This start-up claims it can remove microplastics from your blood
What's the story
London-based health start-up Clarify Clinic is offering a unique treatment to remove microplastics from the bloodstream. The procedure involves drawing blood from a patient and running it through a machine that separates plasma from blood cells. The plasma is then filtered to remove microplastics and other unwanted chemicals before being combined back with the blood cells and reintroduced into the patient.
Procedure details
Treatment duration and patient experience
The whole treatment takes up to two hours, enough to treat 50-80% of the blood plasma volume. "Once it's running, you feel nothing. It's very comfortable," says Yael Cohen, CEO of Clarify Clinic. Patients can make calls, watch movies or even sleep during the procedure. The clinic serves a range of patients including those suffering from chronic fatigue, brain fog or long COVID symptoms.
Treatment claims
Clarify Clinic's treatment and its scientific validity
The clinic provides treatments to detoxify the blood from microplastics or other possible contaminants like PFAS chemicals (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) and pesticides. However, the scientific community remains divided on the impact of microplastics on human health. A 2022 WHO report concluded that there wasn't enough evidence to determine whether microplastics posed a risk to human health.
Measurement challenges
The need for accurate measurement of microplastics
Frederic Been, an environmental contaminants researcher at the Amsterdam Institute for Life and Environment, stressed that it is important to accurately determine how much microplastics or any other type of environmental contaminants humans are exposed to. While there are numerous scientific papers tracking microplastics across Earth's surface and within our bodies, very few have tried to understand their impact on health.
Patient feedback
Clarify Clinic's treatment and its effectiveness
Despite no conclusive scientific evidence, Cohen says her patients report more energy or better sleep after the treatment. She personally saw a marked improvement in her sleep after the treatment at Clarify Clinic. Most patients learn about the clinic through word-of-mouth and post their blood microplastic results online before and after the treatment, with Cohen calling it "a badge of honor to be doing your future self a favor."