‘I attempted Bryan Johnson’s weird biohacking remedies and am blown away by how good I really feel’
Would you really want to live forever? If you ask Bryan Johnson, it’s a no-brainer. The billionaire oddball is determined to achieve immortality – and has thrown more time and cash at his goal than most of us will ever have spare.
The 48-year-old’s efforts have catapulted “biohacking” into the limelight. Also known as lifestyle optimisation, this growing movement ranges from simple wellness tracking to extreme anti-aging endeavours.
If you need an example, just look at Johnson himself. He’s tried magic mushrooms, swapped blood plasma with his 19-year-old son and now sleeps wearing a sensor on his penis to keep tabs on his night-time erections.
But do any of these treatments actually work? We sent 25-year-old Star man JOSHUA WHORMS to a biohacking lab for some answers…
If you’re hoping to turn back time, BIOGENA Store and Longevity Lab seems like the place to go. The wellness firm, based in central London, claims to provide all you need to become your new, superhuman self.
That obviously includes a range of supplements. But I’m here to try some of the high-tech, non-invasive treatments at their Regent Street site, which is dotted with “biohacking stations”.
There’s a huge range on offer, all of them linked to enticing health claims. I could leave here revitalised, free from brain fog and bursting with energy. It might just involve wearing an altitude training mask, or a compression suit designed to squeeze fluid from my tissues back into my bloodstream.
Josh goes through red light therapy(Image: Humphrey Nemar.)
Manager Klaudiusz Urbanski, 50, says customers have flocked to the spa-like facility since it opened in early August. They’re all looking for the latest “longevity treatment” that might improve their health.
“We offer touchless and also passive well-being treatments done by specialized equipment because we believe that this is the future,” he says. “It’s all about quality of life. It’s about your mental and physical performance.”
In his case, Klaudiusz explains, that means keeping the effects of his Lyme disease at bay. He swears by a range of biohacking treatments to alleviate his symptoms, which can include tiredness and muscle and joint pain.
Thanks to red light therapy and IHHT (Intermittent Hypoxia-Hyperoxia Training), he says his quality of life has improved.
Josh undergoes Intermittent Hypoxia-Hyperoxia Training(Image: Humphrey Nemar.)
“I feel great and it doesn’t really affect my daily life when it comes to brain fog, joint pain, or energy level. So I can say I’m just having a normal life.”
Joshua gets hacked
At 25 years old, I can’t say I want to get much younger. But having tried a few of the biohacking treatments at BIOGENA, I’m blown away at how good I feel.
My personal favourite is the red light therapy, which involves wearing goggles to lie down in a sunbed-style “cabin” and soak up the LED rays.
I’m not sure what to expect, but after 15 minutes I get up a new man. My mood is elevated. My brain fog has vanished. And my skin is glowing like I’ve just been kissed by the sun on a beach in the Caribbean.
Josh tries out a lymphatic drainage lower body suit(Image: Humphrey Nemar.)
According to the studies, red light makes your blood vessels dilate and improves your circulation. This is meant to allow more oxygen and nutrients to reach your tissues, boosting your energy.
I also have a go on a pelvic floor muscle trainer – a favourite of Bryan Johnson himself. This bizarre treatment involves sitting on a special chair with a Tesla coil underneath it, producing an electromagnetic field.
It causes your pelvic floor muscles, and other muscles in the lower body, to contract like they have a mind of their own. And at first, I must admit, it’s pretty jarring.
But after a few zaps, I start getting used to it. I get up after 15 minutes feeling like I’ve had a good workout, with no sign of the debilitating soreness that often accompanies leg day.
Because I haven’t used my own energy to get my muscles moving, I don’t feel fatigued at all. I haven’t exhausted my nervous system, or my mind, to push out “one more rep.”
Has it made me any younger? I’m not sure about that. But I’m certainly tempted by the thought of skipping leg day every week.
