1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:08,300 So, our next speaker is a biohacker, a blogger, body mod artist, and a nurse. He's 2 00:00:08,300 --> 00:00:15,480 collaborated on projects ranging from insufferable peptides that extend REM sleep all the way to 3 00:00:15,480 --> 00:00:24,640 non-Newtonian armor implants. He actually hosts the annual event Grind Fest in Tecachapi, 4 00:00:24,640 --> 00:00:33,900 California. I probably butchered that. I apologize. I chew. I'm sorry. A little fun fact 5 00:00:33,900 --> 00:00:40,940 about him, he actually placed third in the biohack village oxytocin poker tournament and he 6 00:00:40,940 --> 00:00:48,680 performed an implant on transhumanist presidential candidate Zoltan Isvan. Now, here to present 7 00:00:49,360 --> 00:00:54,540 his talk on biohackers die, ladies and gentlemen, Jeffrey Tibbetts. 8 00:01:00,360 --> 00:01:02,800 All right. I'm the first one to try out this mic, so. 9 00:01:03,920 --> 00:01:10,740 It's good? Awesome. Okay. So, how's it going? I'm a biohacker and I have done a few high 10 00:01:10,740 --> 00:01:15,180 profile grinds. Okay. So, a number of people in this room and I were on an MTV show snorting a 11 00:01:15,180 --> 00:01:20,800 peptide called VIP that rat models have shown can radically alter circadian rhythms. It didn't 12 00:01:20,800 --> 00:01:24,540 do much to our sleep cycles, but we did find that it seriously boosted visual memory function 13 00:01:24,640 --> 00:01:28,540 on two methods of testing. We're still crunching the numbers on that study, but I think I had a lot 14 00:01:28,540 --> 00:01:32,800 more fun last DEFCON where we all snorted the oxytocin. That's the so-called trust or bonding 15 00:01:32,800 --> 00:01:38,000 hormone. And we did this up in a hotel room and then competed in a poker tournament. I've also 16 00:01:38,000 --> 00:01:42,460 done some pretty cool work with nerve growth factors. And we found that introducing NGF at 17 00:01:42,460 --> 00:01:46,400 the point of incision when implanting a magnet actually increases sensitivity and provides a 18 00:01:46,400 --> 00:01:51,240 better result in terms of ability to perceive fields. So, essentially, where groups like 19 00:01:51,240 --> 00:01:54,300 Grindhouse Wetware or CyberEyes or Dangerous Things are, 20 00:01:54,640 --> 00:01:58,760 are focusing really on creating technology to place in the body, my focus tends to be on ways to 21 00:01:58,760 --> 00:02:03,920 alter a person's physiology or anatomy, which is basically the antithesis of my day job. As a 22 00:02:03,920 --> 00:02:08,440 registered nurse in an ER, my objective is bringing people back into normal limits. I'm fortunate 23 00:02:08,440 --> 00:02:11,820 that I still get to be involved in it with all the cool new devices being developed because you 24 00:02:11,820 --> 00:02:16,840 always need someone willing to cut you open and shove things inside. So, let's see if this is 25 00:02:16,840 --> 00:02:20,500 actually going to work. Hey, okay. So, I've done hundreds of procedures at this point, ranging in 26 00:02:20,500 --> 00:02:24,160 complexity from the quick poke of an ARFID injector, like you see Zoltan getting here, 27 00:02:24,640 --> 00:02:31,520 to bilateral armor implants running the length of the recipient's chins. As far as I can tell, 28 00:02:31,560 --> 00:02:36,240 everything I do is legal and falls under laws pertaining to body modification. I mean, I think 29 00:02:36,240 --> 00:02:40,740 it's legal. Of course, saying something's legal doesn't necessarily mean it's safe, which is the 30 00:02:40,740 --> 00:02:44,560 focus of what I'm going to talk about today. I've been active in the grinding community pretty much 31 00:02:44,560 --> 00:02:48,740 since its exception, and it's only lately that I've really been willing to admit, even to myself, 32 00:02:48,940 --> 00:02:54,240 that someone's going to die, okay, and something's going to go wrong and somebody will die. 33 00:02:56,080 --> 00:03:03,280 Cool. Okay. So, grinders are commuted to radically altering the body. And so, sometimes it's 34 00:03:03,280 --> 00:03:08,100 treatments like transcranial magnetic or direct current stimulation, or it could be through the 35 00:03:08,100 --> 00:03:13,100 use of previously untested chemicals like VIP. Often, it takes the form of implanted devices. 36 00:03:13,860 --> 00:03:17,820 All these approaches come with risks. What I'm going to focus on today is why, despite all the 37 00:03:17,820 --> 00:03:19,880 risks being taken, a grinder hasn't died yet. 38 00:03:25,340 --> 00:03:29,360 All right. If you didn't know about Tim Cannon and Circadia prior to this DEFCON, I'm sure you know 39 00:03:29,360 --> 00:03:33,520 now. People have had a lot to say about his project, and not all of it was positive. I'm going to read 40 00:03:33,520 --> 00:03:39,880 three comments that I found about Tim. So, I guess, if you want flesh-eating bacteria, sepsis, and 41 00:03:39,880 --> 00:03:45,000 such, get one stuck in your body at a chop shop. This comment, the assumption underlying this type 42 00:03:45,000 --> 00:03:49,560 of comment is that we're all incompetent, and with a total disregard for sterile technique and 43 00:03:49,560 --> 00:03:54,540 safety. Trust me, this isn't the case. I don't know why, but media folk love to record our 44 00:03:54,640 --> 00:03:58,840 arguments and family drama, but they always stop recording during the hours spent cleaning and auto-claving. 