17 hours ago
From a coffin-like ‘gas chamber' to an ‘electric chair' – I tried 6 longevity treatments
I CLIMB into a coffin-like chamber and place a mask over my nose and mouth.
'In a few moments, it will fill with gas,' a woman in scrubs tells me.
The door slides closed and my heart starts pounding.
A few seconds pass and I just about manage to scream 'let me out' before hurriedly hauling myself out, gasping for air.
To me, this was torture. But thousands of people spend good money on it every week to help them live longer.
It's called hyperbaric oxygen therapy and it's said to 'heal you from the inside out'.
It's one of several 'biohacking' treatments on offer at bougie clinics worldwide.
I tried it out alongside six other longevity procedures.
I'm not afraid of ageing as such; I've never had Botox, and I don't knock back great handfuls of 'human enhancement' supplements daily.
However, I can't deny that the thought of an even creakier back, sagging jowls and developing dementia isn't slightly terrifying.
And with the state of my knees right now, I could probably do with a youthful boost.
Here's what I got up to…
Seven hacks to help you live longer
1. COMPRESSION THERAPY - £25 for 30 minutes
I'D seen photos of Jennifer Aniston wearing an 'age-defying' space suit on Instagram and was immediately intrigued.
Can a pair of padded trousers that squeeze your legs really smooth cellulite and slim your pins? Experts say they can.
'Compression therapy can improve blood circulation, decrease pain, and help you maintain your full range of movement, leaving you fresh and limber,' Nella, a nurse at Get A Drip in London 's Chelsea, tells me.
'It also boosts lymphatic drainage to move fluid away from swollen areas and reduce the appearance of cellulite. It's like having the best massage of your life.'
She zipped me into my power pants and I lay back and tried to relax for 20 minutes.
It felt kind of like a massage - though I stress the words 'kind of'. It was more like being squeezed by an inflating and deflating sleeping bag than gentle strokes.
Overall, it wasn't unpleasant; in fact I almost enjoyed it.
Sadly, though, I didn't walk out of the clinic with slender limbs like the Friends star!
At best, they simply felt a little less heavy.
2. HYPERBARIC OXYGEN THERAPY - £70 for 60 minutes
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APPARENTLY normal air isn't good enough. If you really want to live longer, you need to breathe in pure, 100 per cent oxygen.
When done in a pressurised chamber - that honestly looks exactly like a coffin - your lungs allegedly absorb it better.
This will, supposedly, help your tissues 'heal from the inside out and your white blood cells fight infections'.
Nella also informs me I may notice increased energy levels, mental clarity, and reduced pain - so I practically jumped into the chamber!
Sadly, I didn't make it any further than her closing the door on me.
I'm not claustrophobic per se, but after discovering there would be a 10-minute delay should I press the panic button and want to get out, I freaked out and gave it a miss.
'The chamber needs to depressurise,' Dr Mohammed Enayat, longevity expert and founder of the HUM2N clinic, says.
'This is critical for your safety. When you're in a hyperbaric chamber, your body absorbs oxygen at higher pressures.
'If you exit too quickly, the rapid pressure change can cause dissolved gases in your body (like nitrogen) to form bubbles, leading to decompression sickness.'
3. CRYOTHERAPY - £40 for 15 minutes
CRYOTHERAPY exposes the body to incredibly cold temperatures - like an extreme ice bath, just without the water or ice.
And it felt exactly as you'd expect it would - bloody freezing!
The treatment is loved by celebs - from Daniel Craig to Jessica Alba and Cristiano Ronaldo to Usain Bolt - and is said to reduce stress, improve sleep, lessen anxiety, and boost your metabolism, even after a single session.
Scientists at the University of Physical Education in Krakow, Poland, found 20 three-minute whole-body cryotherapy sessions significantly reduced BMI, abdominal fat and total fat mass, and a study published in Medical Hypotheses theorised that it could even help prevent Alzheimer's.
My whole body was tingling and shaking, and by the time my 90 seconds was up, I actually thought my skin might fall off
Alice FullerHealth features editor
Cryotherapy is carried out in a kind of shower cubicle, with just your head left sticking out of the top.
I was handed a pair of thick gloves, thermal shoes and a t-shirt and sports bra before being given the details of my punishment - sorry, treatment.
'The chamber will begin at -85C and drop to -110C,' nurse prescriber Kornelia tells me.
It was already cold when I stepped inside, but wow, I soon realised that was nothing.
My breathing quickened and I found myself squealing as I tried not to watch the number on the screen.
There is no other way to describe it - it was Baltic!
My whole body was tingling and shaking, and by the time my 90 seconds was up, I actually thought my skin might fall off.
But of course, it didn't. And I've got to say, I felt invigorated afterwards.
It was as if I'd downed an energy drink and I left the booth bouncing - it was definitely my favourite of the bunch!
4. PELVIC FLOOR CHAIR - £125 for 30 minutes
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'SIT back, relax, and let the chair do the work,' Kornelia tells me.
Easier said than done when I'm essentially about to be electrocuted in my privates!
But I push aside any doubts, and try to relax as my seat slowly starts to zap me.
I'm perched on what's known as a 'kegel throne', which is designed to 'improve muscle tone and enhance your pelvic floor function'.
Essentially, it should help prevent incontinence, erectile dysfunction and difficulty orgasming.
'For women, it's often used for postpartum recovery and menopause-related muscle weakening, and for men, it's great for supporting recovery from prostate surgery,' Dr Enayat says.
'Neglecting pelvic floor health can lead to pelvic organ prolapse with organs like the bladder, uterus, or rectum descending into or outside of the vaginal or rectal area, causing discomfort and functional problems.
