Hi, it’s Kels ♥ Welcome to the club where we embrace life— one thought, one action, and one day at a time.
Today’s post shares approaches to ‘biohacking’ on a budget. If you just want the list, please scroll past my rant on this topic!!
It starts small:
a $50 supply of colostrum,
a $60 pre- and probiotic pill,
a $100 cold plunge / sauna session,
a $300 wearable health tracker,
a $500 all-inclusive blood panel,
a $650 red-light face and chest mask,
a $1500 grounding mat,
a $3000 full-body MRI.
Before long, biohacking/longevity/wellness influencers are selling us $200 community subscriptions, $7,500 clinic memberships and $2 million-a-year protocols.
All in the name of optimization and preservation: more energy, early disease detection, and longer lives.
What’s been created is a parallel healthcare system. One that feels like a holistic alternative to centralized medicine, but still thrives on consumerism, marketing, and privilege. It’s a system that taps into our distrust of “big pharma” by promoting natural derivatives that can’t be patented, only packaged. And provides access to imaging modalities that would otherwise be out-of-network or elective procedures.
This system is booming.
Wellness and supplement industries are capitalizing on America’s declining health, growing into a $9.7 trillion industry by 2029.
As if healthcare disparities weren’t already steep, now those with disposable income can buy their way to wellness via guided health tourism, full-body diagnostics, luxury recovery programs, and “routine” scans that cost more than the average rent payment.
To be fair, it’s not all snake oil. The decentralized wellness wave HAS:
Improved the sleep of millions (the cornerstone of wearables like the Oura Ring)
Saved lives with earlier detection (1 in 20 patients scanned by Prenuvo found something critical)
Unlocked population-scale insights (WHOOP published a new cardiovascular metric that fluctuates with menstruation)
With more than half of America experiencing a chronic disease - improving sleep and understanding of our bodies will undoubtedly improve society.
There’s a growing dogma now that pins wellness vs. medicine, decentralization vs. the collapse of traditional health systems. And with price tags so steep, “democratized wellness / health” is appearing like an oxymoron.
Once again, greedy systems promote gender, race, and economic health gaps.
However, there is hope.
With the growth of wellness, the rise of longevity clinics and functional medicine, which originated in academia and therefore, are more respected by centralized doctors, are beginning to bridge the gap.
Companies like LongevityDocs and institutes like Northwestern’s Longevity Lab illustrate the potential for healthcare systems to embrace full-body, proactive, holistic care.
As observed in most societal paradigm shifts, we will witness the overthrowing of old frameworks, a period of chaos and instability (now), and the forming of a new order.
Some systems will adapt and lead. Others will fall behind.
And in the meantime? Patients are stuck in the in-between, choosing between visiting a traditional doctor (or multiple) to piece together symptoms, or scrolling through TikTok for the next miracle supplement.
The truth is most people don’t have the time, energy, or expertise to decipher complex human physiology. So we trust what feels right or popular. We buy the pills, do the morning routines and call it prevention.
In all this noise, it’s hard to hear the signal. It’s hard to know what’s best.
(And what a ripe opportunity it presents for scientists, healthcare providers, social workers, etc. to educate their communities)
Real clarity (and true scientific evidence) requires something money can’t buy. It demands time.
Money can buy freedom and access. It can buy lab tests, concierge doctors, and expensive equipment. But it can’t compress the years required of a longitudinal study to put proof to the pudding of longevity. It also can’t buy lived experiences.
In the same regard, we’ve gotten used to buying our time with packaged solutions. We’ve gotten used to convenience - outsourcing our health, our nutrition, and even our thinking.
But as I connect the dots on all of this - maybe slowing down is the answer. Taking time to cook our food, soak up nature, and let ourselves feel is a common denominator in cheaper alternatives. This approach releases more dopamine too. It conserves more, it creates more, and it consumes less.
It’s gentler on our bodies and the planet.
What if we nourished and honored our biology instead of manipulating it?
We’re told that we’ll feel better if we buy more stuff.
I’m here to tell you that maybe there’s other options.
