Chock Full of Nuts

This week's blog was supposed to give an historical perspective about the Elixirs of Immortal Life found in different cultures around the world. And as so often happens, my research led me to something quite unexpected, a fast-growing chain of coffee shops based in California that caters to those looking to add extra energy to their day while improving the odds of living a long healthy life.

Bulletproof's heavenly elixir, which took the owner about six years and tens of thousands of dollars to perfect, features coffee with a dollop of butter from grass fed cows in it or a teaspoon of brain octane oil, which is similar to coconut oil and provides ketones or fat-energy to the brain. You can also order a cup with grass fed collagen protein and other upgrades that contribute to a feeling of immortality--at least for the day anyway.

However, there's more going on at these shops than just coffee.

The couch and chairs emit a gentle electromagnetic field to increase the blood flow in your body. Throughout the day, the shop’s lighting shifts the color spectrum to match your diurnal circadian rhythms. A long metal panel that’s been electrically grounded on the floor is designed to reduce inflammation that builds up from the rubber soles in most shoes.

Customers are also invited to stand on an elevated vibrating square pedestal near the cash register while waiting for their drink. The pedestal tricks the body into thinking it’s moving at 30 times the rate it actually is, making it an ideal spot to assume a quick lunge or yoga pose.

Further, all of the water used is purity-tested from an advanced water filtration system using coconut charcoal, which filters out the toxins and heavy metals, and controls the water alkalinity to enrich the flavor of your coffee.

Behind Bulletproof’s concept is the fairly new practice of Biohacking. It can best be defined as a do-it-your-self approach to manipulating your environment to get the best results possible from your body. Biohacking often takes place in small labs—mostly non-university where people get together to experiment with biology on the cheap.

That could mean figuring out how the DNA in plants affects their growth, how to manipulate genes from another source to make a plant glow in the dark, or hacking your own biology to gain control of systems in your body that you would never have access to. The research often is aimed at producing a product such as Bulletproof’s heavenly brew.

Learn More:

• https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/biohacking-care
  
• Silicon Valley's quest for immortality – and its worrying sacrifices
• Coffee shop becomes a haven for 'biohacking' movement
  
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elixir_of_life