Upgrade Labs Sixth Annual Biohacking Conference

In April I attended my first biohacking conference. For a health and wellness geek like me, this was like being a kid in a candy store. Not only did I get to attend lectures by some awesome experts and doctors, I also got to try out a bunch of different technologies and machines designed to improve how you feel, your health, and even how you age.  I’m going to give you an overview of some of the speakers and modalities I got to try.

The Awesomeness of Biohacking

Dave Asprey (the inventor of Bulletproof Coffee) puts on this incredible show every year.  And each day started with a visit to the Bulletproof Coffee Bar.

Arianna Huffington was one of the keynote speakers who talked about how technology addiction is destroying our empathy and ruining our relationships. Her new company Thrive Global is all about solutions to stress and burnout through science to enhance well-being and performance.

In between lectures, I’d visit the tech hall where I got to spend 30 minutes in an a hyperbaric oxygen chamber.  This chamber from Oxyhealth offers so many benefits including enhancing the body’s ability to repair and regenerate.

Dr. Frank Shallenberger spoke about the benefits of ozone therapy and mitochondrial function. The health of our mitochondria affects whether we will get a disease and how we age.

 Molecular Hydrogen

Another brilliant speaker I got to hear was Tyler LeBaron. Tyler spoke about all the benefits of molecular hydrogen. This is something I’m really excited about and actually use in my daily life. Molecular hydrogen is a gas which has benefits for over 170 diseases. It helps to combat oxidative stress and is one of the best antioxidants.

Breathwork

I started the second day of the conference with a breathwork session. Jon Paul Crimi lead us through a transformational session of 45 minutes. This was my second time ever doing breathwork, and, like the first, it didn’t disappoint. If you ever have a chance to try this amazing therapy, I highly recommend keeping an open mind and giving it a try.  All you have to do is lay there and breathe!

Just outside the Bulletproof Coffee bar was the Bulletproof Whole Body Vibration Plate. This device vibrates to stimulate the lymph system. It also provides a tough workout. I tried a few yoga balancing poses unsuccessfully and felt much more stable attempting a few push ups.

The DL on EMFs

Dr. Joseph Mercola was one of my favorite speakers on Day 2.  His talk “Why Your Phone May Be Killing You and How to Hack it” did not disappoint. He talked about how our cellphones are equivalent to cigarettes and are a class 1 carcinogen. The best way to avoid EMFs is to limit your exposure. Shielding devices can give us a false sense of security. Try hard wiring your house instead of WiFi, and think about turning off your cell phone unless you’re using it. He also mentioned how he hacks air travel by not eating, taking molecular hydrogen, and ketone esters.

One of the technologies I was really looking forward to trying was PEMF Therapy. PEMF stands for Pulsed Electromagnetic Field. My friend Chat has been raving about how PEMF has helped him so much, he’s stopped taking all his supplements. PEMF can help with pain, circulation, stress management, immune support, relaxation, sleep as well as energy level and metabolism. I sat down in one of Pulse Center’s chairs not expecting to feel more than a little electricity, but immediately I felt the pulses going directly to both of my elbows where I have tendinitis. I was amazed at how it could sense where my body needed help. I only sat for 20 minutes but could’ve easily spent an hour relaxing there. More of this may be in my future!

Dr. Dawn DeSylvia was another speaker I really enjoyed. Her talk about EMFs and 5G was very informative.  EMFs damage cell receptors and our brain causing us to be more addicted to technology. She talked about grounding and earthing as ways for us to mitigate some of this. Being outside in nature helps with our circadian rhythm and sleep. Sleep is the most important pillar for mental health and 90% of our health depends on sleep. One of the best quotes she cited in her talk comes from Einstein: “I fear our technology has surpassed our humanity.”

Biohack Your Travel

This Sleep Crown pillow actually came home with me. This pillow blocks out noise and light and makes falling asleep so much easier. The travel version pictured here, and I love it’s dark charcoal color, which ensures I won’t leave it behind in a hotel room. It also comes in a drawstring bag making it super easy to pack in my already crowded suitcase. As a flight attendant, this was a super easy sleep hack!

Jim Kwik was another speaker who I always enjoy. He talked about memory and technology. He gave some great tips on easy ways to remember names and lists without relying on technology. When was the last time you had a phone number memorized?

The last piece of technology I want to tell you all about is The Biocharger.  It’s a combination of red light therapy, PEMF, and rife therapy. This incredible machine recharges your body with four distinct energy fields proved to restore strength, stamina, coordination, and mental clarity. The Biocharger can be programmed for different “recipes” depending on what you want to focus on. There is even a special recipe designed for air travel! We sat there for about 30 minutes and each experienced a little different sensation from it. I felt warmth and relaxation while my friend Alex felt warmth and tingling throughout her body.

Some Delicious Treats

We had an amazing bulletproof lunch catered every day.  There was also some incredible food and drinks to try.  My favorite fun-guys Four Sigmatic were there with coffee, tea, and hot cacao samples. Speaking of hot cacao, Danette May lead us through a special cacao ceremony with her delicious and unbelievably healthy Cacao Bliss. Have you ever thought about caviar to increase your Omega-3’s? Imperia Caviar was there with generous sample tins to try.

In Summary

This entire conference was so fun and informative. I’m barely scratching the surface of all the speakers and technologies I got to experience. Some of the other speakers there were Martin Tobias, Naveen Jain, Dr. Amy Killen, Robert Richman, and Dr. Dan Siegel along with many more. There were so many other booths I wanted to try including cryotherapy, The Biomat, ARX, and quite a few more.

As always, I look for things to mitigate the negative effects of air travel, and so many of these machines do just that. My take aways were to avoid EMFs as much as possible, turn my phone off when I’m not using it, spend time in nature, and keep an open mind when it comes to new technology.

So much of what I saw and learned is next-level, cutting edge information that was just incredible to find all in one place. There were mediation, movement, and yoga classes every day. I also met some incredible, like-minded people who are all committed to learning about how to optimize and biohack our health. If you’re in the LA area, you can visit Upgrade Labs to try out some of the incredible biohacking tools I’ve mentioned above. I’m already planning to go to this conference again next year. Want to join me?

In Health,

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