45 00:04:01,480 --> 00:04:05,660 You idiots need to look more into potential side effects prior to doing these things. So, on top of being 46 00:04:05,660 --> 00:04:10,140 incompetent, we're also totally ignorant. Despite the months, and in some cases, even years that we spend on 47 00:04:10,140 --> 00:04:15,680 projects, people assume we know nothing at all. And once again, this is not the case. That's my favorite. 48 00:04:16,800 --> 00:04:20,300 Yeah, when it comes to something like cutting somebody's body open, skin open, and putting some foreign 49 00:04:20,300 --> 00:04:23,880 object under the skin, then it should be done by professional people, not just people at home. 50 00:04:24,640 --> 00:04:29,700 I like this one because it acknowledges that, yes, somewhere out there has the skill to do this stuff, but it's not us, right? 51 00:04:30,220 --> 00:04:35,540 I think the best way to address these concerns is by showing exactly how much knowledge and skill goes into even the most 52 00:04:35,540 --> 00:04:41,340 basic of procedures. So, first off, yes, there are grinders that are performing procedures in their garages, okay? 53 00:04:41,460 --> 00:04:49,420 Let's take a look at one. It's kind of cut off, but still, as you can see on the slide, all of the walls are non-porous. 54 00:04:49,420 --> 00:04:54,620 They're wipeable. There's a HEPA-filtered air supply. There's overhead surgical lighting and air 55 00:04:54,620 --> 00:05:00,080 ventilation. There's also a non-porous, wipeable procedure chair. Off to the left, where you can't see, there's a scrub sink. 56 00:05:00,280 --> 00:05:07,940 There's a patient monitor. There's an electrosurgical unit over stuck in the corner, an IV pump. There's a biohazard disposal bin, a sharps 57 00:05:07,940 --> 00:05:15,240 disposal bin. I'm still working on putting in oxygen and an air supply. Yes, this garage is not on par with an OR found in a hospital, 58 00:05:15,420 --> 00:05:21,340 but it's better than most procedure rooms that you find in clinics, to be honest, okay? And the most important aspect of this entire room, 59 00:05:21,400 --> 00:05:24,000 though, is that it's designed to be easily cleaned. 60 00:05:24,700 --> 00:05:29,240 Okay, and cleanliness is usually a critic's first point of contention. Clean is not good enough, right? 61 00:05:29,880 --> 00:05:35,300 Contrary to popular belief, operating rooms are not sterile. The best you can hope for is disinfected. People mix up all the time. 62 00:05:35,440 --> 00:05:43,300 Sterilization and disinfection and antisepsis. So, antiseptics are cleansers that reduce the number of pathogens on the skin. 63 00:05:43,680 --> 00:05:51,320 Grinders use either a mixture of 70% alcohol with a 4% chlorhexidine gluconate or a podone iodine 12% to disinfect the incision site. 64 00:05:51,520 --> 00:05:54,120 Either works. I prefer chlorhexidine because it has a residual action. 65 00:05:54,620 --> 00:05:59,860 Okay, in terms of disinfectants, they are chemicals which kill the majority of infectious agents on a surface. 66 00:06:00,040 --> 00:06:07,200 We use a 1 to 10 dilution of bleach for surfaces and quaternary ammonia for more delicate items like equipment and tubes and cords and things, right? 67 00:06:07,500 --> 00:06:12,060 In terms of sterilization, this is, sterilization is the elimination of all life. 68 00:06:12,240 --> 00:06:15,660 You've got to sterilize anything that touches the incision site, like tools and gauze. 69 00:06:15,780 --> 00:06:23,240 This is my Ritter M9022. Works by bringing tools to 121 celsius at a pressure of 15 psi for 30 minutes. 70 00:06:25,780 --> 00:06:29,600 So, of course, just having these tools and supplies doesn't mean you're using them right. 71 00:06:29,920 --> 00:06:33,080 And someone could totally still claim that we're incompetent based off of this. 72 00:06:33,160 --> 00:06:42,940 But if I took the time to really explain how to scrub in and disinfect the environment and, you know, the use of the ultrasonic baths and enzymes and protectants prior to autoclaving, we'd never actually make it to my point. 73 00:06:43,080 --> 00:06:45,280 So, we are using them correctly. 74 00:06:46,460 --> 00:06:48,780 So, really, I mean, are we competent? 75 00:06:48,940 --> 00:06:54,600 I know we're competent as the guys working in the hospital OR because I know those guys and I was trained by those guys. 76 00:06:54,620 --> 00:06:56,420 And are we ignorant? 77 00:06:56,720 --> 00:07:00,220 Well, I guess the question I have is why aren't operating rooms sterile? 78 00:07:00,700 --> 00:07:10,700 There was a grinder project a few years back where some people made a chamber and the recipient would place his hand in the box and the whole procedure was performed by an artist reaching through this, like, gloved aperture, right? 79 00:07:10,800 --> 00:07:16,140 They would fill the entire chamber with a vaporized disinfectant, like, immediately before doing the procedure, right? 80 00:07:16,220 --> 00:07:17,560 I couldn't find a picture of this. 81 00:07:18,480 --> 00:07:22,960 But what I did find a picture of, though, if it works, come on. 82 00:07:23,680 --> 00:07:24,420 Yeah, okay. 83 00:07:24,620 --> 00:07:25,460 Oh, too far. 84 00:07:27,900 --> 00:07:28,440 There we go. 85 00:07:28,780 --> 00:07:34,900 This is a hydrogen peroxide vapor system being made by a company called BioQoil and it's being trialed at John Hopkins. 