Episode 1: Demystifying Biohacking:
Show transcript:
The Definition and History of Biohacking
Welcome to the inaugural episode of M.D.IVA: Biohacking Your Feminine Potential, where we dive into the fascinating world of biohacking tailored for women. I'm your host, M.D.IVA, and today we're on a mission to unlock the secrets of optimizing women's health through biohacking.
Hello, let's jump right into unraveling the evolution of biohacking and how it can be a transformative tool for optimizing your health and well-being.
For many, biohacking conjures up images of underground labs, citizen scientists, and Silicon Valley tech bros. Then there are those part of a seemingly bizarre subculture of biohacking known as “grinders” that integrate technology and body modification to develop cybernetic organisms, AKA cyborgs. Grinders aim to optimize their body with gadgets and implants that they insert under the skin. It's pretty out there. Some examples, some of you may have heard, and to others, this may be brand new material: There's something called dermal biosensor tattoos that actually change color based on glucose level, pH, and albumin level.
There are RFID implants that are implanted under the skin that can actually unlock your house door, your car door, it can store PINs, you use it to pay for your food, and so forth.
An interesting example I found was artist Neil Harbisson who suffers from a visual condition called achromatopsia or total color blindness. He sees only in shades of gray. So he partnered with some computer scientists in 2003 who created an electronic eye for him. The device that Harbisson wears on his head detects the color frequency of the item that's passed in front of the device, the electronic eye, and it actually turns it into a sound frequency that's passed on to a chip that is installed in the back of Harbisson's head. He then is able to hear the color through bone conduction or sound that travels through the bones of the skull to the inner ear.
He has a fascinating Ted talk that I will link in the show notes that can be found at mdivabiohacking.com.
Back to the term biohacking, it's become much more mainstream. It has evolved into a trendy term to describe optimization or at the most basic level, tweaking your diet, incorporating exercise. Improving your sleep habits, adding supplementation, and other wellness habits in order to, well, optimize one's health, well-being, or overall energy, as well as increase longevity. As a physician, I equate biohacking to the often-used term in medicine, lifestyle modification.
According to the Encyclopedia of Behavior Medicine, lifestyle modification is a behavior intervention that attempts to create change in multiple lifestyle health behaviors. Fun fact, eight of the ten leading causes of death in the U.S. have lifestyle modification as the first line management or even prevention.
Sadiq IZ. Lifestyle medicine as a modality for prevention and management of chronic diseases. J Taibah Univ Med Sci. 2023;18(Issue 5):1115-1117.
So let's take a closer look at the number one cause of death in the US, heart disease.
Heart disease can be further broken down into three categories, arrhythmias, defects, and coronary artery disease. Defects are not what we call a modifiable risk, meaning I can't personally change the defect. But there are known treatments and management for various defects.
However, many arrhythmias causing death can be modified with lifestyle changes, such as limiting your caffeine, abstaining from alcohol and tobacco, reducing stress by incorporating meditation, yoga, and breathing exercises, also managing sleep apnea by losing weight or training oneself to not mouth breathe, and implementing a CPAP if your sleep apnea is resistant to these changes as well as incorporating exercise.
Coronary artery disease is by far the most prevalent form of heart disease and it's almost totally preventable based on lifestyle modification. There are non-modifiable risk factors like age, sex, genetics, and race that increase the likelihood of experiencing heart disease or stroke.
The American College of Cardiology has an atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease or ASCVD risk estimator. This will allow you to enter certain parameters to calculate your risk of heart disease or stroke within the next 10 years. Now what's fun about this calculator, and I kind of laugh at myself when I say what's fun about it because surely I don't think other people necessarily have the same ideal of fun as I do, but in medicine, I happen to think it's really interesting when I can see how lifestyle modifications can change an outcome. So for me, the fun about this calculator is that you can play around by changing some of the modifiable risk factors. It might ask you if you're overweight or if you smoke, if you have hypertension. And if you correct these, it actually shows you the magnitude that small changes can have on your long-term health. This will also be in the show notes, a link to this.
