Biohacking: a practice of listening and measurement

The origins of biohacking

The term “biohacking” appears as early as 1988 in the American press (Washington Post), around DIY biology. It became popular between 2000 and 2010 in Silicon Valley, at the crossroads of the Quantified Self — founded in 2007 by Gary Wolf and Kevin Kelly — and hacker culture. The founding idea: applying an engineer's approach to one's own body — measure, test, adjust.

Concretely, biohacking refers to the set of practices aimed at optimising biological, cognitive or emotional function, through targeted and measured interventions. This runs through nutrition, sleep, movement, light, breathing, but also technologies such as hyperbaric oxygenation.

Biohacking has evolved in three waves:

• The pioneers (2000-2010): forerunners who meticulously documented their parameters (blood glucose, heart rate variability, sleep).
• The lifestyle wave (2010-2020): popularisation through figures such as Dave Asprey, at times marketing-driven.
• The clinical phase (2020-today): integration into complementary medicine centres, with supervised protocols.

The boundary between biohacking and personalised preventive medicine is becoming blurred — and that is what makes the approach interesting when it is well supervised.

The three levels of biohacking

Not all the practices grouped under this term are equal. Three levels, from the most accessible to the most technical:

• Lifestyle. Regular sleep, morning exposure to natural light, minimally processed nutrition, exercise, stress management. Free, validated by decades of research, often the most powerful.
• Nutritional and nutraceutical. Intermittent fasting, targeted micronutrition, adaptogens. Guidance from a practitioner in complementary medicine ensures an adjusted dosage and consistency with your terrain.
• External care technologies. Hyperbaric oxygenation (HBOT), photobiomodulation, PEMF, heart coherence. The heart of current clinical biohacking, with a documented safety profile and supervision by trained professionals.

Serious biohacking starts with the basics and builds in complexity according to needs, under supervision as soon as clinical technologies come into play.

Three studied technologies: HBOT, PBM, PEMF

Three technologies stand out today as the pillars of clinical biohacking, because they benefit from a solid body of scientific evidence.

Hyperbaric oxygenation (HBOT)

HBOT involves breathing oxygen under pressure inside a chamber. This increases the oxygen dissolved in the plasma, promoting tissue regeneration, neurogenesis and reduced inflammation. A meta-analysis conducted on 11 Chinese clinical trials and 847 participants suggests benefits and good tolerance in the context of Alzheimer's (Lin et al., Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, 2024).

Photobiomodulation (PBM)

PBM uses red and near-infrared light to stimulate the mitochondria, the energy powerhouses of our cells. A 2025 umbrella review synthesising numerous randomised controlled trials notes evidence of a moderate effect on pain, fatigue and certain cognitive functions (Systematic Reviews, 2025). Studied benefits: muscle recovery, skin quality, cellular energy.

Pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMF)

PEMF devices emit low-frequency fields studied for their action on bone regeneration, recovery and pain. A meta-analysis of 14 trials on 618 participants with chronic low back pain (Sun et al., 2022, Clinical Rehabilitation) observed a benefit on pain. Uses in plastic surgery are also documented (Strauch et al., 2009, Aesthetic Surgery Journal).

These three technologies share measurable effects, good tolerance and the need for supervision to define indications and duration.

Biohacking and traditional Chinese medicine: a convergence

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and biohacking share the same philosophy: the body is a system, and health results from a balance between its parts. Where TCM speaks of Qi and meridians, biohacking speaks of heart rate variability, vagal tone and autonomic coherence. The concepts differ, the intuitions meet.

Acupuncture, for example, modulates the autonomic nervous system — something modern imaging and studies on the vagus nerve confirm. Now, most biohacking tools (heart coherence, cold exposure, nasal breathing) seek to act on this same system. Tradition and innovation target the same organ, by different paths.

In a well-designed journey, the two approaches complement each other:

• TCM establishes a global diagnosis (pulse, tongue, meridians) and rebalances over time.
• Biohacking brings objective measurements (biomarkers, functional tests) and targeted technologies to accelerate certain processes.