86 00:07:35,540 --> 00:07:37,260 I'd say no, we're not ignorant. 87 00:07:37,380 --> 00:07:42,340 On the contrary, we're right at the forefront if not beyond what the medical field is already doing. 88 00:07:42,620 --> 00:07:44,700 I mean, this is being trialed at John Hopkins. 89 00:07:44,900 --> 00:07:47,880 We had a few years back someone already trying the same type of idea. 90 00:07:49,660 --> 00:07:51,760 Okay, anyways, our next consideration is analgesia. 91 00:07:51,860 --> 00:07:53,740 I can't use some of the methods because of where I live. 92 00:07:53,740 --> 00:07:55,200 But plenty of grinders can and do. 93 00:07:55,400 --> 00:08:03,900 The gold standard is infiltration of lidocaine because a lot of procedures we do are in distal areas with poor circulation. 94 00:08:03,940 --> 00:08:06,220 We use 2% lidocaine without epinephrine. 95 00:08:06,480 --> 00:08:09,980 Epinephrine is great in other areas because it constricts blood flow. 96 00:08:10,100 --> 00:08:14,660 And this keeps the lidocaine in the area longer and it actually decreases bleeding. 97 00:08:14,820 --> 00:08:19,160 So like in fingers and ears, though, it can restrict blood flow enough to cause necrosis. 98 00:08:19,580 --> 00:08:21,280 So we're doing a technique. 99 00:08:21,480 --> 00:08:23,480 Generally, most grinders are using techniques. 100 00:08:23,480 --> 00:08:24,600 Yeah, there we go. 101 00:08:25,220 --> 00:08:27,300 Called a flexor tendon sheath nerve block. 102 00:08:27,720 --> 00:08:32,940 That's where you take a 25-gauge needle and you insert it at about 45 degrees just distal to the palmar crease. 103 00:08:33,340 --> 00:08:36,820 Okay, this blocks pain throughout the entire finger for as long as an hour and a half. 104 00:08:37,280 --> 00:08:41,840 In places where we can't use infiltration, people usually opt for a topical lidocaine gel. 105 00:08:42,080 --> 00:08:45,700 5% gel applied for an hour and a half can provide a degree of analgesia as well. 106 00:08:46,440 --> 00:08:50,060 I feel personally that this method takes too long and people still complain of pain. 107 00:08:50,480 --> 00:08:51,980 This is an issue in medicine as well. 108 00:08:52,140 --> 00:08:53,460 A few people like getting stuck with an IUD. 109 00:08:53,460 --> 00:08:58,020 There is a product called Emlacreme, which can be applied beforehand and nub the site. 110 00:08:58,360 --> 00:09:01,720 The problem, though, is it takes so long to be effective, physicians seldom even bother with it. 111 00:09:02,160 --> 00:09:04,260 Some kids sometimes get it, but that's about it. 112 00:09:04,840 --> 00:09:09,100 So we've been trialing a method of administration called ionophoresis. 113 00:09:10,320 --> 00:09:15,240 Ionophoresis uses 120 milliamps to actively push lidocaine through the skin. 114 00:09:15,580 --> 00:09:20,540 Using ionophoresis, we've gotten far better control of pain in as little as 30 minutes. 115 00:09:20,540 --> 00:09:23,980 And this is something I've never heard of actually being used in the medical field. 116 00:09:25,120 --> 00:09:27,500 So once again, are we competent? 117 00:09:27,620 --> 00:09:31,500 Yeah, we're using the same methods, the same safe methods that you'd find in a hospital setting. 118 00:09:31,800 --> 00:09:32,800 And are we knowledgeable? 119 00:09:32,900 --> 00:09:34,400 Yeah, we're actually pushing beyond. 120 00:09:34,480 --> 00:09:35,740 We're innovating at this point. 121 00:09:36,500 --> 00:09:39,280 In terms of controlling bleeding, we control bleeding with tourniquets. 122 00:09:39,700 --> 00:09:42,240 Did you know first aid kits don't even come with tourniquets anymore? 123 00:09:42,500 --> 00:09:45,660 The improper use of a tourniquet can lead to some really serious problems. 124 00:09:46,460 --> 00:09:50,020 These problems are usually because of either too much pressure or leaving them on for too long. 125 00:09:50,540 --> 00:09:54,540 For a procedure like a magnet, though, we don't have to worry about pressure if we use a product intended for fingers. 126 00:09:55,000 --> 00:09:58,780 Devices like T-rings, this is a T-ring, they apply less force than a traditional tourniquet, 127 00:09:58,900 --> 00:10:01,260 and they let us work without blood to obstruct our view. 128 00:10:01,900 --> 00:10:14,200 In terms of time, you don't even get a change in your lab values indicating muscle damage has occurred until about the 30-minute mark. 129 00:10:14,380 --> 00:10:17,560 And two hours is considered the point at which lasting damage starts to occur. 130 00:10:18,160 --> 00:10:20,520 Most procedures, we do take maybe 10 minutes. 131 00:10:21,580 --> 00:10:24,800 And for more invasive procedures, we do use surgical tourniquets. 132 00:10:24,820 --> 00:10:26,460 This approach requires a lot more specialized knowledge. 133 00:10:27,240 --> 00:10:30,220 We have to pay attention to details like the proper limb occlusion pressure, 134 00:10:30,580 --> 00:10:32,800 and we have to be really careful about recording time. 135 00:10:33,160 --> 00:10:36,160 I'm going to skip over those details pretty much in the name of brevity, 136 00:10:36,300 --> 00:10:40,180 but I don't want you to confuse this omission as being due to incompetence or ignorance. 137 00:10:40,940 --> 00:10:43,840 So where are we? We have a disinfected procedure area and sterile tools. 138 00:10:44,040 --> 00:10:46,220 We have a clean procedure site and clean hands. 