Now the first line of management of heart disease that is not acute, emergent heart disease or stroke is to correct any reversible risk factors. Quit smoking, vaping, and this includes marijuana. Eat a heart healthy diet, get rid of the processed foods, as well as changing diet, exercise at least 30 minutes, five days a week, maintain a healthy weight with a BMI between 18.5 and 24.9 unless you're an athlete or a bodybuilder. Now someone with high muscle mass, their BMI is not very accurate because it doesn't account for high muscle mass and low body fat.
So we've seen several changes that an individual can make to personally improve their health. And there you go folks, if you're already implementing any of these lifestyle behaviors, you're a biohacker.
And we must agree, biohacking sounds much sexier than lifestyle modification.
I used to live in Grenada, West Indies. And when I would fly into the States, I was always saddened, shocked and saddened. In Grenada, in the airport, the seats were very small. And people from Grenada could fit in them. It was very few people that could not fit in a regular size seat. When I would fly into the United States, I would fly into Miami, and immediately it's like we're in the US because the seats were huge. They were two and three times the size of the seats in Grenada.
And look, I'm not saying this to shame anyone by any means. It's a national issue, and I care. This isn't about being beautiful or not being valued. This is actually about valuing people. I value these individuals that are slowly killing themselves. It is not a one-person issue. This is a national concern that we as a nation really need to start taking seriously. And it's why I'm so passionate about biohacking and modifying what you can in your life. You're the only person who's going to do it. And parents, you're the only one who can do it for your children.
Eighty percent of Americans 20 years and older are overweight or obese. Eight of the 10 leading causes of death have maintain a healthy weight as part of the lifestyle modifications and the management or even prevention of these diseases. You know, most individuals are not adequately counseled by their primary care provider on lifestyle modification.
As a matter of fact, an article in the American Journal of Medicine in 2015 estimated that only 45% of obese patients and 66% of overweight patients are actually informed of their weight status by their primary care providers, much less counseled on diet and exercise.
Now, let me make it clear. Your PCP is drowning. The medical industrial complex wants your doctor to see a different patient every 15 minutes. And that gives very little time for any extensive education. It's much easier to medicate than to educate. Insurance is not going to approve any comprehensive diet, education, or ongoing nutrition counseling, or personal trainers. It's easier and more profitable for all involved EXCEPT THE PATIENT, to keep you alive, but not really living.
I don't know if any of you when you go to the doctor have ever been given one of the patient surveys or they mail it to your house or even call. Well, part of that is that Medicaid and Medicare who are kind of the big guys in insurance, and they have these quality metrics. So they want to know did your doctor do this? Did your doctor do that? How satisfied were you?Your doctor gets scores for this and based on that score it can actually doc his/her pay some. So doctors have learned there are certain topics you just don't really want to bring up to patients because frankly, patients won't give you a very good score and their pay is going to be docked for it.
Say, if I tell you you're overweight, if I tell you you're obese, a lot of people don't want to hear that. They are offended. I have fewer patients who will be upset that I didn't discuss their weight status with them, as opposed to patients who will get very upset if I actually begin to discuss their weight with them. That's really heartbreaking.
This is what happens when businesses are running medicine and not health professionals. You and I are not likely to change this in our lifetime. We can begin a grassroots movement to take a bite out of big pharma and the medical industrial complex by taking control of our health and living our best, healthiest lives.
Biohacking As a Transformative Tool
Let's discuss some of the basics of biohacking and how it can be a transformative tool for optimizing your health. My introduction to biohacking began with the OG of biohacking, the ketogenic diet with intermittent fasting. Now I was a fit teenager. I swam. I did gymnastics. I was very active. When I had my children. I gained a lot of weight. Fortunately, I was able to take it off after each. Now, when I was in my late 20s, I was diagnosed with a serious illness and I began having trouble with anxiety due to the diagnosis. And I was put on a new drug called Paxil and I gained 40 pounds in three months.
We will revisit Paxil and weight gain in another episode. Now, I could not lose the Paxil weight. I did everything I knew to do. I joined all the big commercial plans, no names mentioned, and I followed them to a tee and I would actually gain weight on these plans. I did six small meals throughout the day, low fat with complex carbs, etc, etc. I would work out daily. Nothing helped. Finally, I tried the ketogenic diet with intermittent fasting and the weight fell off. I have maintained my weight for over six years and the only time I've seen an increase in my weight is when I begin to eat more carbs and less healthy fat and meat.
