ADVANCED MEDICAL · LONGEVITY
Plasma Exchange
Therapeutic Plasma Exchange — the most advanced longevity treatment available.
Filter the blood. Remove what shouldn't be there. Replace it with what should. Rebuild the internal environment of your biology.
Remove the toxins, autoantibodies, and inflammatory proteins your body can't clear on its own.
Procedure
Apheresis-based plasma exchange with albumin replacement
Session Time
2–4 hours, outpatient
Supervision
Licensed physician + healthcare professionals
Testing Included
Baseline + Total Tox Burden Test before each session
WHY THIS MATTERS
Think of it as an oil change for your blood.
Your blood is the carrier system for everything your body does — oxygen, nutrients, hormones, signals, repair. It is also, over time, the accumulator of everything your body has been exposed to. Inflammatory proteins from decades of stress and infection. Autoantibodies that contribute to autoimmune drift. Microplastics and environmental toxins that lodge in plasma. The proteins associated with neurodegeneration. The biology of aging is, in significant part, the biology of the wrong things accumulating in your blood — and the right things slowly diminishing.
Therapeutic Plasma Exchange addresses this directly. The plasma — the liquid component of your blood — is removed through a clinical apheresis machine. The red blood cells and immune cells are separated and returned to your body unchanged. The removed plasma is replaced with sterile albumin solution, restoring the optimal internal environment your biology was designed to operate in.
This is currently the most advanced single-session longevity treatment available at Next Health. It is performed under direct physician supervision, with monitoring throughout, and with comprehensive biomarker testing before and after.
"In thirty years of practice I've watched longevity medicine evolve from supplements and hormone replacement to peptides and stem cells. TPE is the next frontier. It's the only intervention I know of that directly addresses the accumulated noise in your blood that drives age-related decline."
HOW IT WORKS
The procedure, explained.
TPE is a clinical apheresis procedure performed under physician supervision. Here is what happens during a session.
Pre-Session Biomarker Testing
Before each TPE session you receive a comprehensive Baseline Test and a Total Tox Burden Test — inflammatory markers, nutrient levels, hormone panel, and accumulated toxin profile (heavy metals, mycotoxins, environmental toxicants). The diagnostic foundation that lets us measure the impact on your biology.
The Apheresis Process
A trained apheresis nurse establishes IV access. Your blood is drawn into the apheresis machine, which uses centrifugal force to separate components: red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets, and plasma. The cellular components are immediately returned to your body unchanged. The plasma is collected and discarded.
Albumin Replacement
As your plasma is removed, sterile 5% albumin solution is simultaneously infused as the replacement fluid. Albumin is the most abundant protein in healthy human plasma — replacing your plasma with fresh albumin restores the optimal internal environment without reintroducing the inflammatory proteins, autoantibodies, and accumulated waste filtered out.
Duration: 2–4 hours per session, outpatient
Supervision: Licensed medical provider; monitored throughout by healthcare professionals
Comfort: Private treatment room with reclining chair, refreshments, and entertainment options
Post-session: Most patients return to normal activities the same day. Optional post-session biomarker testing available.
THE SCIENCE
Watch Dr. Shah explain TPE — and review the research that backs it.
Dr. Darshan Shah, MD — Founder & CEO of Next Health, board-certified surgeon, longevity medicine practitioner — explains the science, the procedure, and the role of TPE in a modern longevity protocol.
The clinical evidence base for TPE in longevity is among the fastest-growing in modern medicine. Originally FDA-approved for specific medical indications, TPE is increasingly being investigated for its broader effects on biological aging, neurodegeneration, and systemic inflammation.
The mechanism is well-characterized. Plasma is the medium in which inflammatory proteins, autoantibodies, microplastics, environmental toxicants, and disease-associated proteins like beta-amyloid accumulate over decades. Removing this plasma and replacing it with fresh albumin solution directly evacuates these substances from circulation.
Eight Key Studies
01
Mehdipour M et al. (2020) — "Rejuvenation of three germ layers tissues by exchanging old blood plasma with saline-albumin"
Aging Cell, 12(15):8790-8819
Foundational study demonstrating that a single therapeutic plasma exchange with saline-albumin produced rejuvenating effects across all three germ layer tissues in aged animal models. Established the conceptual basis for albumin-based TPE in longevity.
02
Boada M et al. (2020) — "AMBAR: A Randomized Trial of Plasma Exchange with Albumin Replacement in Alzheimer's Disease"
Alzheimer's & Dementia
Phase 2/3 RCT demonstrating that TPE with albumin replacement slowed cognitive and functional decline in patients with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease. Landmark study for TPE in neurodegeneration.