139 00:10:46,340 --> 00:10:49,540 We're pain-free. Bleeding is controlled, so we must start cutting. 140 00:10:51,600 --> 00:10:52,360 Where do we cut? 141 00:10:53,160 --> 00:10:56,040 The priority, of course, is avoiding blood vessels and nerves. 142 00:10:56,500 --> 00:10:58,540 Then we worry about trying to minimize scarring. 143 00:10:58,940 --> 00:11:02,680 In terms of, let's see, skin has a grain, kind of like how wood does. 144 00:11:03,220 --> 00:11:06,680 The collagen fibers are naturally oriented in one direction called Langer's lines. 145 00:11:07,420 --> 00:11:11,040 You can get these really cool topological maps showing the direction of collagen. 146 00:11:11,420 --> 00:11:14,560 You also have to take into consideration the direction of maximum skin tension. 147 00:11:14,880 --> 00:11:17,860 This is a different set of anatomical skin lines called Krasel's lines. 148 00:11:18,240 --> 00:11:20,520 Plastic surgeons usually place incisions that are parallel to each other. 149 00:11:20,520 --> 00:11:22,140 They're parallel to relaxed skin tension lines. 150 00:11:22,360 --> 00:11:23,740 Those are known as Borge's lines. 151 00:11:25,100 --> 00:11:28,340 Unless there's a nearby natural wrinkle that would hide your incision instead. 152 00:11:29,600 --> 00:11:33,520 Basically, choosing an incision site to maximize aesthetics is more difficult than you would think. 153 00:11:34,260 --> 00:11:41,040 For example, I switched out a North Star implant for my friend, Bird. 154 00:11:41,220 --> 00:11:42,340 She's in the back right here. 155 00:11:42,480 --> 00:11:46,120 When we switched out the North Star, oh, by the way, she really digs scars anyways, 156 00:11:46,300 --> 00:11:48,720 and she explicitly gave me the okay to try a different approach. 157 00:11:49,260 --> 00:11:49,660 Anyway. 158 00:11:49,660 --> 00:11:52,960 I incised parallel to Langer's lines, hoping to minimize the scarring on her hand. 159 00:11:53,580 --> 00:11:55,800 I didn't really account for the tension on the skin. 160 00:11:56,040 --> 00:12:00,700 When it was healing, whenever she'd move her hand around, it was pulling on the incision site. 161 00:12:02,740 --> 00:12:07,160 Basically, because I didn't account for the tension on the skin, it was constantly pulling. 162 00:12:07,380 --> 00:12:10,740 I was really disappointed because the incision ended up scarring worse. 163 00:12:11,860 --> 00:12:16,860 If you can see right here, this is actually, along this line, this is the original incision point. 164 00:12:17,480 --> 00:12:18,140 Right here. 165 00:12:18,140 --> 00:12:21,660 Right here is the incision that I made when I was switching them out. 166 00:12:24,620 --> 00:12:29,060 The original one is about a year of healing further along than this one, 167 00:12:29,160 --> 00:12:31,980 but still, I think that it's going to end up being a bigger scar overall. 168 00:12:32,460 --> 00:12:37,340 It's one of these things where we're still playing with it and trying to figure out the best approaches, 169 00:12:39,280 --> 00:12:42,220 but it's not something that I would say we're ignorant about. 170 00:12:45,440 --> 00:12:48,020 Once again, are we ignorant or incompetent in this area? 171 00:12:48,140 --> 00:12:48,720 I'd say it's a wash. 172 00:12:48,920 --> 00:12:52,220 I've seen beautiful work done by both plastic surgeons and body modification artists. 173 00:12:52,580 --> 00:12:54,840 At the Body Hacks Conference, I got to hang out with Russ Fox. 174 00:12:55,100 --> 00:12:56,560 He's like a god in the body mod community. 175 00:12:57,360 --> 00:13:00,260 His work's beautiful, and I'll be the first to admit I'm not at his level of competency. 176 00:13:01,040 --> 00:13:05,180 I've also gotten to sit through a number of procedures performed by one of the top plastic surgeons in the LA area. 177 00:13:05,400 --> 00:13:07,260 There's no way I can do what either of them do. 178 00:13:07,580 --> 00:13:09,740 That said, people don't come to me and make them pretty. 179 00:13:11,180 --> 00:13:16,540 What people expect is the safe placement of a safe device, which is something that grinders are competent to provide. 180 00:13:19,040 --> 00:13:22,920 In terms of incisions, how we make the incision depends on what we're doing. 181 00:13:23,780 --> 00:13:27,620 Objects in glass capsules like tritium fireflies or ARFIDs can be placed using an injector. 182 00:13:27,840 --> 00:13:31,800 For other implants, we use a 15 or 11A scalpel blade or a number 3 handle. 183 00:13:32,120 --> 00:13:35,100 A scalpel is held with a pencil grip in the dominant hand. 184 00:13:35,320 --> 00:13:40,280 While the non-dominant hand provides tension on the skin, we make the incision slightly larger than the object to be implanted. 185 00:13:40,500 --> 00:13:43,080 When you get below the dermis, the connective tissue tears easily. 186 00:13:44,280 --> 00:13:46,460 The artist chooses between blunt or sharp dissection. 187 00:13:46,700 --> 00:13:48,120 You can separate connections. 188 00:13:48,120 --> 00:13:52,380 I use connective tissue with a probe, but I found blunt dissection causes more trauma and increases healing time, 189 00:13:52,520 --> 00:13:54,400 so I usually opt for sharp dissection with a scalpel. 190 00:13:55,720 --> 00:13:58,160 Sharp dissection comes with the risk of cutting through an important structure, 191 00:13:58,400 --> 00:14:01,100 so if I'm working in an area I'm less familiar with, I like to go with blunt. 