In college, I took four biochemistry courses with each professor stating that the ketogenic diet takes advantage of how our body processes times of famine and times of feast.
Now, needless to say, when I lost the weight and felt better than I had felt in years, I was hooked on biohacking and I wanted to know more. Biohacking can encompass a wide range of practices from optimizing nutrition and exercise to leveraging cutting-edge technologies like wearable devices and genetic testing. It can also involve as I mentioned, intermittent fasting, as well as meditation, specific supplementations that will enhance cognitive function and physical performance. Biohacking is a proactive approach to preventing disease and at its best can further optimize the body. Whereas modern medicine is more reactive by treating symptoms of the body gone wrong.
Biohackers tend to be several steps ahead of modern medicine due to the proverbial 17-year time lag between scientific evidence and clinical practice. Now, what that means is that when science research finds evidence of a new treatment or a possible connection between a behavior, and either a disease getting worse or a behavior in disease actually improving. There's about 17 years before doctors are putting it into practice. Now there's a lot of reasons for this. Insurance companies don't want to cover new treatments.
Refer to Morris ZS, Wooding S, Grant J. The answer is 17 years, what is the question: understanding time lags in translational research. J R Soc Med. 2011 Dec;104(12):510-20. doi: 10.1258/jrsm.2011.110180. PMID: 22179294; PMCID: PMC3241518.
Doctors are also very hesitant or resistant to unlearn outdated practices. And the longer a doctor has been in practice, the greater the resistance.
Refer to Gupta DM, Boland RJ Jr, Aron DC. The physician's experience of changing clinical practice: a struggle to unlearn. Implement Sci. 2017 Feb 28;12(1):28. doi: 10.1186/s13012-017-0555-2. PMID: 28245849; PMCID: PMC5331724.
Taking control of your health through biohacking can result in a vast array of benefits. It can lead to improved energy levels, better mental clarity, enhanced focus, and an even stronger immune system. By understanding our body's unique responses. By tailoring intervention accordingly, we can unlock our full potential and achieve peak performance in various aspects of our lives. While biohacking can offer tremendous benefits, it is essential to approach it with caution. It is crucial to consult with your personal healthcare professional before embarking on any significant biohacking interventions.
Maintaining balance and being mindful of your individual limitations is key to ensuring a safe and effective biohacking journey. For example, this is what not to do. In 2015, I decided I wanted to be a runner. Now let me preface this with, I didn't realize that I could wear costumes during a race and I would get jewelry at the end. Then I found out this little nugget of knowledge and I was like, sign me up, don't mind if you do. However, I was completing my master's thesis in chemistry, to be more exact, my organic synthesis method optimization thesis and I was a tad too busy to train. I am fairly certain that I was so out of shape. I would have become winded running to the mailbox. However, I made the painful mistake of posting my costume on Instagram and making it public knowledge that I was doing the Disney Princess Half Marathon. So pride won and I got up at some god-forsaken hour to ride the monorail with all the other princesses to the start line of this death wish, I mean race.
I did see a girl with a boot on her foot and I thought, if she can do this, I certainly can. All I had to do was an 18-minute mile and not let the balloon people catch me. So at Disney, when you run a race, if you fall behind the 18 minutes per mile, they will give you a balloon and you're out. Well, I just knew I had to stay away from balloon people. When I say that I ran a half marathon, I am using that term very loosely. Crawl would be more accurate. However, I finished. I almost punched the person at the finish line trying to give me my medal because I was certain at that point that I was dying. I have never hurt so bad in my life and I couldn't move for three days. Hence, know your limits.
With that in mind, for those new to biohacking, starting small is often the best approach. First, if you make one change and track that change, you know the effect that change is having. Once you have that habit hammered down, add another. If I had to pick one habit to begin biohacking, it would be sleep optimization. Sleep hygiene is the foundation that all the other habits rest upon.
Tracking your progress using apps and wearable devices can provide valuable insight into how your body responds to different hacks. We cannot stop time, but we now know that we have more control over how we age than we once thought. There are hacks that will help keep you younger, and longer.
