HEALTH HACKS?

We’ve been hearing about a new trend floating around, read a bit about it, and wanted to know about it. It’s called biohacking and based on a Vox article, the term is also known as DIY biology. It apparently covers a broad range of activities you could do to make your body work more efficiently or better than it naturally does. So, essentially, we suppose biohackers are those who want to make their bodies and brains work the way they want them to.

Where did it start? Rob Carlson, an expert on synthetic biology who has been supporting the biohacking concept since the early 2000s said in a Vox article that “all of modern medicine is hacking.” He says the use of ‘hacking’ can be a way of making biohackers sound less legit, when the concept is actually practised all around us.

What is it?! Well, there are misconceptions about what biohacking really means (it is a little confusing). There are those who think that biohacking refers to a specific kind of person who goes out of their way to experiment on their bodies, like doing young blood transfusion to make themselves look more youthful, for instance.

Have you done it? The Vox article says that the way to know if you’ve done some form of biohacking is through your motivations in doing some of the things you do. They claim that it’s when we think that we don’t have to accept our weaknesses or what our body lacks, and that we can start to change our bodies.

What else have they said? Dave Asprey, a biohacker and creator of supplement company Bulletproof told Vox that biohacking is “the art and science of changing the environment around you and inside you so that you have full control over your own biology.” We’re thinking that it’s just a different way to say what we’re already doing...

Is that all? According to The Atlantic, biohacking can include tracking what goes in and out of your body or taking meal replacement drinks to optimise your health. Sounds pretty normal, but it’s almost 2020 so we want to see where this takes us... 

“The way to know if you’ve done some form of biohacking is through your motivations in doing some of the things you do.” 

UNUSUAL THERAPIES

Wait, there are more unconventional ways to wellness around the world. 

1 LAUGHTER YOGA IN INDIA Now spread across 100 countries, laughter yoga is a mixture of deep breathing exercises from regular yoga practice and laughter exercises, making us feel more energised. Join a Laughter Club in Bangalore, India or find out more about this movement at www.laughteryoga.org.

2 CRYING THERAPY IN JAPAN The Japanese have been practising crying therapy where participants are given the space to let their emotions out through a good cry. It’s practised in Kansai, southern Japan, where they start with a series of sad films and the facilitator wipes away the tears.

3 SCREAM THERAPY A rather strange trend for overcoming anxiety is ‘scream therapy’ — even celebs like Kanye West are doing it. It started from being part of a psychological treatment, Primal Therapy, based on the idea that screaming can help people to address deeper issues.

4 SALT CAVES IN CHICAGO It’s a thing now to chill out in a salt cave and inhale salt-enriched air while soft, gentle music is played in the background to relax you. It’s a reason to take time off for some self-care and to treat your body well. Keen to try? Head to Galos Caves in Chicago for some peace and relaxation. 

TEXT AND INTERVIEWS PAMELA CHOO ILLUSTRATION FREEPIK