192 00:14:01,540 --> 00:14:04,640 The point of separating the tissue is to create a pocket for the implant to sit in. 193 00:14:04,860 --> 00:14:09,380 It's best to create a pocket that's somewhat larger than the device you want because you want skin laxity. 194 00:14:09,480 --> 00:14:14,140 You want enough give in that area so that you can approximate the incision without it being under tension. 195 00:14:15,660 --> 00:14:17,040 Let's see if this one shows up. 196 00:14:17,160 --> 00:14:17,280 Hey! 197 00:14:18,120 --> 00:14:18,460 It's a bagel head. 198 00:14:18,560 --> 00:14:19,780 Are you guys familiar with what this is? 199 00:14:20,100 --> 00:14:24,140 It was basically a year or two back, there was a physician who started posting on the biohack forums, 200 00:14:24,540 --> 00:14:27,140 and he suggested we try a technique that's called fluid dissection. 201 00:14:27,620 --> 00:14:29,500 It's like the bagel head thing right here. 202 00:14:29,600 --> 00:14:33,720 What you're doing, the idea is you put fluid under the area, under pressure, and it creates the pocket for you. 203 00:14:33,920 --> 00:14:37,300 So in this case, that's just normal saline that was done with an IV needle, 204 00:14:37,420 --> 00:14:40,080 and you fill up the area and you push with your thumb in the middle. 205 00:14:40,260 --> 00:14:43,480 You know, pretty much the saline reabsorbs within, I don't know, six to eight hours. 206 00:14:44,560 --> 00:14:47,820 Anyways, so his idea was that we could do, 207 00:14:47,820 --> 00:14:49,680 like, how you do a TB test. 208 00:14:49,960 --> 00:14:51,460 You know, and I've done this hundreds of times as a nurse. 209 00:14:51,660 --> 00:14:54,860 You know, you have, when you're doing a TB test, you're actually doing an intradermal injection. 210 00:14:55,100 --> 00:14:57,500 You're going to go into the skin, do a little injection, it makes a bubble. 211 00:14:57,620 --> 00:15:02,060 His idea was essentially that we could make this big saline fluid pocket that way, 212 00:15:02,120 --> 00:15:05,060 and then just cut right into it, slip the magnet in, like, no problem, you know? 213 00:15:07,000 --> 00:15:09,460 I was somewhat critical of it. 214 00:15:11,800 --> 00:15:12,440 Oh, sorry. 215 00:15:12,860 --> 00:15:16,980 I recorded a video where I tried out the fluid dissection method three different times in three different areas, 216 00:15:16,980 --> 00:15:19,440 and it didn't work at all. 217 00:15:20,980 --> 00:15:23,420 The weird thing, though, was when I posted what I found, 218 00:15:23,620 --> 00:15:25,700 so I went up and I posted what I found, 219 00:15:25,880 --> 00:15:27,360 the guy just, like, flipped his shit. 220 00:15:28,300 --> 00:15:32,380 Despite giving him credit and only posting the video as a direct response to the threat he started, 221 00:15:32,480 --> 00:15:34,080 he accused me of plagiarizing his work. 222 00:15:34,880 --> 00:15:37,680 He swore to never help us again and quit the forums. 223 00:15:38,280 --> 00:15:40,520 So why would I plagiarize a technique that doesn't work? 224 00:15:42,300 --> 00:15:45,360 Seriously wonder if it had worked out, if he would have still been upset. 225 00:15:45,640 --> 00:15:46,580 You know, I think the real ease of... 226 00:15:46,580 --> 00:15:51,060 the issue may have been an ego bruise by someone with, like, one-fifth of his credentials demonstrating that he's wrong. 227 00:15:51,580 --> 00:15:52,060 Okay? 228 00:15:55,420 --> 00:15:56,900 So, closing the incision. 229 00:15:57,640 --> 00:16:02,740 We use a non-absorbable suture like polypropylene with a 3-eighths curvature reverse cutting needle. 230 00:16:02,940 --> 00:16:06,060 I taught a class during Grimefest a few years back on suturing, 231 00:16:06,200 --> 00:16:10,300 and the three techniques we practiced were simple interrupted, running sutures, and horizontal mattresses 232 00:16:10,300 --> 00:16:12,040 performed with an instrument tie. 233 00:16:12,360 --> 00:16:16,040 So these types can be used for probably 90% of the procedures we're doing, 234 00:16:16,040 --> 00:16:19,720 and we're just not doing anything complicated enough to require a larger repertoire. 235 00:16:20,140 --> 00:16:21,320 The technique's then removed. 236 00:16:21,400 --> 00:16:23,400 We let a small amount of blood out, flushing out the wound. 237 00:16:23,680 --> 00:16:25,560 Then we apply pressure for a minute, and the bleeding stops. 238 00:16:26,160 --> 00:16:28,140 The wound's then dressed using Steristrips. 239 00:16:28,180 --> 00:16:30,180 Initial healing takes around three weeks, 240 00:16:30,280 --> 00:16:34,580 during which the focus is on controlling inflammation using ice and ibuprofen. 241 00:16:35,220 --> 00:16:38,000 Okay, sutures are pulled sometime between day three and seven, 242 00:16:38,100 --> 00:16:40,660 after which Steristrips are kept on to prevent the site from reopening. 243 00:16:41,140 --> 00:16:43,140 Collagen fibers reinforce the wound after a month, 244 00:16:43,180 --> 00:16:45,900 and although wound maturation and remodeling can take more than a year. 245 00:16:46,720 --> 00:16:50,260 Again, for the sake of brevity, I'm omitting a lot of information that I would consider essential. 