On Biohacking: In the words of Alex Charfen: ‘Biohacking is about what you remove, not about what you add’.

‘Biohacking is about what you remove, not about what you add’. Alex Charfen, one of the world’s leading biohackers, commenting on the most important biohack for him this year at Paleo FXs Biohacking Mastermind Panel.

Even though a lot of biohacking methods, supplements and gadgets are things that you ‘add’ to your routine, their actual role is to recreate a natural physiology in such an unnatural world. Our bodies haven’t had a chance to evolve to city life, bright lights, technology and processed sugars.

We naturally crave sunlight, oxygen, contact with the earth to ground, and to wake and sleep according to a circadian and seasonal rhythm. We still need high fat, nutrient-dense foods that are reminiscent of a paleolithic diet to fuel our bodies and brains.

The modern world has thrown in toxins, from plastic and from industrial emissions; we are bombarded with wifi and bluetooth and radio waves; we wear shoes (so we are not grounding); we live indoors, block out the sun and follow sedentary lifestyles whilst we overload on processed sugar and gluten. And then we get sick…and it seems that everyone is getting sick from chronic illnesses because of our lifestyles, eating habits and lack of movement that are so far removed from how we were designed to live.

But all of this is totally avoidable—and as biohackers—we know this. In a way, biohacking is about getting back to nature—it’s really about simulating a natural environment in an unnatural world.

And this does call for things like grounding mats, blue blocking glasses, white and red light therapy, cold therapy, oxygen therapy and deliberately high-fat diets…as well as intentional fasting to get into therapeutic ketosis. A naturally harsh environment with real foods and continual movement builds up the immune system, exposes us to all the nutrients we need and keeps our bodies in balance and out of disease.

Biohacking to optimise your health is about removing the toxins that take us into disease; simulating a natural physiology in an unnatural world. It’s about a adapting your environment to be more conducive to optimum health.

Ironically, after saying that less is more, the next post is going to be all about the latest supplements and biohacks that get you closer to nature—an overview of Paleo FX is coming!

Want to find out more about biohacking and based in the South East?

Join the London Biohacker Meetup

What are your thoughts on biohacking?

Sara 🙂