Biohackers pursue multiple goals related to health enhancement, including optimizing nutrition, increasing performance and prolonging lifespan. They utilize techniques such as root cause analysis and nutrient timing as well as tools such as wearable devices and cold exposure for their endeavours.
Common hacks for improving mental clarity include nutritional optimization, the use of nootropics (supplements to enhance cognitive function and mental clarity), inversion therapy and intermittent fasting; other popular techniques include young blood infusions.
What is biohacking?
Biohacking involves making small adjustments to your environment, diet and lifestyle to enhance your health and well-being. This may involve making subtle modifications like adding L-theanine supplements to your morning coffee, going on an elimination diet that excludes foods you are allergic to or taking cold showers for increased energy or soaking in an ice bath post-workout – anything could count as biohacking!
Biohacking may have an image problem for many people, but everyone can participate. There’s no limit to the research you can conduct on yourself – and perhaps your experiments could lead to a life-altering breakthrough! While many may never reach such levels of discovery, it’s still wise to consult a medical provider prior to undertaking any new techniques or therapies.
Biohacking is part of the larger DIY biology movement, an effort to make science accessible to a wider public audience without spending a fortune on traditional laboratory equipment. Many individuals have gotten involved with DIY biohacking by purchasing kits from online vendors that teach how to alter DNA by themselves; such kits typically include instructions, test tubes and other supplies needed to conduct your own experiments.
Biohacking experiments may involve unproven and potentially risky processes that could endanger your health, so it is wise to conduct sufficient research prior to beginning any new health hack. It would also be prudent for you to have regular check-ups from a healthcare professional regarding their progress.
Biohackers use online platforms to crowdsource data. This allows researchers to obtain more accurate results, and could accelerate approval of new treatments. When some individuals thought lithium carbonate might help treat ALS, they began taking it and uploading their results onto websites; later others followed suit, compiling and analyzing this data with help from neuropsychologist who determined it did not work as intended.
Root cause analysis
Root cause analysis is an invaluable technique for project managers looking to identify the source of issues on their projects. It involves asking “why” until you locate the real issue that requires resolution; though sometimes a difficult process, this exercise is absolutely crucial for project success and can help develop corrective actions to stop repeating issues from arising again. ProjectManager offers several templates specifically tailored to root cause analysis that can help uncover issues within workflows, business processes and budgets.
DIY biohacking is an offshoot of hacker culture that embraces discovering and testing out innovative technologies to better their lives. This community can vary in interests from trying new medicines or implanting devices that enhance senses, to conducting dangerous experiments such as gene editing for longevity enhancement; one such researcher, John Hemmings is even conducting gene editing experiments to extend his own lifespan!
While many conflate longevity science with plutocrats obsessed with living forever, biohacking movement focuses on healthy aging and morbidity compression – with late middle aged people wanting to maximize both health and wealth for maximum benefits. While such practices like cold plunges and fasting might appear beneficial in terms of overall health optimizations, they may actually promote unhealthy behaviors; practices such as cold plunges can create hormonal imbalances as well as disordered eating patterns which in turn increase stress and depression among athletes who require adequate energy levels in order for optimal performance.
One of the most effective biohacks involves using wearable tech to monitor health indicators. This may include fitness tracking devices, sleep trackers, and health-monitoring software. Sharing this data across communities allows people to compare results more easily – as well as create innovative research projects which would otherwise not be possible with traditional scientific methods.
Biohacking‘s central tenant is crowdsourcing health data in support of research efforts. This allows larger groups of people to pool knowledge and test experimental treatments not available through mainstream medicine, such as lithium carbonate for treating ALS in 2008. When this drug was discovered by scientists in 2008, members of the biohacking community took it and uploaded their results onto a site so their results could be processed by neuropsychologists.
Health-data crowdsourcing
If you have been researching how crowdsourcing can be used in healthcare, chances are good you have encountered the term “biohacking“. The aim of biohacking is to utilize technology in order to maximize health and well-being; but biohacking goes beyond simply technology; biohacking encompasses taking an integrated approach towards wellness as part of quantified self. These trackers enable individuals to monitor their own health metrics.
As society becomes more digital, many individuals are exploring methods of increasing physical and cognitive performance. Biohackers utilize DIY approaches to health using technology and experimentation to maximize potential. While not a new idea, recent advancements of health data crowdsourcing make accessing and using health information simpler for everyone.
PatientsLikeMe, for instance, offers people a secure environment to share their health data in a confidential setting – this has the potential to revolutionize how medical data is gathered and shared among practitioners and their colleagues. But crowdsourcing accuracy in health can depend on numerous factors including its definition and classification capabilities as well as any gamification tasks may bring which may increase reliability when developing crowdsourcing projects.
Health data crowdsourcing can be an effective tool in combatting illness and disability, but it’s crucial that those embracing it understand its workings first before embarking on any experimentation with it. Many techniques still under development could have adverse side effects so speaking to a physician first is recommended before using such techniques.
Future opportunities exist for the public to contribute to medical research through crowdsourcing platforms. This is especially true when it comes to collecting data about treatments and drugs’ efficacy. Successful health-data crowdsourcing initiatives will combine the power of large audiences with expert medical knowledge; thus generating data that is more precise and useful to researchers and physicians.
Personalization
Biohackers distinguish themselves from traditional medicine by seeking to identify and eliminate the source of health issues rather than treating symptoms once they arise. This might involve making adjustments to diet or taking supplements like NMN and resveratrol to promote cell repair and decrease inflammation, or practicing techniques like intermittent fasting to stimulate autophagy in your body.
Many biohackers rely on digital tools to track and analyze their health metrics, including fitness trackers and wearable devices as well as DNA and biomarker testing kits from companies like 23andMe or AncestryDNA. With these insights at hand, biohackers can develop personalized plans to optimize both wellness and performance.
Biohackers may take an holistic approach to their wellness, including practices such as mindfulness and meditation. These practices may improve sleep quality as well as mental health. Furthermore, nootropics and NMN supplements may also be taken for cognitive performance enhancement.
Although biohacking may sound intimidating, its main goal is actually helping people live healthier and longer lives. From eating diets that cater to your biological needs and tracking health metrics to taking supplements to improve brain health and memory enhancement – there are multiple ways biohacking can make a positive difference.
Biohacking is an emerging and cutting-edge movement that employs cutting-edge science, DIY biology and self-experimentation to promote improved health and longevity. Through cutting-edge research, preventive strategies and root cause analysis it has the power to completely change both individual’s lives as well as society as a whole.
Biohacking offers so much that it has captured the interest of healthcare providers, technology innovators, politicians and policymakers – not to mention patients themselves! Before beginning biohacking yourself, be sure to discuss your goals with your healthcare provider first – at Nava Health we offer tailored wellness assessments to determine how best to achieve your desired goals and create wellness plans designed specifically to your unique needs. Call now or schedule one.
