BIOHACKING VERSUS MODERN MEDICINE

The biohacking market globally is forecasting 19% - 23.5% CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) over the next 5-10 years. That's huge. What's driving that growth?

If you're not familiar with the term, biohacking is when individuals take a greater interest in their own biology and use targeted methods to improve their personal health and wellbeing.

What's the difference to normal health and wellbeing you might ask? Personalisation and optimisation.

The model of modern medicine

Traditional medicine typically uses a very broad brush to help a very broad range of people target what is usually a very specific symptom...not cause.

To enter the kingdom of modern medicine, one typically requires a diagnosis of a specific disease state or condition, ie you must be 'unwell' and proven to be so.

Take type 2 diabetes as an example.

The disease itself is generally diagnosed after ongoing and undetected issues with insulin resistance (the body's inability to lower blood sugar levels despite elevated insulin levels). When the body loses sensitivity to insulin, and sugars are consumed, blood sugars rise and stay high. Over time, symptoms develop and a blood test confirms it.

At this point, modern medicine rides its white horse into the room. Treatment options are generally either artificially replace insulin, artificially increase insulin production (or secretion) or try to artificially reduce the body's resistance to insulin. Remember, the primary measure of type 2 diabetes is the symptom (elevated blood glucose), not the cause of the prolonged reduction is insulin sensitivity.

Type 2 diabetes is however reversible and preventable... but not by using medication...but by lifestyle modification. You see, the cause of type-2 diabetes is a reduction in insulin sensitivity. What causes a body to be less sensitive to insulin? Prolonged lack of exercise, weight gain (particular around the belly) and generally poor diet choices.

Interestingly, you don't need to be overweight to have insulin resistance. There's an increasing number of people with insulin resistance who are not overweight...not yet.

So treatment for type 2 diabetes is focused on treating the primary symptom of type 2 diabetes...not the cause.

Modern Medicine, has an "evidence-based treatments" fortress protecting it. Producing evidence to satisfy 'modern medicine' is expensive. The extensive research required typically targets interventions that help most people, with a specific measure/condition, most of the time.

With 46% of the population likely to develop at least one chronic disease, it's also a very, very profitable model...with very high barriers to entry.

Enter biohacking.

Biohacking on the other hand assumes that as an individual, you can consciously take back control of the factors that might influence your health in the first place. Not only to prevent disease, but to take you close to optimal health.

Biohacking typically targets the 'cause' of future disease, not the symptoms. It requires people to become more curious and invested in their own health. In short, you're working out how to optimise your biology to live better.

While the medical model separates the human into separate body systems or organs, biohacking tends to focus on treatments that work across systems. That's because biohackers are not focused on individual diseases, or disease in individual organs, but how to get the greatest benefit across systems from specific activities/intervention.

The healthy skeptic wonders why more money isn't invested in prevention strategies and optimisation strategies like biohacking? Well preventing disease has historically, not been lucrative. You do it once...that's all you can charge.

Symptom treatment on the other hand is highly lucrative and has an ongoing revenue stream...which is a great strategy...if you're selling treatment for symptoms.

The biohacking industry, while it's been around for a while now, is really ramping up. Why? Because many of us are now waking up and realising something we've always known...

...prevention is better than cure.

More than that, prevention is so much better than symptom management. Just ask users taking the new 'wonder-weightloss' drugs at the moment. Wouldn't energy, vitality, ability to run and play with your kids be better than an injection of drugs, diarrhoea, vomiting, nausea, obesity, lethargy, low self-esteem, risk of heart attack and early death?

While at Wellteam.me, we don't use the term 'biohacking'...it's what we do. The Wellteam Global Challenge is in essence a global biohacking competition. Wellteam itself is a global community (club) that aims to support, educate, guide and give people a safe and effective way to explore biohacking.

Soon we'll be introducing specific biological tests to help members determine and measure progress...using science, pathology and biology to validate that what you're doing is working.

Of course, biohacking isn't for everyone...the choice is yours...swallow the pill made for the masses...or hack your way to a sharper, clearer, calmer, stronger, fitter mind and body.

I chose biohacking years ago...I am now back in control of my mind and body.