New Anti-Aging Lifestyle, Rich People Are Crowded With Blood Cleaning Procedures

Johnjay Van Es Jali Plasmapheresis (Photo: Instagram/@johnjayvanes)

JAKARTA - Billionaires and fans of anti-aging lifestyles are currently garnering at a controversial procedure called plasmampheresis or what is often referred to as blood cleansing.

With a price of US$7,500 or Rp124 million per session, this procedure is claimed to be able to reduce toxine in the body and slow down aging. Although the benefits have not been scientifically proven, long-lived seekers are still competing to try it.

One of them is Johnjay Van Es, a Phoenix radio announcer who underwent a massive physical transformation after his father died of a heart attack at the age of 66. He dropped about 72 kg, changing drastically from obesity to being very fit and starting to try various biohacking methods from various countries.

"Maybe it sounds crazy, but I just want to make sure my body works as well as possible," said Van Es, quoted from the New York Post page.

"Oh my God, that's crazy. I've never calculated the total cost," he said when he realized he had spent more than 100 thousand dollars or Rp1.6 billion per year for extreme health care.

Plasmapheresis or Therapeutic Plasma Exchange (TPE) is a procedure that separates plasma from blood, then replaces it with healthier fluids such as albumin. This technique has actually been used for a long time to deal with autoimmune diseases, certain cancers, to high cholesterol. However, the trend of using TPE for anti-aging purposes is a new and controversial phenomenon.

"If we talk about biohacking or detoxification through blood cleansing, it must be remembered that scientific research that supports it is very minimal," said Dr. Stefan Bornstein of the University Hospital Dresden.

"The results of several studies do look promising, but not yet strong medical evidence," he added.

Even so, celebrityOrlando Bloom and renowned biohacker Bryan Johnson routinely undergo this procedure.

Its simple appeal is hope to slow down aging from within.

According to Dr. Keith Smigiel, the doctor who handles TPE in Scottsdale, this procedure can help reduce cholesterol, get rid of mold and environmental toxins, and increase energy for some people.

The patients are dominated by educated and high-income groups including millennials who are exhausted, experience a fog brain, or want to improve body performance. The increasing demand made him consider adding an apheresis machine at his clinic.

My goal is not to prolong the patient's life drastically. The most important thing is to improve the quality of life by reducing the burden of toxicity in the blood," added Smigiel.

The procedure itself is not painful, but it takes about two to three hours. The patient may feel tired and sensations like a jet lag.

Brecka's famous Biohacker describes his experience, "After TPE, I felt incredible clarity and calm. Focusing on increasing, the color looks sharper, and my energy goes up for a few days."

However, this effect is not certain to apply to everyone.

A number of large studies have shown that TPE can slow down the decline in brain function in medium-stage Alzheimer's patients. But for healthy people, the proof of its benefits is too early to conclude.

Even so, some users feel greatly helped. For example, Vanera, the mother of health coach Natalia Naila, feels lighter, sleeps better, and relaxes more after undergoing the TPE. Side effects such as bruises and mild itching did not stop her from coming back again.

This blood cleansing trend reached the peak of public attention when Bryan Johnson performed cross-generational plasma transfusions, from his son to himself, and from himself to his father. Although the experiment did not benefit Johnson, the father actually felt a significant change.

Van Es himself has not felt any major changes after two TPEs. But he still feels healthy and believes that a combination of various biohacking methods that he does can help maintain his health.

"The doctor said that if I wanted to know what really worked, I had to stop doing some methods," said Van Es with a laugh.

"I just said, no. I will continue to live everything," he added.

With more and more wealthy people willing to spend big money to live longer and healthier lives, it seems that this blood cleansing trend will not subside in the near future, although science has not fully supported it.