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December 15, 2025
Margit Hiebl
Apheresis for microplastics, inflammation, and long COVID? What modern blood cleansing can really do — and where the hype in the longevity world begins
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In the tension between high-end medicine, biohacking and celebrity endorsements, a procedure is currently experiencing quite a hype: apheresis, commonly known as blood cleansing. It is said to reduce inflammation, remove autoantibodies, and filter microplastics from the blood.
A miracle cure? Even the key to more vitality, vascular health, and healthy aging? The promises are great, the expectations high. However, the study situation is – in some parts – still inadequate.
The name apheresis comes from Greek and means something like "take away." The development of the treatment dates back to the 1950s. Since then, the procedure has developed into a therapy option for various diseases.
Indications according to the American Society for Apheresis (ASFA) include autoimmune diseases such as myasthenia gravis (neuromuscular transmission disorder in the skeletal muscles), systemic lupus, rheumatic diseases, or neurological syndromes such as Guillain-Barré syndrome (a form of polyneuropathy leading to muscle weakness).
As an established treatment option, it is also considered for multiple sclerosis or chronic inflammatory bowel diseases. Likewise for familial hypercholesterolemia (hereditary lipid metabolism disorder), when medication is not enough. There are increasingly case reports about applications in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's dementia, chronic fatigue syndrome, toxic exposures, or Long Covid.
How does the procedure work? “A therapeutic apheresis, also known as plasmapheresis or pathopheresis, separates the solid and liquid blood components. The plasma is then specifically cleaned of harmful substances such as autoantibodies, immune complexes, cytokines, and other toxic substances and returned to the body,” explains Dr. Giselind Dohr, a specialist in general medicine and anesthesia as well as an expert in apheresis therapies at the MedVital Health Residence in Tegernsee.
“This can lead to a significant reduction in inflammatory load, free radicals, autoantibodies, and improved rheological properties - i.e., flow properties of the blood - thereby alleviating symptoms of chronic inflammatory or autoimmune diseases.”
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The process is reminiscent of donating blood. The patient lies or sits comfortably, and blood is drawn from a vein in the arm using a cannula. It is then passed through a tube system into an apheresis machine, where it is filtered into its components.
The unwanted substances are removed, and the cleansed blood is returned to the other arm via a second cannula. The filtered components end up in a so-called eluate bag, which provides some insight. "The color and appearance, such as cloudiness of the content, often give important clues as to whether they are inflammatory complexes, cell components, or toxic complexes," says Dr. Dohr.
The entire procedure lasts two to three hours, depending on body size and weight, and costs around 2800 euros. At the mention of blood washing, many immediately think of dialysis. This is also an extracorporeal blood purification process and takes over the function of the kidneys when they no longer work adequately: “It removes water-soluble waste products and electrolytes, but not specific proteins or immune complexes, as apheresis does,” says the expert.
Sounds impressive, but what about the evidence – especially in novel applications like the elimination of environmental toxins or the treatment of Long Covid? The former has gained significant attention, at least since reports about and by Hollywood star Orlando Bloom: He posted soulful photos from a luxury clinic in London, where he had "microplastics and toxic chemicals" flushed from his blood.
The so-called forever chemicals (persistent alkyl compounds) are suspected of being carcinogenic, among other things. Criticism was not long in coming: Some experts claim that through tubes and filters, you even get an extra dose. Microplastics delivered on top – a charge that arose in connection with a dialysis study. But plastic materials are also used in apheresis.
After all: A new small study conducted at the University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus Dresden provides initial evidence that apheresis could actually be suitable for removing microplastics. However, to quantify this, further and larger studies would be required.
Example Long Covid: Offers are circulating on the internet that promise true miracles to those seeking help. According to Cochrane – an international and independent research network that regularly publishes reviews on the current state of research – the evidence is not convincing so far.
Many observed improvements are more likely due to a placebo effect – this is also the conclusion of a Spanish phase II study from early 2025. However, controlled studies that sufficiently demonstrate benefits and safety are still lacking.
But there are bright spots: "Some observational studies and case series are optimistic," says Dr. Dohr. "A cohort study with 27 Long-Covid patients (INUSpherese) showed significant reductions in autoantibodies, lipids, fibrinogen, and inflammatory markers, accompanied by subjective improvement." And three new German studies are announced for this year.
The approach of using apheresis for prevention is new. It has been considered for some time in the biohacking community as an insider tip for reducing chronic inflammation, preventing degenerative diseases, or simply for detoxification. However, according to Dohr, caution is still advised here: "Currently, there is no reliable data for use in classical prevention, such as preventing vascular, metabolic, or neurodegenerative diseases in healthy individuals."
Without reliable data, the benefit remains speculative. As a component of a holistic Longevity concept in the future, apheresis may be considered – for example, in cases of high environmental stress or autoimmune risks, according to the doctor. There are positive effects and empirical values, but unfortunately, there is still a lack of reliable data. Currently, the foundation is primarily the optimization of nutrition, exercise, stress management, micronutrient status, and epigenetic factors.
Apheresis could also play a role in personalized medicine in the future: "Its use would be conceivable with manifest autoantibody profiles, toxin-loaded eluates or metabolic derailments," says the expert.
"Ideally then combined with omics-based diagnostics. Omics refers to various research areas that deal with the comprehensive analysis of biomolecules, e.g. genomics (genes / DNA), proteomics (proteins) and metabolomics (metabolites)."
And what about risks and side effects? "As with any invasive procedure, apheresis can also – albeit very rarely – cause side effects," said the expert. These include a drop in blood pressure and dizziness, thrombosis risk or allergic reactions.
"Long-term or frequent applications carry risks such as loss of immunoglobulins or proteins if no accompanying treatment takes place," explains Dr. Dohr. "And with Long Covid, experience reports show that antibodies form again, making repetitions of apheresis necessary."
Conclusion: Apheresis is an effective procedure with clear medical applications. In individual cases, it also shows success with Long Covid or in environmental medicine. However, in preventive and longevity medicine, it is still considered experimental. "Its future role depends on controlled studies, clearly defined biomarkers, and a careful individual patient benefit-risk assessment," summarizes Dr. Giselind Dohr. In the end, as is often the case in health matters: be sure to seek well-founded advice and prioritize evidence over marketing promises.
