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I was a sick kid — I’m talking genuinely, chronically ill. Mysterious symptoms kept me home from school and bouncing between specialists who spent most of my childhood trying — and failing — to figure out what was wrong.
My mother, a lifelong fan of all things woo-woo, did what any desperate parent does: She looked elsewhere. That search took us to a barn in the middle of nowhere Oregon, where a white guy with dreadlocks, crystals and blinking light machines claimed he could heal even the toughest ailments without prescriptions or invasive procedures.
Spoiler alert: He couldn’t.
Twenty years later, I found myself experiencing an overwhelming sense of déjà vu.
I was at Dave Asprey’s Beyond Biohacking Conference in Austin, Texas, where a remarkably similar guru was explaining how his light-and-sound chamber, powered by “dodecahedron sacred geometry,” could heal my emotional, physical and spiritual selves and even bring me closer to God.
As he spoke, I couldn’t help but think back to that “healing center” outside my hometown, where people desperate for a miracle arrived with open minds — and left with significantly lighter wallets.
Climbing out of the pod, I felt just as agnostic and achy as I had all those years ago.
Later, when I hit the tech hall to ask attendees about their favorite biohacks, I expected them to point me toward the conference’s most outrageous gadgets.
On display were $325 quantum-charged necklaces promising to balance the body’s energy field; $13,999 pyramids claiming to harness light, color and positive affirmations to unlock inner harmony; and $5,500 meditation lamps said to enable out-of-body experiences and “communion with disembodied or ethereal beings.”
There were also $18,000 devices promising to “recharge” cells, $35,000 multimodal wellness chambers claiming to detox the body and speed recovery, and $557,000 regenerative beds that one middle-aged salesperson assured me could make seniors feel like teenagers again.
But after talking with more than 30 attendees who had spent thousands exploring technologies and treatments touted as tools for better health, sharper thinking and longer lives, I realized I was wrong.
Their favorite biohacks weren’t expensive gadgets or futuristic machines. They were simple habits we all know we should be doing — and they didn’t require a credit card.
The biohacks money can’t buy
In hindsight, maybe I shouldn’t have been surprised. Even Asprey himself has told me that the most powerful biohacks are free.
Carole Hopkins, 56, believes one of the best is hiding in plain sight: the outdoors.
After being diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis at 22, she said spending more time in nature helped improve her quality of life — and she believes it has eased her pain levels.
“We’re overly domesticated,” Hopkins told The Post. “We’re not getting enough sunlight or time outside, and that affects everything.”
Gerard and Karla Mack, a Louisiana couple, also pointed to sunlight as one of their most important biohacking tools.
“Just waking up in the morning and getting natural sunlight, it’s like a natural recharger,” Karla said. Gerard added: “At 69, I feel I have more energy than I did in my 40s and 50s.”
There may be some science behind their morning ritual. Research has shown that natural light can boost alertness, mood and focus while helping regulate your circadian rhythm, signaling to your body when it’s time to wake up and go to sleep.
Meanwhile, Zolboo Enkhtuvshin, a Los Angeles online retailer in her 30s, said improving sleep is the first recommendation she’d make to anyone looking to optimize their health.
“If you can change only one thing, it has to be sleep,” she said, explaining that a consistent sleep schedule and limiting screen time before bed have helped her get much better shut-eye.
For others, the path to better health in the kitchen. Kourtney and Luke Ketterhagen, a Fort Worth couple who practice yoga and meditation, said their favorite biohack is cooking their own meals.
“You don’t need to buy any of these things. Sorry. Newsflash: Consistency over a long period of time will get you where you need to be.”
Breanne Potrie“There’s a major lack of nutrition in our system nowadays,” said Luke, 50 — adding that it’s not just about vitamins and minerals. “When you’ve had a home-cooked meal from someone who has put love into it, you can tell.”
Hacks for a healthier mind
For many attendees, the biggest biohacking breakthroughs weren’t physical but came from working on their minds.
James Cope, 79, was into biohacking decades before Asprey coined the term. To him, the practice is less about gadgets and more about self-awareness.
“I’m here for a finite period of time, and I’m going to try to raise my consciousness as much as I can,” Cope said.
Jeffrey Rivera, 40, a loan development officer from Brisbane, Australia, said biohacking has helped him become more present.
“Less doomscrolling. More meditation,” he said. “I want more consistent inner alignment. To be calm and have a clearer mind.”
For Mahalene Louis, the path to optimization has meant confronting the parts of herself she’d spent years avoiding. “Shadow work has made the biggest impact on my life,” the 69-year-old said.
The therapeutic practice involves exploring the unconscious forces behind your feelings and behaviors while helping you confront buried fears, insecurities and unresolved trauma.
“I love my exercise routine, I love my sauna and cold plunge, all the fun things I do with healthy foods and peptides and neurotropics. But the greatest biohack, for me, was to learn how to love myself,” Louis added.
Breanne Potrie, 38, of Phoenix, shared a similar philosophy after years of dealing with pain and trauma.
Asked about her favorite biohacks, she responded: “Grounding. Breathwork. Meditation. I’ve been doing ice baths for three years straight.”
“And guess what? Those are free,” Potrie said. “You don’t need to buy any of these things. Sorry. Newsflash: Consistency over a long period of time will get you where you need to be.”
Jennifer Thompson, 38, of Miami, said managing her stress levels has been the top priority since getting into longevity science.
“The number one biohack is reducing your stress,” she said. “If you can’t do that, you need to train your brain on how to manage it better.”
Getting back to basics
After three days surrounded by cutting-edge technology and million-dollar promises, the biggest lesson from America’s biohackers was surprisingly simple.
“People ask me: What do you take? What do you do?” said Sharmala Graefer, 44, of San Diego.
“But like, tell me how you feel after you’ve slept. Had water. Eaten good food. Gotten outside. Moved your body. Experienced pleasure. You’ll probably feel better,” she continued. “If you simplify all of this and you do those things, you’ll be healthier.”
After a childhood spent searching for a cure and a weekend surrounded by people chasing the next frontier of human performance, I found the same answer waiting for me.
Maybe the ultimate hack isn’t some futuristic breakthrough — it’s finally doing the simple things we’ve been told to do all along.
English (US)