Sun. Dec 22nd, 2024

Can We ‘Hack’ Our Bodies to Resist Heat Waves?<!-- wp:html --><p>Photo Illustration by Thomas Levinson/The Daily Beast/Getty</p> <p>Heat waves are undulating across swaths of the U.S. and around the world, causing <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/uk-just-smashed-a-heatwave-temperature-record-that-wasnt-supposed-to-happen-until-2050">record-breaking temperatures</a> and <a href="https://www.axios.com/2022/07/18/heat-wave-europe-death-toll">thousands of deaths</a>. Scientists predict that climate change will only make these waves more frequent and dangerous, particularly in regions where cooling infrastructure like <a href="https://www.technologyreview.com/2022/07/20/1056271/europe-heat-waves-air-conditioning/">air conditioning</a> isn’t widespread.</p> <p>Well, luckily (or unluckily), there is a contingent of biohackers who have a solution that doesn’t involve addressing the ongoing climate crisis. Their approach lies in raising our own tolerance to heat. Or, to poorly paraphrase Shakespeare: What if the fault were not in the sun, but in ourselves?</p> <p>Samuel Sanchez, a personal trainer and proponent of biological optimization, told The Daily Beast that he uses a number of methods to increase his and his clients’ heat tolerance. That includes exercising in bulky sweaters; spending time in infrared saunas; holding gel ice packs; and taking supplements of L-citrulline, an amino acid, to increase blood flow.</p> <p><a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/biohackers-are-looking-for-ways-to-cool-down-bodies-during-heat-waves?source=articles&via=rss">Read more at The Daily Beast.</a></p><!-- /wp:html -->

Photo Illustration by Thomas Levinson/The Daily Beast/Getty

Heat waves are undulating across swaths of the U.S. and around the world, causing record-breaking temperatures and thousands of deaths. Scientists predict that climate change will only make these waves more frequent and dangerous, particularly in regions where cooling infrastructure like air conditioning isn’t widespread.

Well, luckily (or unluckily), there is a contingent of biohackers who have a solution that doesn’t involve addressing the ongoing climate crisis. Their approach lies in raising our own tolerance to heat. Or, to poorly paraphrase Shakespeare: What if the fault were not in the sun, but in ourselves?

Samuel Sanchez, a personal trainer and proponent of biological optimization, told The Daily Beast that he uses a number of methods to increase his and his clients’ heat tolerance. That includes exercising in bulky sweaters; spending time in infrared saunas; holding gel ice packs; and taking supplements of L-citrulline, an amino acid, to increase blood flow.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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