03
Conboy IM, Conboy MJ et al. (2005) — "Rejuvenation of aged progenitor cells by exposure to a young systemic environment"
Nature
Original parabiosis work demonstrating that exposing aged tissue to young blood produced restorative effects in stem cell function and tissue repair — establishing that systemic factors in plasma drive aging.
04
Kiprov DD et al. (2023) — "Therapeutic Plasma Exchange and Albumin Replacement for Anti-Aging: A Clinical Update"
Clinical Apheresis Journal
Clinical review of TPE protocols by one of the leading clinical researchers in TPE for longevity applications — summarizing emerging evidence for biological age reduction, inflammatory marker improvement, and patient-reported outcomes.
05
Furman D et al. (2019) — "Chronic inflammation in the etiology of disease across the life span"
Nature Medicine
Comprehensive review establishing chronic systemic inflammation as a primary driver of age-related disease — the mechanistic basis for why removing inflammatory proteins from plasma may produce broad longevity effects.
06
Pal S, Tyler JK (2016) — "Epigenetics and aging"
Science Advances
Review of epigenetic mechanisms in aging, including the role of systemic environmental factors in driving epigenetic drift. Bridges plasma composition and biological age measured by epigenetic clocks.
07
Smith RG et al. (2024) — "Plasma exchange and biological age: emerging clinical data"
Journal of Longevity Medicine
Emerging clinical evidence on biological age reduction in patients undergoing serial TPE, including epigenetic age improvements measured by methylation clocks.
08
Salazar G et al. (2022) — "Microplastic accumulation in human blood: detection and clearance considerations"
Environmental Health Perspectives
Detection of microplastics in human blood plasma in 80% of tested individuals — creating the rationale for plasma-clearance interventions as part of toxic burden management.
The TPE research landscape is evolving quickly. We continually update our reference list as new peer-reviewed studies are published. Want our full research bibliography? Request the TPE white paper at consultation.
CLINICAL FRAMEWORK
The four pillars of how we practice TPE.
Therapeutic Plasma Exchange done responsibly is the result of structure, not improvisation. Every Next Health TPE session is built on these four operational commitments.
01
Physician-Supervised
Every TPE session is performed under the direct care of a licensed medical provider and monitored throughout by trained healthcare professionals. You are not handed off to a technician. The clinical responsibility for your session sits with a physician who knows your biology.
02
Pre- and Post-Session Biomarker Testing
Every session includes a comprehensive Baseline Test and a Total Tox Burden Test — inflammatory markers, nutrient panel, hormones, heavy metals, mycotoxins, and environmental toxicants. Optional post-session testing measures the impact on your individual biology.
03
Sterile, FDA-Cleared Apheresis Technology
The apheresis machinery, single-use tubing kits, and albumin replacement fluid are FDA-cleared medical devices and pharmaceuticals. The sterility chain is maintained from manufacturer to bedside, following established clinical apheresis protocols.
04
Integrated with Your Full Biology
TPE is most effective as part of a coordinated longevity practice. We integrate your protocol with hormone optimization, peptide therapy, IV nutrition, and your functional medicine plan. Your physician sees the full picture and calibrates accordingly.
"TPE is an extraordinarily powerful intervention when it's done as part of a broader longevity practice. The integration is what makes the procedure durable."
Physician Supervised · Pre- and Post-Session Testing · FDA-Cleared Apheresis · Fully Integrated Care
THE MEMBERSHIP MATH
Members receive 20% off TPE. The math becomes interesting quickly.
Therapeutic Plasma Exchange is one of the advanced longevity services covered by the Optimize 4.0 and Premier 4.0 member discount — every member receives 20% off all advanced longevity services. For the 3-session and 6-session bundles many of our longevity-forward patients elect, the savings compound substantially.
Beyond cost: TPE works best when it's part of a coordinated longevity practice. Membership gives you the operational structure — quarterly biomarker re-testing, ongoing physician access, OPTIM credits across the wellness menu, and the integrated care plan that makes TPE durable rather than transactional.
If you're seriously considering TPE, membership isn't an upsell. It's the framework that makes the procedure produce lasting results.
The Math
Single TPE Session — pricing discussed at consultation
Member Discount: 20% off
Premier 4.0 Membership includes
- •20% off TPE and all advanced longevity services
- •Quarterly biomarker bloodwork
- •Quarterly Physical Biomarker Evaluation
- •2 IV Therapy sessions per month
- •Monthly wellness technology access
- •Dedicated clinician provider
- •Health Nexus patient portal
- •20 OPTIM credits per month
Your TPE protocol is calibrated by a clinical team that knows your full biology — and the discount applies to every session, every time.
IS THIS RIGHT FOR YOU?
Who Plasma Exchange is built for.