246 00:16:52,700 --> 00:16:54,420 Here. Let's go. 247 00:16:54,740 --> 00:16:57,880 As much focus as I put into talking about the safe implantation, 248 00:17:00,240 --> 00:17:02,280 the insertion of a device is actually the simple part. 249 00:17:02,620 --> 00:17:06,520 It'd be easy to stand here for another hour speaking exclusively about biocompatibility. 250 00:17:06,760 --> 00:17:10,200 The community is constantly brainstorming new types of coatings and ways to apply them. 251 00:17:10,400 --> 00:17:14,720 Medical devices like Pacemaker are usually coated in either a biocompatible alloy like titanium nitride, 252 00:17:14,720 --> 00:17:16,160 or a polymer like perylene. 253 00:17:16,400 --> 00:17:18,480 The simplest biohacks don't require even these. 254 00:17:19,120 --> 00:17:22,700 When injectable ARFIDs were first being marketed, I was concerned because they're encapsulated in glass. 255 00:17:23,140 --> 00:17:25,560 My concern, and the concern of probably a lot of people, 256 00:17:25,620 --> 00:17:27,980 is that if the glass breaks in your body, it seems like it could cause harm. 257 00:17:28,220 --> 00:17:30,200 So I was involved in the testing of this idea, 258 00:17:30,360 --> 00:17:33,300 and what we found is it takes so much force to break these things, 259 00:17:33,400 --> 00:17:35,980 that if it happens, the glass is the least of your worries. 260 00:17:36,600 --> 00:17:38,920 I mean, sure, it'll break if you drive over your hand, right? 261 00:17:39,640 --> 00:17:44,060 Another concern I've seen pop up over and over is research indicating that ARFIDs implants 262 00:17:44,060 --> 00:17:44,860 can cause tumors. 263 00:17:46,020 --> 00:17:47,680 There are journal articles about this. 264 00:17:47,860 --> 00:17:51,260 Rats and mice, particularly the types used in labs, are particularly prone to tumors. 265 00:17:51,960 --> 00:17:56,600 These studies have shown that as many as 10% of the rats developed a harmless tumor near the ARFID capsule. 266 00:17:56,840 --> 00:17:58,840 They're called post-injection sarcomas. 267 00:17:59,020 --> 00:18:04,220 What you don't realize is these sarcomas occur in murine models regardless of whether the ARFID is there or not. 268 00:18:04,680 --> 00:18:06,100 It happens in cats, too. 269 00:18:07,240 --> 00:18:10,400 It has something to do with the animal's ability to handle oxidative stress. 270 00:18:10,880 --> 00:18:13,180 Cats just sometimes get tumors if you poke them with a needle. 271 00:18:13,180 --> 00:18:14,420 It's like acetaminophen. 272 00:18:14,500 --> 00:18:16,860 What's poison to a cat isn't necessarily poison to us. 273 00:18:17,340 --> 00:18:20,480 Dogs, on the other hand, they seldom ever get post-injection sarcomas. 274 00:18:20,540 --> 00:18:24,720 That's why I only found one case study ever about a dog they found this type of tumor in. 275 00:18:24,840 --> 00:18:27,200 We put hundreds of thousands of ARFIDs in dogs. 276 00:18:27,620 --> 00:18:29,780 These studies, they just can't be applied to human applications. 277 00:18:30,280 --> 00:18:35,880 I've never heard or seen of an ARFID being rejected, breaking inside of someone, or causing a tumor to form. 278 00:18:37,620 --> 00:18:39,680 Most projects, however, they don't fit in glass. 279 00:18:39,940 --> 00:18:41,520 So early work like the circadia, 280 00:18:41,520 --> 00:18:44,460 and early work like circadia use silicone. 281 00:18:44,640 --> 00:18:47,480 It's a material that's been safely used by the body and mind community for years. 282 00:18:47,740 --> 00:18:52,640 It has its disadvantages, though, and we've almost entirely replaced it with titanium nitride and perylene. 283 00:18:52,880 --> 00:18:54,520 The same coatings as biomedical devices. 284 00:18:55,000 --> 00:18:56,680 I subscribed to a journal that discusses biocodings, 285 00:18:57,140 --> 00:19:00,580 and I came across an article talking about a method developed which could apply a layer of diamond. 286 00:19:00,840 --> 00:19:02,660 When I contacted the guy responsible for the research, 287 00:19:02,840 --> 00:19:06,140 he helped me produce a batch of neodymium iron boron magnets coated in diamond. 288 00:19:06,480 --> 00:19:09,060 Out of the ten I've implanted, only two have had problems. 289 00:19:09,300 --> 00:19:11,500 We haven't yet determined if these problems were related to a defect. 290 00:19:11,520 --> 00:19:14,020 A defect in manufacturing, a problem with diamond coatings, 291 00:19:14,020 --> 00:19:15,460 or simply because of events related to healing. 292 00:19:15,680 --> 00:19:17,760 But this is another example of the biohacking community 293 00:19:17,760 --> 00:19:20,620 not only matching the diligence required in medical devices, 294 00:19:20,740 --> 00:19:21,900 but striving to exceed them. 295 00:19:22,120 --> 00:19:25,400 There are many considerations that go into making an implant I'm not even qualified to address. 296 00:19:25,640 --> 00:19:27,980 I know there's a lot of work regarding appropriate batteries. 297 00:19:28,460 --> 00:19:33,400 It's obvious something equivalent to a Samsung bursting into flames under the skin could be lethal. 298 00:19:33,960 --> 00:19:36,220 But there are more subtle issues, like outgassing. 299 00:19:36,700 --> 00:19:38,840 Bottom line is we don't expect our implants to fail, 300 00:19:38,920 --> 00:19:40,680 but we have to engineer them so that if they do, 301 00:19:40,680 --> 00:19:41,960 they do so harmlessly. 302 00:19:42,220 --> 00:19:44,880 And we had to perform tests to determine if we succeeded in making them safe. 303 00:19:45,120 --> 00:19:46,500 For devices to be approved by the FDA, 304 00:19:46,620 --> 00:19:48,580 you need ISO 109903 certification. 