Busted: Popular Biohacking Myths

Busted: Popular Biohacking Myths

Myth: Biohacking Is Complicated

Biohacking - at its core - is a technique for self-improvement.

Typically, the process of biohacking includes:

1. Noticing, and possibly recording, an objective and/or subjective metric of health. Ex: I notice that 2 hours after a cup of black coffee, my energy crashes.

2. Changing an aspect of that habit. Ex: I’m going to replace that black coffee with a coffee that contains butter and MCT oil.

3. Noticing the response to the habit change. Ex. When I have coffee with butter and MCT oil, I feel energized and focused, and my energy doesn’t crash.
Anyone who has recognized that they didn’t feel optimal in their day, and experimented with changing a habit, is technically a biohacker. Yes, even you! Wasn’t that easy?

Biohacking has the potential to become complex, with the inclusion of detailed testing panels, multiple health interventions occurring simultaneously, and monitoring various metrics of health, if we desire. And although you are biohacking your own life, you don’t have to go it alone. That’s why we developed the Integrative Biohacking Program.

Myth: Biohacking Is Dangerous

The DIY nature of biohacking, fused with the curious and health-conscious individuals it attracts, has led to some cases of self-experimentation with unproven and potentially dangerous interventions. However, these instances are rare and linked to an extremist attitude of the individual that is not inherent to biohacking. Typically, ‘biohacks’ are simple and safe biological interventions. Biohacking, particularly when under the guidance of a physician, incorporates scientifically-proven health practices, and a detailed discussion of the possible improvements - and downsides - of any biohack.

Myth: Biohacking Requires Expensive Tech

‘Grinders’, a subset of biohackers, have popularized an emphasis on expensive gadgets and implants to monitor - and optimize - many aspects of their biology. However, technology-based tools are not required to biohack your health. 

Biohacking can be analog, cheap, technologically-driven, incredibly expensive, and everything in between. Additionally, there are many free or low-cost technological tools, such as metric apps that track sleep, steps, or the menstrual cycle, that can provide valuable health insights for the purposes of biohacking.