- Joe Rogan recently posted on Instagram about his experience with plasmapheresis.
- Plasmapheresis is an actual medical procedure but reserved for people with serious neurological conditions or cancer.
- Doctors warn that there is no evidence to support plasmapheresis for toxin removal. Additionally, they note that the cost and risk of serious side effects outweigh any potential longevity benefit.
The longevity crowd has a new obsession: draining all their blood. Celebrity influencers including Joe Rogan post photos of themselves triumphantly holding up bags of yellow fluid. No, it’s not pee.
The yellow transfusion bag is blood—well, part of it. It’s the liquid component of blood called plasma and the procedure they’re discussing is plasmapheresis. “This is the stuff they pulled out of my blood,” Rogan wrote in his Instagram caption. He also notes that plasma “carries a lot of the inflammatory proteins, toxins, and byproducts that build up over time.”
This isn’t the first time plasma and toxins have come up in conversation. Bryan Johnson, a.k.a. the man who wants to live forever, previously underwent a version of plasmapheresis known as total plasma exchange where he removed all the plasma from his body. (His 2024 Instagram post then goes on to explain “the operator, who’s been doing TPE for 9 years, said my plasma is the cleanest he’s ever seen. By far. He couldn’t get over it. When we finished, he couldn’t bring himself to throw it away.”)
Now plasmapheresis is an actual medical procedure. However, its use is for people with serious health conditions. Still, that hasn’t stopped wellness fanatics from embracing plasmapheresis as an alternative health treatment. Rogan himself wrote “it seems very weird when you do it, but the people that I know who have tried this have experienced better sleep scores and markedly better recovery.”
Is Rogan onto something or on something for considering plasmapheresis? MH spoke to doctors to get to the bottom of this.
What is Plasmapheresis?
PLASMAPHERESIS, ALSO KNOWN as plasma exchange, is a medical treatment where a person’s blood is removed and put into a machine that separates the blood into red cells, white cells, platelets, and plasma.
The plasma is then thrown out and replaced with a substitute fluid, usually protein-rich albumin. Brian Walcott, MD, a neurosurgeon at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, explains that an infusion is required after removing plasma because a doctor cannot take that much fluid from somebody and expect them to survive.
The replacement liquid, along with the red cells, white cells, and platelets, are then returned to the patient. The remaining yellowish fluid in the medical bags is plasma. “That’s what normal, healthy plasma looks like,” Dr. Walcott says. “The yellow is not an abnormal color.”
Who Benefits From Plasmapheresis?
NOT MOST PEOPLE. “Medically, this is necessary most commonly for those with neurologic conditions or cancer,” explains Eric Ascher, DO, a family medicine physician at Northwell’s Lenox Hill Hospital. “This should not be done for healthy individuals.”
Jamie Alan, PhD, an associate professor of pharmacology and toxicology at Michigan State University, agrees. “This is typically used for autoimmune diseases and sometimes for overdoses,” she says.
Dr. Walcott says he was surprised when he first saw plasmapheresis was being done in the name of wellness. “It’s a well-known medical treatment that’s been around for decades,” he says. “But it helps people who are sick, not people who are well.”
Can Removing Plasma Filter Out Microplastics?
THE IDEA OF filtering out microplastics through plasma removal comes up a lot on social media. Doctors say it’s debatable. Kelly Johnson-Arbor, MD, a toxicologist at MedStar Health, points to a 2025 study that found plasmapheresis was effective in removing microplastic-like particles from human blood. “However, this study involved only 21 patients and did not provide a numerical assessment of the amount of microplastic particles found in the individuals’ blood before and after plasmapheresis,” she says. One more thing to note: That study was funded by a company that uses plasmapheresis as a therapeutic treatment. Do with that information what you will.
The 2025 study is the one you’ll find health influencers citing when talking about plasmapheresis as a therapeutic treatment. Dr. Walcott stresses, however, that there’s no credible proof that microplastics were actually taken out. The reason? Well, microplastics are everywhere. They’ve been documented in the brain, prostate and penis—just to name a few.
“Microplastics are in more than your blood,” says Dr. Walcott. “It’s in your tissues, too. No one knows if this decreases the total amount in your blood.”
In theory, Dr. Alan says plasmapheresis may help remove microplastics, but reiterates that there is little research to support this. “It is very hard to say how well it may or may not work in practice.”
Then there’s the ultimate irony: the procedure itself may increase the risk for microplastic exposure. Dr. Ascher and Dr. Walcott point out that the tubing itself used in plasmapheresis is made from plastic.
“There is currently minimal scientific evidence supporting the use of plasmapheresis as an anti-aging intervention,” says Dr. Johnson-Arbor. “Until more research is conducted to establish whether plasmapheresis is effective in promoting longevity, people should not use this treatment to prevent aging.”
Medical Risks of Undergoing Plasmapheresis
SINCE PLASMAPHERESIS IS a medical procedure, Dr. Johnson-Arbor lists a number of serious side effects including abnormally low blood pressure, irregular heart rhythms, bleeding, and allergic reactions.
Plasmapheresis also removes other components from your blood like clotting factors and antibodies. Since you’re removing antibodies and clotting factors, the procedure does suppress your immune system for months afterward. “The immune system doesn’t bounce back right away,” warns Dr. Walcott. “That’s where I have a personal problem with it.”
Then there’s the cost.
Again, Rogan likened the procedure to an oil change for the blood. If an oil change cost between $5,000 and $15,000.
“Plasmapheresis is also a costly procedure that takes hours to perform, so it is not as simple or easy as an automotive oil change,” says Dr. Johnson-Arbor. Then there’s the fact that an oil change ensures your car will run smoother. Plasma removal, not so much.
Korin Miller is a freelance writer specializing in general wellness, sexual health and relationships, and lifestyle trends, with work appearing in Men’s Health, Women’s Health, Self, Glamour, and more. She has a master’s degree from American University, lives by the beach, and hopes to own a teacup pig and taco truck one day.
Jocelyn Solis-Moreira, MS is the associate health & fitness for Men’s Health and has previously written for CNN, Scientific American, Popular Science, and National Geographic before joining the brand. When she’s not working, she’s doing circus arts or working towards the perfect pull-up.
Read the full article here