accurate and cross-verified with professional equipment. But implants of all kinds can be dangerous, especially when done without proper medical supervision.
Which biohacks should I choose for myself?
Always go for research-validated biohacks like lifestyle modifications endorsed by high quality studies by medical researchers at renowned universities and hospital systems. Secondly, go for maximum personalization in biohacks, which can be seen only in biohacks based on your own genetic and metabolic traits. An example is Vieroots EPLIMO, and such solutions are nowadays available at very reasonable costs. Only such biohacking systems can provide you with truly personalized diets, personalized fitness regimens, personalized yoga programs etc. And almost always, shun any kind of implantable device unless suggested by your doctor or surgeon.
Is biohacking practiced in India?
Biohacks that are research based are already thriving in India, as can be seen in the numerous weight management and diabetes reversal programs that are buzzing today. But their success rates can be much lower than claimed because almost none of them are truly personalized for your genetic and metabolic uniqueness. When more and more people realize this shortcoming of generic programs, truly personalized lifestyle modification programs will stand to gain in growth. This is the real scope and potential for biohacking, be it in India or in the developed nations. Wearable gadgets also have a bright future as India is one country that has fallen in serious love with personal gadgets. But the third category of chips, implants and biochemicals is not likely to catch up seriously in India, as we are averse to such unproven and risky options. This third point may be the only divergence in India from the global biohacking culture.
What are the current trends in biohacking?
A lot of wearable gadgets or quantified self tools are hitting the market these days. Among these, there are some extremely useful ones like the step meters in fitness bands and smartwatches, and pendrive sized portable EKG machines that can detect all the common cardiac arrhythmias in the comfort of your home or office. But as a category, the greatest growth will be witnessed in personalized biohacks, as only that delivers significant results. Someone can invest in all the quantified self tools, but ultimately he or she has to undertake the personalized lifestyle modifications.
Are there any biohacking movements that I can join in?
Staying motivated to lose excess weight, or to be more fit, or to prevent killer diseases by undertaking serious lifestyle modifications can be quite tough for most people. Fortunately, the wellness industry has recognized this problem, and has come up with lifestyle modification solutions that can pay you back in crypto tokens daily for undertaking these lifestyle changes. An example is the move-to-earn program, Limoverse HealthFi, where users are rewarded by crypto tokens whenever they walk, jog or run. Or they can be programs like Limoverse ModiFi that reward you with crypto tokens for achieving milestones in wellness like losing a specific number of kilos, or for improving your blood sugar and blood pressure readings.