Therapeutic Apheresis as an innovative and highly efficient form of plasma purification

Fig.: Dark-field microscopy of a blood drop. On the left before blood washing with so-called “money roll formation”, on the right after blood washing with purified plasma and newly formed cells.

Blood washing as an innovative and highly efficient form of plasma purification

Blood washing or apheresis (from Greek apherein = to separate) is a recognized therapeutic procedure and an innovative form of plasma purification and immune modulation. Blood washing simply means what the name implies: the blood is washed and purified. Pathogenic or excess components are washed out. The procedure of blood washing has recently gained a lot of importance and awareness as a therapy option for Long Covid Syndrome or Post-Vac Syndrome.

At THERA Praxisklinik, we perform blood washing as part of an integrative treatment concept. Basically, two different procedures are used: “small” blood washing, in which about 2-3 liters of blood are filtered, and “large” blood washing, in which many times more, namely about 50-70 liters, can be filtered. Both procedures will be explained in more detail below.

This therapy is mainly used for chronic diseases, the cause of which is often unexplained or which prove to be resistant to treatment. We also regularly perform blood washing for patients with long or post-COVID symptoms or post-vac syndrome.

At THERA Praxisklinik in Berlin, we use equipment from DIAMED Medizintechnik, a company that for more than 35 years has stood for innovation, reliability and quality among university clinics, dialysis centers, hospitals and physicians in private practice.

What is blood washing good for?

Due to increasing exposure to environmental toxins and stressors and associated inflammatory processes, it is becoming more and more common for our body’s natural cleansing systems to become overwhelmed and need support.

Every day, our detoxification and elimination organs (such as the liver, kidneys or intestines) do great work for us without us even noticing. Our liver, for example, works 24 hours a day to ensure that as many of the pollutants we absorb as possible are broken down and eliminated. But more and more often, and not least due to our overeating, it is becoming more and more difficult for it to do its job.

If we now carry out a blood cleansing, we not only detoxify the organism in a very concrete way, but also promote reconstruction & balance of the self-regulation and the body’s own detoxification mechanisms by solving the overload.

How is the blood washed and what is filtered?

Therapeutic apheresis (from Greek apherein = to separate), colloquially also referred to as blood washing or blood purification procedures, is a method of extracorporeal, i.e. outside the body, removal of pathogenic or excess components (proteins, protein-bound substances and cells) from the patient’s blood or blood plasma. After removal of these substances, the “purified” blood is returned. These pathogens can originate from the field of metabolism, from inflammatory processes or from a wide variety of sources of environmental toxins. They can place a heavy burden on the entire organism and thus lead to a wide variety of diseases. If these toxins are removed, the metabolism, the immune system and the self-healing powers can regain a natural balance.

How do “small” and “large” blood washes differ?

We have been performing “small” blood washing (=Thera Mito Apheresis ®) at the THERA Praxisklinik in Berlin since around 2012. Here, the state-of-the-art membrane filtration apheresis method is used, whereby the blood is filtered and purified through special, “intelligent” molecular sieves. A total of about 2-3 liters of blood are filtered during this therapy. Blood sampling and blood return are usually performed through the arm veins via special, metal-free indwelling vein cannulas. The whole procedure takes about 4 hours and the blood flow is 60ml/minute.

Fig.: Device setup (left) and filter system (right) in Thera Mito Apheresis ®.

Large blood wash

In “large” blood washing (=Thera Mito Hyperthermia Adsorbtion ®), on the other hand, treatment is carried out at a much higher flow rate. The blood flow is 300ml/min and is thus increased 6-fold. In addition, this method uses a new filter system (adsorber technology), which is even more effective. Tiny resin beads of various molecular sizes are used and specifically bind toxic substances from the blood. Using this technology, a surface area of 63000 m² can be achieved, which is roughly the size of 8 soccer fields.

Another special feature of this procedure is the externally generated whole-body hyperthermia, which takes place simultaneously with blood purification. This means that during the treatment the blood is heated to a temperature of 39.5 °C. The healing effect of increased body temperature has been known since ancient times and is gaining importance again today, e.g. also in cancer treatment. The most important benefits of hyperthermia treatment lie in the production of heat shock proteins, the increase in blood circulation and the antimicrobial effect.

The entire implementation of Thera Mito Hyperthermia Adsorption is about 5 hours. A special catheter is placed in the groin (femoral vein). This is low impact and hardly painful. Patients are given a mild sedative (general anesthesia is not necessary) and a team of specialists is present to ensure a complication-free procedure. We have been performing this form of blood purification in our practice premises since 2019. It enables highly efficient detoxification of all relevant inflammatory proteins as well as toxic heavy metals and chemicals, restoring oxygen and nutrient supply to all tissues. At the same time, there is no significant loss of nutritive substances: Healthy components such as electrolytes or vital substances are completely preserved.

Fig.: Within the framework of Thera Mito Hyperthermia Adsorption ®, resin beads with a total surface area of 63000 m² bind pathogenic substances from the blood. This area corresponds to the size of about 8 soccer fields.

Blood washing is part of our integrative treatment concept

When we perform blood washing on our patients, this always involves appropriate pre- and post-treatment care. For example, a blood sample is taken beforehand, among other things to check the coagulation function. In addition to the blood washing, we recommend regulatory therapies such as neural therapy or autonomic posture regulation according to Norbert Fuhr to our patients. In addition, it is recommended to support the blood purification and detoxification with appropriate binding agents such as chlorella or zeolite as well as a targeted intestinal and liver treatment.

We combine the apheresis itself with principles of mitochondrial medicine and the addition of regulating and expelling substances. This results in a clearly measurable and increased effectiveness of the elimination of toxins, which we can verify in laboratory analyses. In addition, the tolerance of the therapy session is improved.

In this presentation, Dr. Ralf Heinrich discusses the treatment options for Long COVID symptoms at the THERA Praxisklinik. From 01:04:00 the Thera Mito Apheresis ® or Thera Mito Hyperthermia Adsorbtion ® is described and explained in more detail.