Biohackers: eternal life is possible. But at what cost?

In recent decades, science has made serious progress in studying the aging process. But there are people who consider progress in this matter insufficiently effective and fear that they will not live to see the discovery of immortality. Therefore, they decided to rely only on themselves and take the decision into their own hands. Experiments on worms, toads, mice and monkeys are considered by these enthusiasts, who call themselves biohackers, to be the last century — they are given experiments on people, or rather on themselves.

There are many people in Russia who, for one reason or another, call themselves biohackers. But Denis Varvanets, a 28-year-old former psychologist, believes that only he and 20 of his like-minded people have the right to bear this proud name. This is not vanity — Denis and his comrades are the only people in the country who act in strict accordance with the latest scientific discoveries.

Biohacking implies mandatory reading of scientific articles and mandatory tests to control vital signs. Unlike biohackers, zozhniki, who simply lead a healthy lifestyle, do many interventions blindly.

This is how Denis describes the difference between people who take care of their health from biohackers who deal with themselves more radically. The guy believes that in order to effectively combat the aging process, you need to have maximum information about your body.

The Barbarian himself has undergone many different examinations, such as genetic, revealing a predisposition to diseases, instrumental examination of the brain, measuring the thickness of the intimo-medial layer of the carotid arteries and many other expensive and incomprehensible procedures to the uninitiated.

Moreover, he goes through all this regularly, adjusting his methods of combating the natural processes of extinction, in accordance with the latest information about his body and individual organs. The anti-aging program created by the young man and his colleagues is complex and constantly changing.

Denis tells reporters that one of the mandatory points of his program is the intake of magnesium, which is responsible for many important processes in the human body. He also takes acarbose, which slows down the splitting of carbon and the drug telmisartan, which reduces the likelihood of atherosclerosis.

Denis, who is looking for immortality, uses the achievements of modern electronics. He meditates daily, using special gadgets for this, and also performs transcranial brain stimulation. At least 5 times a week, a young transhumanist connects sensors to his head for 20 minutes, and conducts a brain training session using a computer, carefully monitoring the readings of an accurate device.

The self-taught person is not bothered by the fact that the device he uses is designed to treat depression — Denis is sure that with its help he has already managed to improve his memory by 20% and this is just the beginning. The biohacker has no doubts about the effectiveness and safety of technology — the equipment is made by order of the American military, and those know what they want from themselves and life.

A strict diet is also included in the program — no alcohol, flour and sweet. Needless to say that Denis not only does not smoke, but also does not happen in places where you can meet smokers. To protect himself from the negative effects of external environmental factors, Varvanets equipped his home with filters that perform fine air purification. Biohacker is engaged in interval running and protects himself from negative emotions.

And what do the representatives of official science think about this? The chief physician of the Scientific and Medical Gerontology Center, neurologist and geriatrician Valery Novoselov comments on the rapid activity of biohackers:

But what angers the scientist is not the experiments of transhumanists on themselves, but the fact that they actively promote their ideas, bringing them to the masses. Valery Novoselov notes that people like Denis have a very good gift of persuasion and many people are ready to follow his example.

It's sad, but sometimes a patient with a dangerous disease insists that he is healthy, and what is happening to him is the aging process. Such misconceptions can cost lives, as well as an uncontrolled fascination with serious medications.

But Denis's confidence that he is going the right way is absolute and he is not even confused by the fact that there is very little time left for normal human joys. A life on a schedule in which literally everything is placed on the altar of immortality - is this something that you want to prolong forever?