'It can also reduce sexual sensation and satisfaction.'
DITCH hot showers in the morning, eat more cheddar at lunchtime, and wear earplugs at night - if you want to live longer that is.
Some simple daily lifestyle tweaks is all it takes to de-age your face and body.
At least that's according to two self-professed longevity experts whose goal is to reduce their biological ages and add years to their lives (and other people's).
Dr Mohammed Enayat, GP, 'human optimisation doctor' and founder of HUM2N, tells Sun Health: 'Put simply, longevity refers to the ability to live a long life.
'However, it's important to note that it encompasses more than just living to an old age; it also implies maintaining good health, vitality, and quality of life.
'Longevity is influenced by a variety of factors, including genetics, lifestyle choices, environmental factors, access to healthcare, socioeconomic status, and cultural practices.
'While genetics play a significant role in determining lifespan, diet, exercise, stress management, social connections, and preventive healthcare measures also have a profound impact.'
Leslie Kennedy, founder of Oxford Healthspan who is 59 but claims to have a biological age of 21, adds: 'My life took a dramatic turn in my 30s when I was diagnosed with lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, and Hashimoto's thyroiditis; I was told I had just five years to live and to give up on having children.
'Refusing to accept this, I went on a health journey of my own and learnt about biohacking.
'I am grateful for medicine, but I think that we patients need to meet our doctors halfway, and that in some cases, we can go even more than halfway by changing our lifestyles.
'That's when I began to do experiments on myself - altering my diet, exercise routine, sleep habits, and all of those things together have combined to put my body back in balance.
'Biohacking isn't actually about living the longest; most of us don't actually want to live forever.
'It's about maximising our health span - the amount of time we are in good health - because everyone wants to live a life where they can be fully and independently engaged with their family, friends and community, while feeling energetic and excited to be alive.'
Despite a rise in bougie clinics offering longevity treatments costing upwards of £25,000, and people like Bryan Johnson spending $2million a year on trying to live forever, both reckon you can actually biohack your health on a budget.
Here's where they'd suggest you start…
6am - a cold shower
7am - get some morning sun
8am - go for a walk
9am - eat breakfast
11am - bend your knees
12pm - stop drinking caffeine
1pm - have mature cheddar with your lunch
3pm - de-stress with some meditation
5pm - socialise without alcohol
6pm - visit a sauna
7pm - have a stretch
8pm - avoid all blue light
9pm - journal
10pm - go to bed
You can read more about each step in the anti-ageing routine here.
My treatment began with an 'awakening phase' to gently contract the muscles.
This was very subtle, and I almost asked Kornelia to turn the power up.
But after a few minutes, the 'stimulation phase' started and I was glad I didn't!
It doesn't hurt, but it feels tingly, like a sharp zap, so it made me jump a bit.
I don't ever do pelvic floor exercises, but half an hour on this chair is said to be equivalent to doing 10,000!
5. RED LIGHT THERAPY - £55 for 15 minutes
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STUDIES show that red light can improve the skin's appearance.
It allegedly reverses the age of the body's cells and increases cell turnover, reduces wrinkles, minimises acne, boosts collagen production, enhances elasticity, and fades scars and stretch marks. I'm sold!
I'm staunchly anti- sunbed, so alarm bells started ringing when I saw where I'd be lying for my 22-minute treatment looked exactly like a tanning bed.
But my therapist assured me that red light therapy, also called photobiomodulation, does not use harmful ultraviolet rays - a form of radiation found in tanning booths and sunlight that can lead to skin cancer.
Instead, it uses 'perfectly safe' low wavelength red light that exposes you to low levels of red and near-infrared light.
'It's fundamentally different, using non-UV light which is non-invasive, pain-free, and doesn't damage the skin,' Dr Enayat says.
Infrared saunas can help lower blood pressure, increase metabolism and weight loss, promote a clearer complexion and improve sleep
Dr Mohammed EnayatLongevity expert
I stripped down to my swimming costume - though I'm told the more naked you are, the better - and climbed into my glowing bed.
Unlike the hyperbaric oxygen therapy chamber, the lid on this one doesn't fully close and you can lift it up at any time, so I didn't feel trapped.
It was mildly warm and somewhat relaxing.
I got a little bit bored, and the goggles they give you to wear dug in slightly (though they're definitely needed as it was so bright it hurt my eyes, even when they were closed!).
My skin was noticeably more glowing that afternoon, but Kornelia I should have three to five sessions a week if I really want to see a difference.
6. INFRARED SAUNA - £50 for 30 minutes
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TRADITIONAL saunas warm the air around you; infrared ones heat you up from the inside out.
'The heat will slowly build up throughout your session rather than hitting you as soon as you step inside,' Nella tells me.
And she was right. I usually hate saunas and run out of them within five minutes, but I found I managed to stay in this glowing red one for almost 20!
Instead of being 60C to 90C, my glass box averaged 55C.
I was definitely sweating by the end, but my skin wasn't its usual sauna-induced blotchy pink.
I also didn't feel as drained and dehydrated as I have done after saunas in the past.
Infrared light is a type of energy our eyes can't see. Instead, our body feels it as heat.
'This is then absorbed by the surface of the skin, and has several longevity-promoting benefits, including detoxification, lower blood pressure, increased metabolism and weight loss,' Dr Enayat says.
'It can also be used for pain relief by relaxing tissues and decreasing inflammation, as well as promoting a clearer complexion by improving blood flow and encouraging collagen production, and improving sleep.'
Studies on the benefits are limited, but researchers at the University of North Alabama found infrared saunas could reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes in people with high-stress jobs.
