What Is Biohacking? How to Improve Your Body With Science

by EWOT Team Member March 7, 2021

What if you could live forever? Not just living longer and suffering through old age, but actually living longer in a healthy state. Would you do it?

What if you could eliminate chronic pain, open doors with the flick of your wrist, or physically sense North? These are just some examples of what biohacking has already accomplished.

What is biohacking?

You could say it's a fresh take on an age-old practice. In truth, humans have been biohacking for centuries, optimizing the body and mind in various ways.

Read on, and we'll give you a crash course in modern biohacking.

What Is Biohacking?

In simplest terms, biohacking is optimizing the body and mind through

Diet (fasting, restrictive diets)
Devices (implants and wearable tech)
Drugs (all types and including Research Chemicals)
Lifestyle Factors (including but not limited to Meditation, Exercise, and Body Expression)
Nootropics (smart drugs)
Supplements (magnesium, MCT Oil or Powder, Collagen, Electrolytes, and many more)

The technical biohacking definition, according to Merriam Webster, is:

"biological experimentation (via gene editing, the use of drugs, or implants) done to improve the qualities or capabilities of living organisms especially by individuals and groups working outside a traditional medical or scientific research environment. Often the experimentation is done on one's own body."

Biohackers are people who adopt a do-it-yourself approach to their bodies. They do this by implementing various 'hacks.' These hacks may: help to achieve optimal health, treat disease or chronic conditions, extend life, or just serve as an experiment incorporating technology into biological life.

Biohacking Your Body

Biohacks can sometimes make big promises. Ranging from rapid weight loss to enhanced brain function to better sex. It's worth noting that the best biohacking results will come from being well-informed and cautious about the hacks you employ.

That said, many biohacks are quite simple. Think meditation or fasting. At the same time, others are far more extreme, like using CRISPR technology to edit the human genome.

Suffice it to say; biohacking comes in many forms. The three most popular are:

Nutrigenomics - focusing on how food interacts with genes and how different nutrients affect how we think, feel, and behave.

DIY Biology - often proponents have a medical or scientific background. Perhaps most notable is Josiah Zaynor - former NASA scientist who injected himself with CRISPR live at a biohacking conference.

Grinder - a biohacking subculture that sees every aspect of the human body as 'hackable,' they strive to optimize their bodies with gadgets, chemical injections, implants, and more to make their bodies work the way they want them to.

Biohacking With Supplements

You probably already do some biohacking without even realizing it.

Do you enjoy a morning cup of coffee? Do you take vitamins or other supplements? You're a biohacker!

Caffeine is considered a nootropic. Nootropics are substances used to increase cognitive function.

Most supplements are meant to augment diets that are lacking in certain nutrients. So any supplements you take could be seen as nutrigenomic biohacking.

Have you ever fasted? Gone Keto, Vegan, or Whole 30 with your diet?

All of these restrictive diets are also considered biohacking.

Biohacking With Oxygen

You may not normally think twice about breathing. It's an automatic function that requires no effort, so that makes sense. However, biohacking with oxygen is rapidly gaining in popularity.

There are many conditions people live with that leave them with low blood oxygen levels. Things like COPD, asthma, even COVID-19 all have a negative impact on blood oxygen. For conditions like these, using supplemental oxygen can be a game-changer on the road to recovery.

For otherwise healthy individuals, Oxygen Therapy can:

increase metabolism and memory
improve immune system function
provide faster recovery from stress-related illnesses or workouts
improve athletic performance.

Extreme Biohacking

Many biohacks have minimal risk, while others are wildly experimental. Most, if not all, of the Grinders, fall into this category.

Grinders like to see human biology as fluid. They see augments as things that can increase both the quality of life and our physical capacities. Think cyborgs.

Honestly, this stuff is pretty exciting. Here are a few examples of extreme biohacking we think are pretty neat.

North Sense - an electronic implant attached to the skin with titanium bars, like a piercing. It's attached to the biohackers chest and includes a compass chip and a Bluetooth connection. The device sends a vibrational pulse through the body when facing due North.

Bio-therm Chips - most often used for pets, these chips are now being implanted into humans. They monitor body temperature and can provide a fast alert to any potential illness.

NFC/RFID Chips - already wildly popular, these chips are used for many functions. They can replace keys and passwords, unlock doors, start vehicles, and even log into computers and smart devices.

Eyeborg - these are not as widely available yet; the procedure is intense. Basically, it's a prosthetic eye that doubles as a camera.

Risk Assessment of Biohacking

As with any medical procedure or lifestyle change, caution and education are paramount. If you have existing conditions you want to treat specifically with biohacking, it's a good idea to talk with your physician beforehand. This is especially true if you are taking prescription medicines.

While most biohacks are simple and can be applied successfully, it's better to be overly cautious than careless.

If you are interested in the Grinder hacks, those carry more risk. The implants won't last forever (not yet anyway), you won't have anesthesia, there's the potential for infection, and there is the chance your body will reject the implant.

The Future is Biohacking

So, what is biohacking?

Optimizing our minds and our bodies through a variety of tactics.

Risks aside, biohacking is foundational to human existence. Whether it's trying a new diet, adding in a superfood supplement, using oxygen therapy, or implanting devices, humans are natural biohackers.

Here at EWOT, we specialize in providing you with a range of state-of-art oxygen therapies, supplements, and other fitness products. If you're ready to join the ranks of biohackers benefitting from oxygen therapy, we'd love to hear from you.

Reach out to our team of professionals today to learn more about us and our products.