Biohacking in the Family: A Lineage of Healing Across Generations

When we talk about biohacking, most people think of data, supplements or science labs.

But for Dr. Marisa Sum and their family, biohacking is lineage, a living practice of listening to the body, aligning with nature, and flowing with wisdom passed down through generations.

Recently, Dr. Mari traveled to Japan with family where they visited the Yasaka Shrine in Kyoto.

Founded in 656 AD, this Shinto shrine is dedicated to Susanoo-no-Mikoto, a kami known to ward off disease and bring good fortune. Kyoto, untouched by war, still holds the ancient rhythm of Japan’s traditions: its temples breathing history, its streets carrying centuries of prayer and balance.

In this sacred place, the family reflected on another powerful figure: Benzaiten, one of Japan’s Seven Lucky Gods.

Born from the blending of Asian philosophies, Benzaiten carries the spirit of Saraswati, the Hindu river goddess, who merged with the Japanese kami Ugajin—a human-headed white snake.

Together, they symbolize the flow of wisdom, transformation, and renewalqualities mirrored in the nervous system’s own fluid intelligence.

“As a river flows—beautiful, yet strong.”
— Dr. Marisa Sum

For the Sum family, this flow runs through generations:

• Dr. Mari’s father, Dr. Stephen Sum Jr, a chiropractor of 37 years, embodies longevity and precision in care.

• Dr. Mari, carrying this torch forward, bridges ancestral knowledge and modern neuroscience.

• Stephen Sum, now in chiropractic school, continues this river of healing into the next generation.

More than a family, it’s a living example of how biohacking begins with alignment.

The spine becomes the river. The nervous system becomes the current. The care passed from parent to child becomes the wisdom that sustains a lifetime of vitality.

✨ True biohacking isn’t about changing nature, but about remembering we are nature.