How dangerous biohaking - body and mind upgrade
Health / / December 19, 2019
Biohaking - increasingly popular phenomenon, whose adherents are engaged in improving their body and mind. Their goal - to survive as long as possible, while remaining healthy, both physically and psychologically. Ideally biohaker wants to be a superman. However, good intentions there is a downside.
What do biohakery
Biohaking involves upgrading processes that occur in the body. Each biohaker chooses his own path. Someone is trying a variety of diets, taking certain other drugs, subjected to experimental procedures implanted electronic chips and other implants.
Biohaking usually expensive. One of the most famous biohakerov, co-founder of the service "Island" Sergei Fage published an articleWhere painted its way to become a superman. In fact, to become better and live longer, he has already spent 200 thousand dollars.
Did a cool webinar on biohacking today with Peter Diamandis, the founder of XPrize, Planetary Resources and HLI; and someone leaders from Musk to Branson to Bill Clinton listen to. Great to meet enthusiastic and positive people who see that the world is becoming better and better all the time. And that the pessimists just do not get it.
publication of serge Faguet (@Sergefaguet)
Sergey comes to the case thoroughly. He is consulting with experts, monitors the condition of the body, is engaged in the right activities and a variety of drinks handfuls of medication and vitamins. "I became quieter, slimmer, more energetic, healthier and happier," - says Fage.
Sergey Fage, biohakerIn fact I am very conservative and treat these things as paranoid. Can in researching the topic and talk to people before you decide to take a new drug for several months. I start with small doses and consultation with several independent experts.
That can harm
1. We are receiving a large number of drugs
The list drugsWhich are popular with biohakerov, there are some very serious drugs. For example, metformin lowers blood sugar. It is prescribed to diabetics and biohakery drink this drug as a cure for old age: for weight loss, prevention of cancer and heart disease, slowing the aging.
The World Health Organization recognizes metformin is one of the safest medicines. However, it has side effects can cause problems with digestion, it can not be mixed with alcohol. Long-term use of the drug causes a lack of vitamin B12.
The list of drugs that daily takes Sergei Fage, also includes:
- Li - "mood stabilizer", by definition, very biohakera. "It is toxic in high doses, so you need to be careful," - Sergey warns.
- Modafinil - a drug that is prescribed to patients attention deficit disorder and narcolepsy. Biohakery use it to enhance cognitive abilities and improve concentration. But stimulants can deplete the nervous system. there is evidenceModafinil.Modafinil is addictive and unpleasant side reactions.
- Antidepressants - in particular, escitalopram, which is used to treat depression, panic and anxiety disorders.
- Mass other drugs - vitamins, dietary supplements.
Sergey Fage, biohakerI also take a lot of non-pharmaceutical preparations, which can be useful and are unlikely to be harmful. Many of them are probably useless. I just do not know what it is.
Do handfuls of drugs receiving help turn into superman - is unknown. As unknown, and then, what are the implications for health.
2. diets
Many biohakery practice starvation. They refuse to eat food for quite a long time and drink only black coffee and water. One of the followers of this diet - the former CEO of Evernote, the head of the studio of Artificial Intelligence All Turtles Phil Libin. he practicesThe Silicon Valley execs who do not eat for days: 'It's not dieting, it's biohacking'.not eating for a period of two to eight days.
Phil Libin, head of the All Turtles studioI feel an easy euphoria. I have improved the mood, there is a constant supply of energy. I feel so much healthier. The decision to try fasting has become one of the most important in my life.
It is very hard interval option starvation. His goal - to deplete glycogen stores in the liver. This leads to short-term ketosis - splitting the body of stored fat for energy.
However biohakery go further: they do not starve 14-20 hours and seven days in a row, believing that it helps to lose weight, increase productivity, stabilize mood, and can prolong life.
Doctors warn that research to support this, no. Starvation can trigger an eating disorder. Long refusal of food intake can be dangerous if it is not carefully controlled. It is fraught with heart failure (the body does not come in enough important trace elements: sodium, magnesium, potassium), increased susceptibility to infection and other severe malfunction in organism.
3. Refusal of foods that the body needs
Many biohakery refuse from eating "bad" foods.