Here are some ways to achieve biohacking on a budget. (Reminder, this is not medical advice.)
1. Prebiotic & Probiotic Capsules → Fermented Foods at Home
Gut health is no longer taboo. We know that diverse microbiomes can promote easier digestion, better moods, and overall reductions in chronic diseases.
💊 Instead of: $30–$50/month for capsules
🥬 Try:
Store-bought sauerkraut, kimchi, kefir, yogurt ($0.30–$0.73/serving)
Or make your own with cabbage ($4–$8), salt & spices → cheaper, tastier, and low waste
2. Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) → Methylene Blue → Deep Breathing & Kundalini
Much of aging and disease is a result of oxidative stress and poor mitochondrial function. Oxygen therapies help restore homeostasis and cellular vitality.
Instead of: $95–$125 per HBOT session, or $2-50,000 chambers
🧪 Try: Methylene blue ($34 for 50mL) – enhances oxygen use
🧘 Or: Breathwork + Kundalini – free, powerful oxygen delivery
3. Electrolyte Packets → Dissolved Sea Salt Crystals
Electrolytes are essential for nerve function, hydration, and energy.
Instead of: Single-use, flavored packets with additives
🧂 Try: Bulk sea salt + trace minerals + squeeze of citrus
🥤 Or try something new like a trendy watermelon electrolyte beverage
4. Red Light Gadgets → The Sun
Red and infrared light promote cellular repair and hormone regulation. Sunlight gives you both, plus circadian alignment.
Instead of: $500–$2500 red light blankets, hats, or bulbs
☀️ Try: 10–20 mins of morning and afternoon sunlight – it’s free, and ancient
5. Grounding Mats → The Earth
We are electromagnetic beings. Contact with the Earth may be what your nervous system needs.
Instead of: $100+ grounding and PEMF mats
🌍 Try: Standing barefoot on soil, sand, or grass – simple, primal reconnection
6. Collagen Powders → Real Animal Products
Collagen is the most abundant protein in the human body, is electromechanical, and is key to connective tissue, bone, and muscle function.
Instead of: Processed powders that may be indigestible
🍖 Try: Bone broth, organ meats, skin-on poultry – nutrient-rich & whole-food
7. Wearable Devices → Spreadsheets, Pen & Paper
Tracking health data brings awareness, intention, and clarity to habits and symptoms.
Instead of: Oura Ring, Apple Watch + subscriptions
📝 Try: Track mood, sleep, and cycles with pen, paper, or Google Sheets
📈 Bonus: Use simple tools like a thermometer, HR monitor, or BP cuff as needed
8. Lymphatic Tools → Movement & Hands
Your lymphatic and fascial systems need movement to circulate, detox, and support immune function.
Instead of: $200+ lymph wands, gua sha sets, vibration plates
🕺 Try: Rebounding, walking, dry brushing, legs up wall, self-massage – move more, spend less
9. Cold Plunge → Cold Shower
Cold thermogenesis boosts metabolism, burns fat, crushes anxiety, and so much more.
Instead of: $50 sessions or $5,000 tubs
🚿 Try:
Cold shower
Face dunk in ice water
Swim in a lake/river/ocean
Chill your bedroom
Embrace cold weather
10. Popular Supplements → Real Food & DIYs
The body is wired to absorb nutrients from whole foods. While supplements can fill the gap of deficiencies in our food and from toxic overload, how do we know what we need if we haven’t fully tested our systems?
Instead of: Multiple bottles of capsules
🌿 Try:
Magnesium: Epsom salt bath or spray
Iodine: Seaweed
Potassium/Chloride: Fruits, coconut water, sea salt
I’m curious, what’s your favorite wellness hack for less? Let me know in the comments!
And if you’re reading this on Sunday, I hope you have a lovely week ahead!
Talk soon,
Kelsey
PS.
Thank you so much for being a reader!
You may know that this work is fueled by my free time and creativity.
If this content has helped you or resonates with you, I’d love to hear your support in the likes, comments, and replies.
If you feel so called, I’ve added a buy-me-a matcha button to support via a one-time payment instead of a subscription model!