305 00:19:49,840 --> 00:19:51,580 This requires cytotoxicity testing, 306 00:19:51,740 --> 00:19:53,840 like direct contact tests or agar diffusion tests. 307 00:19:54,780 --> 00:19:58,480 Sensitization assays are used to determine whether a material is going to cause hypersensitivity or an allergic reaction. 308 00:19:59,220 --> 00:20:01,100 Let me keep skipping through some of this. 309 00:20:01,520 --> 00:20:02,560 Can I just get to the point? 310 00:20:05,500 --> 00:20:06,900 Basically, with these tests, 311 00:20:08,200 --> 00:20:10,340 we have no obligation to do these tests. 312 00:20:10,340 --> 00:20:16,500 We're not in any way obligated by the FDA or anyone to essentially perform these tests, 313 00:20:16,580 --> 00:20:17,220 and yet we still are. 314 00:20:17,440 --> 00:20:18,780 I mean, if you look at what Grindhouse has done, 315 00:20:18,800 --> 00:20:20,220 they've done these cytotoxicity tests. 316 00:20:20,420 --> 00:20:24,000 If you look at some of the stuff we've done with the different coatings and just different stuff, 317 00:20:24,100 --> 00:20:27,580 I mean, we're doing the majority of tests with, I think, what? 318 00:20:27,660 --> 00:20:30,280 We're missing pretty much nobody does multigenerational tests 319 00:20:30,280 --> 00:20:34,120 to see if four generations down the road there's going to be problems. 320 00:20:34,300 --> 00:20:36,060 But I mean, with the majority of materials we're working with, 321 00:20:36,080 --> 00:20:38,380 it's already been done with the exact same materials. 322 00:20:38,520 --> 00:20:39,720 And yet we're still repeating these tests, 323 00:20:39,720 --> 00:20:44,800 just because in the community we put so much emphasis 324 00:20:44,800 --> 00:20:47,400 on trying to create a safe product to do this the right way. 325 00:20:47,860 --> 00:20:51,060 So despite how simple something like a magnet implant seems to be, 326 00:20:51,180 --> 00:20:52,420 it requires a lot of work and a lot of research. 327 00:20:52,760 --> 00:20:55,340 This is work grinders are doing and skills we're learning. 328 00:20:55,480 --> 00:20:56,440 Are we competent? Absolutely. 329 00:20:56,840 --> 00:20:58,540 There may be a safer and better way to do these things, 330 00:20:58,620 --> 00:21:01,680 but if there is, I'm willing to bet grinders will be amongst the first to put them into practice. 331 00:21:01,900 --> 00:21:02,860 Are we ignorant? No. 332 00:21:02,980 --> 00:21:05,800 We study and practice our craft without being blinded by ego. 333 00:21:06,100 --> 00:21:09,340 Should we wait for those who consider themselves to be professionals to give us their blessing? 334 00:21:09,480 --> 00:21:09,700 No. 335 00:21:09,720 --> 00:21:12,080 Look, no surgeon is going to be willing to do the things we're doing. 336 00:21:12,240 --> 00:21:14,240 Medicine returns the body to the state we consider normal. 337 00:21:14,420 --> 00:21:16,460 It's not the pursuit of becoming more than human. 338 00:21:16,640 --> 00:21:19,040 And body modification community is similarly unsuitable. 339 00:21:19,640 --> 00:21:21,400 Biohacking is rooted in cooperation and collaboration. 340 00:21:21,980 --> 00:21:23,640 There are great guys like Hayworth and Russ Fox, 341 00:21:23,780 --> 00:21:27,020 but body modification in general is poisoned by an unwillingness to collaborate. 342 00:21:27,540 --> 00:21:29,740 This is fine when we're talking about nipple piercings, 343 00:21:29,780 --> 00:21:32,780 but grinders are already working on designs for brain-computer interfacing. 344 00:21:33,280 --> 00:21:35,680 I want the skills to place a multi-electrode array 345 00:21:35,680 --> 00:21:38,500 and expand on the type of work Kevin Warwick did 15 years ago. 346 00:21:38,500 --> 00:21:42,380 I don't know any physicians willing or body modification artists capable of doing this. 347 00:21:42,560 --> 00:21:43,660 There are no masters. 348 00:21:43,800 --> 00:21:44,840 There are no professionals. 349 00:21:45,140 --> 00:21:48,040 If we're not skilled enough, the only option is to become better at what we do. 350 00:21:48,360 --> 00:21:51,440 Okay, so why is it I'm convinced someone's going to die? 351 00:21:52,160 --> 00:21:52,780 One minute. 352 00:21:52,840 --> 00:21:52,920 Wow. 353 00:21:53,040 --> 00:21:53,240 Good. 354 00:21:54,480 --> 00:21:55,260 I'm almost there. 355 00:21:55,360 --> 00:21:55,460 Okay. 356 00:21:55,640 --> 00:21:59,720 In 2011, there was a BMG case report titled Body Piercing with Fatal Consequences. 357 00:21:59,780 --> 00:22:01,700 A man in his 50s died from a mesenteric infarct. 358 00:22:01,820 --> 00:22:06,740 What that is is basically he had a belly button piercing and it migrated inward, right? 359 00:22:06,800 --> 00:22:07,560 Cut off blood flow. 360 00:22:07,560 --> 00:22:09,540 I've seen about three of these in my career. 361 00:22:10,140 --> 00:22:13,300 What happens is, you know, they have some kind of GI upset. 362 00:22:13,520 --> 00:22:17,680 They open them up for exploratory and their entire gut is already just gray and dead. 363 00:22:17,760 --> 00:22:18,640 There's nothing to do. 364 00:22:18,700 --> 00:22:20,480 You sew them back up and you tell them to say goodbye to your family. 365 00:22:20,840 --> 00:22:23,200 You know, within a day, they're vomiting feces and then they die. 366 00:22:23,300 --> 00:22:23,940 It's terrible. 