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Can You Really Hack Your Health?

"Biohacking" is a buzzword that's been circling around the beauty and wellness spaces, but it's not as sci-fi as it sounds.

Health
Can You Really Hack Your Health?
Photo: Junichi Ito

Biohacking is a buzzword that's been circling around the beauty and wellness spaces. The DIY biology movement is centered around enhancing your health and wellbeing. While its approaches range from mild to extreme, the concept has been around for centuries. The truth is, you’ve probably been biohacking without even knowing it. Since this topic has many interpretations, we asked experts to help clarify the basics.

Lauren Berlingeri and Katie Kaps, co-founders of lifestyle brand HigherDose, are passionate about inviting women into the biohacking space. They recently launched the BioHack-HERS YouTube series, where they explore the history and advancements of the industry. “Our initial motivation with this docuseries was to start real conversations around what works–and, perhaps more importantly, what doesn’t–for women,” explains Berlingeri and Kaps. “We wanted to take an inside look at the wildest health hacks and wellness treatments out there.”

Just as the rise in popularity has made way for more brands to enter the scene, there has also been an increase in health spas which serve as an accessible hub for the latest cutting-edge treatments. Megan Retterath, the chief medical officer at Next Health—a nationwide health optimization and longevity center—helps educate patients and create personalized biohacking routines. “You can get really good results by going back to the basics,” she says. “It doesn't have to be sitting in a hyperbaric chamber for eight hours a night to get results.”

Below, experts unpack the fundamentals of biohacking, the essentials to getting started, and the popular methods they approve.

What Is Biohacking Your Body?

The core concept around biohacking is using various practices through science, research, and technology to tap into your own biology and optimize your health. What that looks like differs from person to person. One of the best things about this approach is that it is completely customizable to your own bio-individuality.

According to Berlingeri and Kaps, the best practices come from a holistic perspective. “When we are explaining this to someone new, we ask them to imagine how they feel after a restorative, rejuvenating day in nature. Swimming in the ocean, walking barefoot, getting a healthy dose of sunshine. These activities leave you looking and feeling blissed, buzzed, and beautiful—all foundational biohacks,” they explain. “Biohacking is far bigger than the high-tech contraptions that create buzz in the news. There are naturally-available health solutions that advocate for an intuitive approach to caring for your body and mind.”

From a medical standpoint, hacking your health is a targeted technique to improve certain concerns. For example, maybe you are wanting more energy, trying to lose weight, or looking to improve your cognitive function. “We no longer need to live in a mediocre state,” says Retterath. “A lot of times people start to biohack their health because they just need to improve some key areas, not because they are sick.”

How Do You Start Biohacking?

“To start, every patient needs bloodwork [done] so that we can find their biomarkers to hack,” says Retterath. “It's really through those results that we get a clear pattern of what needs to be addressed.”

At spas such as Next Health, the list of services is robust. You can find everything from IV drips, ozone therapy, and vitamin shots. If you're not sure what to explore first, Retterath recommends trying cryotherapy, which she considers a low-entry item. “We have things called cold shock proteins and heat shock proteins. When we activate them, the body goes into a systemic repair and there's a release of endorphins. This allows people to experience an energy or euphoria that they don't typically get from routine supplements,” she explains. “It’s a great starting point for someone to begin hacking their health.”

Photo: Junichi Ito

What Are Examples of Biohacking?

Infrared technology is one of the most popular and foolproof ways to hack your health, which is part of the reason why Berlingeri and Kaps built their brand around it. “It’s non-invasive, beneficial to everybody, and shows immediate results. Infrared saunas boost your mood and release a healthy DOSE (dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin, and endorphins) of feel-good chemicals, providing a natural high.” While the foundation of their routines includes daily sauna sessions, Berlingeri and Kaps also tap into the array of other offerings such as float tanks, facials, and breathwork to keep them grounded.

IV drips are also one of the most popular bookings at Next Health, specifically their energy, beauty, and longevity mixes. This method allows your body to absorb one hundred percent of the vitamins directly to your bloodstream.

However, the core of biohacking is something you can do from the comfort of your home: getting enough rest. “I think one of the biggest things that goes overlooked is sleep,” says Retterath. ”You can put all of the right formulations in, but if your body is constantly in a state of stress, it's not going to be able to utilize or uptake all of those incredible forces that are trying to work.” Tracking your sleep cycles with devices such as the Oura Ring can be a very useful resource. Listening to your body and identifying potentially ineffective sleep patterns will set yourself up for success.

What Are Some Myths Around Biohacking?

If you're hoping to biohack as a quick fix, you’ve got the wrong idea. This is far from a one size fits all approach and requires consistency. It is also vital that you educate yourself on what will work best for you. Often practices or treatments were not developed with universal use in mind. “The first step in getting biohacking right is understanding your unique biology. Women have been left out of the research. Biohacking, as we know it today, has been largely built by and for men,warns Berlingeri and Kaps. “We need to better educate women about their bio-individuality and give them the tools they need to thrive.”

Retterath also notes that this process does not need to be expensive. Instead, finding trusted and trained specialists is essential. “It's really about working with an expert or team of experts to help navigate the industry,” she says. “For example, I go to someone to help invest my money because I don't know how to. The same applies here.”

What Does the Future of Biohacking Look Like?

“If business and biohacking are two of the biggest boys clubs around, then you can only imagine what it’s like to be in the business of biohacking,” says Berlingeri and Kaps. “We launched HigherDOSE at the boom of female founders breaking into industries. So, in many ways, we’ve witnessed a shift towards women in business being a huge advantage, which is great to see.” They specifically note Teri Cochrane, Dr. Amy Killen, and Dr. Mindy Pelz as ones to watch on the growing list of female experts in the biohacking industry.

With new voices and innovations continuing to push the movement forward, this is just the start of the growing wellness trend. Remember, the big picture here is to use the best tools for your body to achieve optimal health. Whether that's committing to cryotherapy or simply upping your supplement game, ultimately you know yourself—and your body—best.

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