This convergence is Sammā's DNA: our Geneva centre starts from the principle that neither approach holds a monopoly on truth, and that their combination offers a complementary medicine more complete than the sum of its parts.

Biohacking in the Swiss landscape

Switzerland holds a particular place in the European landscape of complementary medicine. Since the 2009 popular vote enshrining complementary medicine in the Federal Constitution, institutional recognition is real, albeit regulated.

On the biohacking side, the ecosystem is structured around three types of players:

• Integrative medical centres. Led by complementary medicine practitioners, they offer advanced biological assessments, micronutrition and technologies such as HBOT or PBM.
• Recovery studios. Focused on sport, cryotherapy or muscle recovery.
• Longevity centres. Emerging, oriented towards prevention and quality of life.

In Geneva and French-speaking Switzerland, demand is growing strongly, driven by an active, educated population that is attentive to prevention. The HUG themselves have a hyperbaric medicine department, which testifies to the clinical maturity of certain technologies. Private centres, for their part, target prevention and longevity more.

The Swiss challenge is everywhere the same: to structure a supervised and documented offering that distinguishes what belongs to validated preventive medicine from what remains speculative.

Start with the fundamentals

Before considering optimisation technologies such as HBOT or photobiomodulation — always practised in a supervised setting — start with the fundamentals.

Step 1 — Secure the basics (0 to 3 months). Quality sleep, morning natural light, daily walking, minimally processed nutrition. Nothing spectacular, but the cumulative impact is enormous.

Step 2 — Measure before optimising (months 3 to 6). A thorough blood assessment (vitamins, minerals, hormones, inflammation) and monitoring of heart rate variability give an objective snapshot of your physiology. This is the key step of complementary medicine.

Step 3 — Introduce targeted protocols (months 6+). Breathing, heart coherence, then supervised technologies such as PBM or HBOT, according to the objectives: recovery, energy, cognition, inflammation.

Golden rules:

• One variable at a time.
• 4 to 6 weeks minimum before evaluating a protocol.
• A simple tracking journal (sleep, energy, mood).
• A professional framework as soon as clinical technologies come into play.

Well-run biohacking is not a sprint, it is a gradual learning of how your own body works.

What biohacking is not

Biohacking carries its share of clichés. A few points of clarification.

It is not science fiction. The technologies mentioned (HBOT, PBM, PEMF) have been used for decades in hospital settings. What changes is their democratisation in a preventive context.

It is not a substitute for medicine. Biohacking is part of a complement to medical follow-up. For any condition, medical advice remains essential.

It is not a quest for performance at any cost. Stacking ten protocols, sleeping five hours and relying on supplements to “compensate” is a misunderstanding.

It is not reserved for an elite. Most benefits come from free practices: sleep, light, breathing, food. Optimisation technologies are an accelerator, not a prerequisite.

It is not a promise of eternal youth. Serious studies speak of studied benefits — not miracles.

A good biohacker is an informed patient, who wants to understand their body and support it with method.

The Sammā approach

At Sammā, wellness technologies are part of a contemporary vision of health: preventing, recovering, maintaining one's vitality and supporting the body in its natural capacity to self-regulate.

HBOT, photobiomodulation, infrared or PEMF can be practised in occasional sessions, for those who wish to support their energy, recovery, mental clarity, sleep or overall balance. These approaches are aimed at people who consider their health as a resource to cultivate — not only when an imbalance appears, but also upstream, in a logic of maintenance and optimisation of well-being.

For patients followed in Chinese medicine, acupuncture or holistic care, these technologies can also be integrated into a more personalised journey. Depending on the terrain, the needs of the moment and the evolution of the sessions, the practitioner may recommend certain approaches to support the deeper work: recovery, regulation of the nervous system, physical comfort, vitality or skin quality.

The Sammā approach rests on a simple idea: choosing the right tools, at the right time, with precision. Each session can be a pause, a stimulation, a support or a step in a more global journey. The objective always remains the same: helping the body regain more balance, resilience and vitality.