367 00:22:24,340 --> 00:22:24,660 Okay. 368 00:22:25,660 --> 00:22:28,540 And obviously, this is not an exception. 369 00:22:28,860 --> 00:22:32,760 You know, there are case after case of people dying from, you know, all kinds of things with piercings. 370 00:22:32,800 --> 00:22:33,540 But it's not just piercings. 371 00:22:33,600 --> 00:22:34,780 That's not the only thing that scares me. 372 00:22:34,900 --> 00:22:36,220 You know, I mean, uh... 373 00:22:36,220 --> 00:22:37,980 I'll actually read that part. 374 00:22:40,000 --> 00:22:46,380 I'm convinced someone is going to die because there are between two and four deaths a year on average in the U.S. from people shaking vending machines. 375 00:22:47,120 --> 00:22:47,480 Okay? 376 00:22:48,060 --> 00:22:50,660 People take every precaution and are meticulous about after... 377 00:22:50,660 --> 00:22:51,720 I mean, it's still a risk, man. 378 00:22:51,840 --> 00:22:52,140 People are... 379 00:22:52,140 --> 00:22:54,300 Someday, it's a numbers game and somebody's going to die. 380 00:22:54,500 --> 00:22:59,120 The problem with this, the problem with this is that there's going to be that backlash from the first inevitable death. 381 00:22:59,360 --> 00:22:59,580 Right? 382 00:22:59,660 --> 00:23:01,300 So far, the media has been kind to us. 383 00:23:01,380 --> 00:23:01,600 Right? 384 00:23:02,100 --> 00:23:03,040 Everything we do... 385 00:23:03,040 --> 00:23:04,620 I mean, like, people have been doing piercings for... 386 00:23:05,600 --> 00:23:06,240 into antiquity. 387 00:23:06,320 --> 00:23:09,560 And yet, we put a stupid magnet in and it's like, they're cyborgs, man. 388 00:23:09,700 --> 00:23:11,240 They're, you know, they're, like, innovating. 389 00:23:11,320 --> 00:23:11,820 No, no, no. 390 00:23:11,820 --> 00:23:13,320 We're not really doing that amazing stuff. 391 00:23:13,460 --> 00:23:18,420 But, you know, the way they're pitching us is being, you know, we're doing this amazing or we're doing something different than everyone else. 392 00:23:18,580 --> 00:23:22,180 The problem with that is when somebody dies, that's just going to blow up in our face. 393 00:23:22,560 --> 00:23:29,140 I mean, the way it's going to work is that same sensationalism that blew it up as a hundredfold of us doing these things. 394 00:23:29,200 --> 00:23:32,680 It's also going to be, you know, oh, my God, these dangerous people doing these dangerous things. 395 00:23:33,220 --> 00:23:34,600 And we know what they're going to say about it. 396 00:23:34,600 --> 00:23:37,960 What it's going to be is they're going to say we're ignorant and we should have looked into the risks of what we're doing. 397 00:23:38,120 --> 00:23:41,140 They're going to say we'll all get sepsis and flesh-eating bacteria, you know. 398 00:23:41,220 --> 00:23:42,560 They're going to assume we're incompetent. 399 00:23:42,580 --> 00:23:44,420 And they'll say procedures like this should be left to someone else. 400 00:23:44,580 --> 00:23:46,700 Someone who has the knowledge and competency to do it right. 401 00:23:46,840 --> 00:23:47,080 Right? 402 00:23:47,520 --> 00:23:47,840 Okay. 403 00:23:48,200 --> 00:23:48,520 So... 404 00:23:52,400 --> 00:23:53,240 Less than a minute. 405 00:23:53,340 --> 00:23:53,660 Damn. 406 00:23:55,480 --> 00:23:56,500 I mean, come on, guys. 407 00:23:56,580 --> 00:23:57,280 It goes like this. 408 00:23:58,040 --> 00:23:58,720 I'm done, right? 409 00:23:58,800 --> 00:23:59,000 Yeah. 410 00:23:59,320 --> 00:23:59,640 Okay. 411 00:24:00,900 --> 00:24:01,420 Eh, whatever. 412 00:24:02,120 --> 00:24:02,440 Okay. 413 00:24:02,560 --> 00:24:02,980 Real quick. 414 00:24:04,600 --> 00:24:05,380 We drive cars around, right? 415 00:24:05,460 --> 00:24:08,040 And we think it's okay, even though look at the number of deaths that occur from cars. 416 00:24:08,180 --> 00:24:10,860 No one's saying we're going to stop driving because it's too dangerous, right? 417 00:24:11,380 --> 00:24:14,140 Beyond that, even beyond necessity, there's, you know, people smoke. 418 00:24:14,260 --> 00:24:18,600 You smoke cigarettes, you know, it's killing this many people and yet it's acceptable in society. 419 00:24:18,920 --> 00:24:20,000 You know, we smoke cigarettes. 420 00:24:20,180 --> 00:24:22,620 But what we're doing, it's also risky. 421 00:24:22,760 --> 00:24:23,300 But you know what? 422 00:24:23,440 --> 00:24:25,560 It's a risk we're taking because we believe in it. 423 00:24:25,660 --> 00:24:27,200 We're trying to create a future, you know? 424 00:24:27,600 --> 00:24:28,900 We're doing something that's meaningful. 425 00:24:29,140 --> 00:24:33,740 And so I don't have anything to say about really the backlash when the first grinder dies. 426 00:24:33,740 --> 00:24:34,100 We're screwed. 427 00:24:34,380 --> 00:24:36,180 But I'll tell you what I do know. 428 00:24:36,260 --> 00:24:40,100 I do know that that person that first dies, they died doing something they believe in. 429 00:24:40,140 --> 00:24:43,860 They died doing something that they researched and knew the risks and they did it anyways. 430 00:24:44,040 --> 00:24:46,280 And they died in a way that they thought was meaningful. 431 00:24:46,600 --> 00:24:47,060 Yeah, that's right. 432 00:24:47,320 --> 00:24:47,600 Yeah. 433 00:24:47,720 --> 00:24:48,940 So that's all I got to say. 434 00:24:49,000 --> 00:24:49,260 Thank you.