Sergey Fage, biohakerDo not eat sugar in any form. It's poison. This means that you should not eat candy, bread, pasta, honey, fruit juice drink. Sugar is extremely harmful to health.
But the body needs simple and complex carbohydrates. This is an important and necessary element of power needed for the physical and mental stress. Just use it should be in moderation.
The same applies to non-salt (the lack of it in the body leads to muscle weakness, drowsiness and even motor coordination disorders), and other raw food.
The ideal diet - full. Vitamin and mineral deficiencies can try to make up for reception of special preparations, but it is unlikely that the body would be delighted.
4. Injection preparations unverified
Biohakery practice improvement themselves at the gene level. Former NASA employee, the head of a startup Odin Josiah did ZaynerThis Guy Says He's The First Person To Attempt Editing His DNA With CRISPR. yourself an injection, which must be inserted into its DNA genes superpowers. Biohaker said that after six months or a little longer he will get incredible muscle mass.
Earlier Josiah tried to build into their DNA gene jellyfish to his body glowed green in the dark. Fluoresce biohaker then did not. But he began to speak, that such injections are safe, as his health deteriorated.
Zayner instructions laid out in the Network to use CRISPR - innovative gene editing technology - at home. For $ 20 he sells DNA, which, in his opinion, promotes muscle growth.
Josiah Zayner, biohakerI want to live in a world where people get drunk and do not go to fill a tattoo and say, "I'll go krispernus (from CRISPR - approx. Ed.). "
Doctors refer to such experiments is negative. It is not clear what can lead experiments with gene injections. In addition, there are other risks. You can, for example, to place themselves infection.
Recently, Washington has been found deadBiohacker CEO Aaron Traywick was found dead in a flotation therapy tank. biohaker Aaron Treyvik. 28-year-old he led the company Ascendance Biomedical, wanted to make a revolution in biomedicine and currently experiencing experimental medications.
Earlier this year, Aaron publicly introduced themselves uncertified cure for herpes - the disease that afflicts over several years. Treyvik also said that drugs developed in Ascendance Biomedical, can win HIV.
These statements were perceived negatively by other biohakerami. Aaron became a recluse: he stopped to chat with colleagues and locked himself in his laboratory. Treyvika found dead in the isolation tank, which is used for the relaxation.
It is unknown what exactly caused the death Treyvika. Police said only that signs of crime in the incident no.
5. Psychological problems
Biohaking alters not only habits, but also thinking. The idea to improve themselves, to achieve superrezultatov, to live to 100 years or more can become obsessive.
Sergey Fage rents tests on hundreds of biomarkers on hormones, ketones, toxins, allergens, insulin, mercury, passes tests, monitors pulse, blood pressure, heart function. Uses invisible hearing aids, although his hearing is in order to hear better than ordinary people, rather formulate phrases and be more persuasive when communicating.
Sergey Fage, biohakerEven without significant progress in medicine, when I'm 100 years old, I'll be in excellent mental and physical condition. And I will live longer than any other man that ever lived since 2017. And thanks to technological progress, I think, is available and immortality.
Psychologists believe that the passion biohakingom can deprive a person of feelings of well-being. Denial of what is natural and necessary for a healthy body, can be harmful and even dangerous. The attempt to establish total control over the processes occurring in the body, can lead to serious physical and psychological problems.
What will happen next
Many experts agree that we are waiting for the mass gadzhetizatsiya. A variety of wearable devices and implants will quickly monitor the status of the body and to cope with problems, including with the help of micro-injections of various drugs.
Humanity can be divided into those who are available biohaking and a long and healthy life, and those for whom it is too expensive.
With this potential phenomenon is already trying to fight social NGO Humanity +. It supports technologies that enhance human capabilities.
Popularization of Biology, appearance sets for home genetic editing will lead to the fact that the experiments with the genome will be more. Perhaps in a garage lab will really revolutionary tool that can overcome all diseases and make human Superman.
While it is possible to carry out an upgrade of the organism tested and safe way. Sleep, go to proper nutrition, Pick a reasonable physical activity, To deal with stress (for example, using meditation) And just enjoy life.
see also
- 10 biohakov that will help unleash your potential and make a difference →
- 15 technologies of the future, which will soon become popular →
- 5 easy to increase productivity biohakov →