This statistic should concern every single listener. The National Center for Health's latest vital statistics reports an overall life expectancy in 2021 of 76.4 years. This is trending down. In 2020, it was 77.0 years. In 2019, it was 78.8 years. From 2014 to 2015, there was a decrease from 78.9 to 78.7. We haven't had strong numbers in almost 10 years. We are number 41 in the world. There are 40 countries with a life expectancy longer than the US life expectancy, even though we are number one in health dollars spent per individual. We spend an average of $12,914 per person per year. Whereas comparable countries spend an average of $6,125 per person per year. So we are spending $6,800 more per person per year and we are number 41. As a nation, we spend $2.3 trillion dollars on healthcare every year with declining outcomes. What a bargain. 2021 Vital Statistics Report
I do have good news. If you dare take control of your personal health, according to a study published in 2018, Harvard T. Chan School of Public Medicine found that lifestyle habits in adulthood may increase life expectancy in women by, are you ready? 14 years! And in men? by 12 years! Men and women who maintained the healthiest lifestyles were 82% less likely to die from cardiovascular disease, and 65% less likely from cancer. What were these low-risk lifestyle factors? Not smoking, low BMI, 18.5 to 24.9, partaking in 30 minutes or more of moderate to vigorous physical activity most days, about five per week. A healthy diet and moderate to no alcohol intake. I would say that these small biohacks are definitely worth incorporating.
“The Impact of Healthy Lifestyle Factors on Life Expectancies in the US Population,” Yanping Li, An Pan, Dong D. Wang, Xiaoran Liu, Klodian Dhana, Oscar H. Franco, Stephen Kaptoge, Emanuele Di Angelantonio, Meir Stampfer, Walter C. Willett, Frank B. Hu, Circulation, April 30, 2018, doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.117.032047
Biohacking Tailored to the Unique Health Needs of Women
We've defined biohacking, discussed the evolution of biohacking into the mainstream, and looked at just how transformative biohacking can be to overall health. Now we'll delve into the realm of biohacking tailored especially for unique health needs and concerns of women. So hop on board, and push that subscribe button, because we're about to embark on a journey to uncover some seriously empowering hacks to help you conquer life's ups and downs without all the unnecessary drama.
While many biohacking practices could benefit everyone, regardless of gender, women have added complexity. We experience puberty, menstrual cycles, pregnancy, breastfeeding, and menopause, all with very different biological needs. For women in their reproductive years, it's all about understanding the intricate dance our hormones love to do month after month.
Women have an infradian rhythm, which is a 28-day cycle on average that regulates a woman's menstrual cycle. It's also referred to as the body's second clock after the 24-hour circadian rhythm. Every day is different and that's why many of us, don't even know which personality we're going to wake up to each day. The infradian rhythm powerfully impacts six systems in women. The brain, metabolism, immune system, microbiome, stress release, and reproductive system. It is beneficial for women to understand how their body and brain will function at different points in their cycle and adopt appropriate diet, exercise, and work patterns that will support their infradian rhythm. As opposed to a same-thing-everyday lifestyle that seems to work well in male physiology. And this is why many more women suffer from hormone-related imbalances than men. Men can benefit from doing the same thing every day, but because our biochemical landscape is constantly changing, something that would suit us in the early follicular phase would stress us in the luteal phase, or during ovulation.
Wikipedia contributors. (2023, November 20). Menstrual cycle. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 04:42, November 20, 2023, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Menstrual_cycle&oldid=1185963793
When it comes to syncing biohacking with your menstrual cycle, it's all about timing, like planning the ultimate road trip. You want to make sure your body is on board for the journey. If you are practicing intermittent fasting, it's important to time it with your cycle. You'll find yourself often frustrated. Fasting should be for the follicular phase of your cycle which starts on day one of your period and ends at ovulation. Because it's more effective and well, just easier. You'll have more success. And in the luteal phase during ovulation, we need more nutrition, more calories, and more nourishment in general. We're hungry more often, and slightly depressed. And because our amazing bodies are at work building the lining of the uterus known as the endometrium, fasting is biologically counterintuitive. Reserve the feasting or your cheat days for the luteal phase where your body is craving a little extra love and nourishment and chocolate and salt. This is just a summary and there will be an episode dedicated to cycle mapping coming up soon.
