Midnight K-drama to VP threatening President: Suspense across democracies

Maut ka bhi ilaj ho shayad, zindagi ka koi ilaj nahin, wrote the poet Firaq Gorakhpuri about how death may well have a cure but there is no remedy for life. Finding a cure for death has become an obsession with biohackers like Bryan Johnson, the 47-year-old entrepreneur who recently visited India to launch his age-reversing Blueprint protocol which includes a vast range of supplements, tests, experiments, a super controlled diet plan and LED light exposure.India’s growing community of biohackers may not have Johnson’s million-dollar budget, but they do have their own ways to optimise wellness. While some biohacks like meditation, intermittent fasting, taking supplements, soaking in sunshine, and exercise drills are pretty simple, others can get rather experimental. Johnson, for instance, has done plasma and blood swaps with his son, and injected donor fat into his face which didn’t go very well.Functional nutritionist Tanya Malik’s go-to biohack is ice plunges even when Delhi is frigid enough to send a shiver down your spine. “Ice baths boost my immune system, reduce inflammation, improve recovery post exercise and build cognitive resilience,” says the 39-year-old. medium116077748British Indian entrepreneur Jag Chima’s routine includes fasting for 23 hours twice a week, protein smoothies, stacks of supplements, cryotherapy (exposure to extreme cold), anti-ageing IV drips and red light therapy. All this, with six hours of sleep every night and a wearable to track progress. “It’s taken years to fine tune this routine, but it helps me be at my best,” says Chima, 45, whose London-based biohacking centre Be Superhuman plans to expand to India and the Middle East.But what is biohacking, really? “Like artificial intelligence, the two words, bio and hacking have come together to modulate biological processes relevant for health in a way analogous to hacking in computer science. These non-traditional, non-medically sanctioned methods do have some scientific evidence behind it, but not enough to enter clinical practice,” says Anurag Agrawal, dean of biosciences and health research at Ashoka University. medium nocaption116077784At its core, biohacking is nothing but DIY healthcare, says peak performance evangelist and life coach Sajeev Nair, author of ‘The Making of a Superhuman’, which he claims sticks to only those biohacks that are research validated. “Like most disruptive innovations, biohacking too evolved from a disenchantment with the way modern medicine was progressing, with lesser stress on prevention, and higher focus on prohibitively expensive reactive treatments and lifelong medications,” he says.Another trigger is the quest for peak performance, whether it’s high muscle growth, extreme endurance, age-defying cognitive powers or the inner calm to take on any challenge. “The growing interest in longevity or rather extending health spans is making people move towards biohacking too,” the 56-year-old adds.Rakesh Somani, ironman triathlete and co-founder of Decode Age which claims to be the first longevity company in India, began his biohacking journey a decade ago to enhance performance while training for triathlons. “Over the past decade, I’ve experienced higher energy levels, an improved mood, and the resolution of persistent gut issues. The most striking change has been the reversal of my greys,” says Somani.Somani, 40, sunbathes, walks barefoot on grass, uses red light therapy, grounding mats (also known as pulsed electromagnetic field mats) and blue-light blocking glasses to biohack his way to a longer and healthier life. Apart from high-intensity exercise and weight training, he also does gut microbiome analysis and keeps track of his longevity biomarkers with periodic blood age checks. Malik’s journey with biohacking began when she was diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and hypothyroidism. She became her own guinea pig, and later got certified in functional nutrition and founded health supplement startup The Biohackers Co to understand how blood chemistry can lead to deep personalisation of health.She doesn’t count her calories but has done away with inflammatory foods like gluten, corn, dairy and processed foods. Malik also gets her blood drawn every three months and based on the test results, curates an extensive supplement protocol for herself. medium116077834“I do intermittent fasting with circadian rhythm therapy, which means I eat with the sun. So, my dinner’s done by 6-6.30pm. All this, along with red light therapy to support skin health, muscle recovery, and mitochondrial function,” Malik says.Strength training, yoga, probiotics and neurofeedback to keep stress in check completes her regimen.Nair says the results of a genetic predisposition test in the US were an eye-opener. “I realised that lifestyle diseases could be predicted years or decades before they hit, and avoided by personalised lifestyle modifications,” he says, adding that epigenetic biohacks are based on one’s unique genetic makeup and hold the power to keep even genetically encoded diseases at bay. His Kochi-based healthtech startup Vieroots offers a therapy called Personalised Epigenetic Lifestyle Modifications (Eplimo) curated by medical experts along with AI monitoring.Why caution is needed Success stories aside, biohacking can be a slippery slope, cautions Agrawal, who is also former director of CSIR Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology. “When you have all the money in the world, one of the key desires is that the party should not stop. Most biohacking procedures are done without adequately looking at the risks and benefits. We are creating a culture of jump first and look later, which is dangerous,” he says.mediumhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4D9fysU3S8He cites the recent fad of using diabetes drug Ozempic for weight loss. “It’s a good idea for people suffering from morbid obesity with medical complications. But when a movie star who might have put on a few pounds and wants to lose it quickly takes the same thing, it’s a hack. The reason I don’t advocate it is because we don’t know the long-term consequences.” He recalls a time when appetite suppression pills were the rage but were later found to cause pulmonary hypertension, which can be fatal.Our bodies are not designed to live forever, says Agrawal, adding, “We can easily get obsessed with wellness, and any obsession is bad for mental and physical health.”