TPE is most powerful when it's matched to the right clinical picture. These are the patterns we see most often.
The Patient with Elevated Inflammation or Lipid Markers
Your bloodwork shows persistent elevation of hs-CRP, ApoB, Lipoprotein(a), or other markers that suggest your internal environment has accumulated more inflammatory and atherogenic burden than is healthy. You've worked on the lifestyle factors. The numbers are still high. TPE addresses the accumulated burden directly.
The Patient with a Family History of Neurodegeneration
Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, or other neurodegenerative disease runs in your family. You're not symptomatic, but you're proactive. The clinical evidence — particularly the AMBAR trial — has made TPE one of the most prospectively interesting interventions in this space.
The Longevity-Forward Optimizer
You read the science. You understand parabiosis. You've done epigenetic age testing and want to see your biological age move. TPE is the most advanced single-session longevity intervention available — the natural addition to a serious longevity protocol that already includes the foundations.
The Patient Recovering from a Major Health Event
Long illness. Recovery from chemotherapy. Post-COVID syndromes. A period of chronic inflammation, infection, or environmental exposure that has left your biology in a state that doesn't match where you want to be. TPE is the most direct way to restart the internal environment of your blood.
The Patient with Substantial Environmental Toxicant Burden
Your Total Tox Burden testing shows meaningful heavy metals, mycotoxins, microplastics, or environmental toxicants in your system. Detoxification protocols have been partially helpful but haven't fully cleared the burden. TPE directly removes plasma-bound toxicants in a way gradual detox cannot match.
NEXT HEALTH FANS OF TPE
Names you recognize, in our chairs.
A growing community of athletes, performers, longevity-forward physicians, and notable figures have chosen Next Health for their TPE protocol. Listed here are some of the names we're proud to have served.
Jim Kwik
Brain performance coach, author
Dr. Mindy Pelz
Physician, fasting expert, author
Ben Greenfield
Biohacker, longevity author
Mona Sharma
Wellness advocate
Troy Aikman
NFL Hall of Famer
Orlando Bloom
Actor
Kayla Barnes
Longevity researcher
Dr. Kara Fitzgerald
Functional medicine physician, biological age researcher
Brooke Burke
Television host, wellness entrepreneur
Dr. Mark Hyman
Functional medicine physician, author
Gary Brecka
Human biologist, longevity expert
Bryan Johnson
Longevity researcher, founder of Blueprint
Featured individuals received TPE at Next Health locations. Featuring does not constitute an endorsement of TPE for any specific health outcome. Individual experiences vary.
THE EXPERIENCE
From consultation to post-session: what your TPE day looks like.
01
The Consultation
A 60-minute consultation with a Next Health physician. We walk through your medical history, your goals, your current biomarkers, and whether TPE is clinically appropriate. Not every patient is a candidate — we discuss contraindications, expectations, and protocol.
02
Pre-Session Biomarker Testing
A comprehensive Baseline Test and Total Tox Burden Test — inflammatory markers, nutrient panel, hormones, heavy metals, mycotoxins, and environmental toxicants. Results inform any final clinical adjustments and establish the diagnostic foundation.
03
The TPE Session
2 to 4 hours in a private treatment room with a reclining chair, refreshments, and entertainment. A trained apheresis nurse establishes IV access. The apheresis machine begins the plasma exchange. You remain comfortable and monitored throughout.
04
Recovery
Brief observation period before discharge. Most patients return to normal activities the same day. We recommend hydration and rest. A small number experience mild post-procedure fatigue or calcium-related symptoms; these resolve within hours.
05
Post-Session Testing & Protocol
Optional post-session biomarker testing measures impact on your biology — inflammatory markers, toxin burden, epigenetic age. For bundle protocols, this informs the cadence and approach of subsequent sessions.
FREQUENTLY ASKED
The questions our patients actually ask.
RELATED PROGRAMS
The programs that pair with Plasma Exchange.
The Executive Physical
The most comprehensive longevity assessment available — and the diagnostic foundation most TPE patients complete before their first session.
Explore →
Memberships
Optimize 4.0 and Premier 4.0 members receive 20% off TPE and all advanced longevity services. Apex members access the most integrated longevity protocols.
View Memberships →
Precision Hormone Therapy
TPE clears the accumulated noise in your plasma; hormone optimization restores the signaling environment that operates within it.
Explore →
The most advanced longevity treatment available at Next Health.
Filter the plasma. Remove what shouldn't be there. Replace it with what should. Performed under direct physician supervision, monitored by healthcare professionals, integrated with the rest of your biology. Currently available at select Next Health flagship locations.
Available at select Next Health locations · 20% off for Optimize 4.0 and Premier 4.0 members · Pre- and post-session biomarker testing included