Many of us are over-hydrated and dehydrated. Nope, I didn't make a mistake. Overrated while being dehydrated. Overhydration is too much water and it can cause the cells to become underhydrated by flushing out the electrolytes that actually get that water into the cells. By replenishing your electrolytes, you reduce the issue. When over-hydrated, you may notice heart palpitations. Add a tiny pinch of Himalayan pink salt to each glass of water you drink, particularly when working out. And this is also necessary when fasting and in ketosis or on a low-carb diet. When in a ketogenic state, the glucose levels are steady and lower, glucose attracts and holds fluids in the cells. So when in ketosis, you will urinate a lot. This results in a loss of electrolytes. So a pinch of Himalayan pink salt helps to hydrate cells by balancing the electrolytes. It is impactful for health and prevents excessive urination. There are also electrolyte supplements. And as with everything, don't go crazy. FYI, healthy adult kidneys can eliminate up to one liter or 0.2 gallons of water per hour. So don't drink more than your kidneys can eliminate. You can die from over-hydration just as dehydration.
For those of you thinking about embarking on the miraculous journey of motherhood, we will discuss tailored nutrition plans and stress-reducing techniques to help boost your fertility. And for all the women out there who are navigating the roller coaster of menopause, keep that curious mind engaged. My friends, it's your ticket to understanding and embracing the changes gracefully. Remember, each journey is unique. So layering up with practices that nurture both the body and mind is the ultimate key to sailing through these unchartered waters.
An interesting study from 2021 revealed that 73% of women reported that they were not currently treating their menopause symptoms, which include hot flashes, weight gain, difficulties with sleep, and night sweats, among others.
And a telling study from 2018 showed that nearly 80% of medical residents admit that they felt barely comfortable discussing or treating menopause. Yikes, that's a lot of residents. We will have an entire episode dedicated to menopause and hormone replacement therapy.
In the Misdiagnosis of Menopause, What Needs to Change?
Now it is time for:
Is It BIOHACKING or BIOWHACKING?
Have you ever tried taping your lips at night to promote nostril breathing? Committed mouth tapers claim that mouth taping at night will reduce snoring, improve sleep apnea, and can even change the shape of the face to a more attractive shape, improving the good bacteria in the oral microbiome, therefore decreasing dental caries, aka cavities, and decrease bad breath. Is this a hack or a whack?
I found two studies:
1. Lee Y C, Lu C T, Cheng W N, Li H Y. The impact of mouth-taping in mouth-breathers with mild obstructive sleep apnea: a preliminary study. Healthcare (Basel) 2022; doi: 10.3390/healthcare10091755.
2. Huang T W, Young T H. Novel porous oral patches for patients with mild obstructive sleep apnea and mouth breathing: a pilot study. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2015; 152: 369-373.
Now these are small studies that do support the claims, but proceed with caution. Do not tape your mouth fully closed with duct tape. Simply place a piece of medical-grade tape vertically in the central area of the mouth. Now many mouth-breathers begin taping when awake and train themselves to breathe through the nostrils. The jury's still out, but mouth-breathers swear by it. Let me know what you think by either dropping a comment. I'd love to hear about your experience with this.
Phew, with all this mind-bending info, it's no wonder we've got a whole lineup of episodes dedicated to each of these fantastic topics. Be sure to follow so you do not miss the upcoming episodes and exciting guest appearances from experts who have mastered the art of biohacking.
Before we go, let's not forget the “Holy Trinity of Health” - regular exercise, a balanced diet, and yes, you guessed it, enough sleep with or without tape. We have all heard time and time again that exercise, diet, and sleep are all important for our health. But research now shows that these habits are the best to nail down when it comes to aging well and even reversing your biological age, which is the age at which your cells are aging inside. So incorporating these habits can literally turn back the clock. So while they may sound like old advice, they are the cheapest and most effective ways to optimize health.
Join me on the next episode of M.D.IVA: Biohacking Your Feminine Potential where we will discuss the nutritional needs of women and how they differ from men.
DISCLAIMER: The content provided here is for informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. The information shared is not meant to replace professional medical guidance, diagnosis, or treatment. Listeners are encouraged to consult their personal healthcare professionals for advice and treatment plans tailored to their specific needs. The host does not assume any liability for the information provided in this podcast. Any actions taken based on the information presented are at the listener's own risk. Always seek the advice of a qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
