Apheresis has transformed the treatment of multiple previously challenging medical conditions, from autoimmune and neurologic disorders to leukemia and sickle cell anemia. While not a cure, this sophisticated technology is an adjunct therapy that selectively targets harmful blood components while preserving essential elements—often making it significantly more precise than conventional treatments.
I have been researching and administering apheresis for several years at my medical clinic in Santa Rosa, Calif., particularly for patients with cancer, chronic kidney disease, and other complex, inflammatory conditions. And now science is starting to confirm the vast range of medical applications for this powerful, cutting-edge procedure.
What Is Apheresis?
Apheresis, also called therapeutic apheresis, is an outpatient procedure that involves removing blood from the body via IV access, separating the plasma from it, and then filtering the blood through a special column. Afterward, cleaned blood is returned to the body. In almost all cases, patients are kept awake during the treatment, which does not require anesthesia.
Meaning to “take away” or “to separate a part from the whole” in Greek, apheresis helps remove degenerative, pro-cancer, and pro-inflammatory compounds that contribute to the progression of life-threatening illness, allowing the body a chance to deeply detoxify. It also helps enhance the effects of other therapies and supports optimal healing.
Difference Between Donor and Therapeutic Apheresis
Apheresis procedures fall into two main categories that serve distinct purposes, says The American Society for Apheresis (ASFA). Donor apheresis involves collecting specific blood components from healthy individuals for transfusion to patients or further processing. Common donor procedures include plateletpheresis (collecting platelets), plasmapheresis (collecting plasma), and occasionally erythrocytapheresis (collecting red blood cells).
In contrast, therapeutic apheresis aims to treat disease by removing pathological components from a patient’s bloodstream. This includes procedures such as therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE), which removes and replaces a patient’s plasma to eliminate harmful antibodies, and red cell exchange, which replaces abnormal red blood cells with healthy donor cells.
Apheresis and Galectin-3
As you have probably heard me discuss many times, Galectin-3 (Gal-3) is an important mediator and key driver of organ inflammation and fibrosis in a wide range of acute and chronic progressive conditions. Increased plasma Gal-3 levels are associated with acute kidney injury (AKI) and sepsis development in critically ill patients. In turn, depletion of Gal-3 has significantly decreased AKI rates and increased survival in large pre-clinical and clinical studies.
Therapeutic Apheresis and Cancer
In the treatment of cancer, my apheresis protocols are designed to:
- Enhance efficacy of chemotherapy, radiation, and other cancer protocols
- Reduce surgical inflammation
- Lower the levels of circulating compounds that contribute to disease progression
- Promote optimal recovery
By dramatically lowering these degenerative compounds, apheresis reduces hyper-viscosity and inflammation in the circulatory system—and increases oxygenation, limits tumor-promoting signaling and supports optimal immune response.
Apheresis Offers Hope for Many Other Conditions
We have seen significant clinical success using apheresis in the treatment of the following conditions:
- Cancer
- Sepsis
- Chronic kidney disease
- Lyme disease and co-infections
- Autoimmune conditions
- Cardiovascular disease
- Blood disorders such as myasthenia gravis, leukocytosis, and sickle cell disease
- Toxic body burden through removal of disease-provoking components and toxins such heavy metals and excess galectin-3 (mentioned above)
Apheresis Side Effects
While apheresis is regarded as a safe procedure, it may still carry some potential side effects, including allergic reactions, fatigue, nausea, dizziness, and low blood pressure. In some cases, patients may be given mineral supplements during the procedure to help with these symptoms.
XGal-3: The Latest in Apheresis-Based Technology
XGal-3® is a novel medical device I developed that works like dialysis but with a crucial difference. It combines therapeutic apheresis with the targeted removal of Galectin-3. Using proprietary anti-Galectin-3 ligand traps, the device selectively eliminates this key inflammatory protein from the bloodstream, potentially halting progression of serious conditions such as sepsis.
In the case of sepsis, XGal-3® helps prevent the devastating sequence of inflammation and organ damage by disrupting the pathological process early. This targeted strategy addresses the root cause of sepsis, providing a breakthrough solution and new hope for millions.
The technology has shown remarkable results in our research. In large animal studies, XGal-3® rapidly demonstrated the incredible ability to halt the devastating cascade of sepsis in hours, an achievement that no currently approved treatment has been able to accomplish. It’s also important to note that no adverse side effects were observed with the use of XGal-3®.
Our patented technology, supported by two NIH grants and protected by over 60 patents across 34 countries, has the potential to transform the treatment of sepsis and other inflammatory and fibrotic diseases such as acute kidney injury (AKI), chronic kidney disease (CKD), heart failure, liver fibrosis, and cancer.
The FDA has awarded XGal-3® its Breakthrough Device Designation, a highly coveted label in the medical world that validates technologies tackling urgent, unmet medical needs. It gives patients timely access to innovative treatments that are highly vetted for safety and effectiveness. And often, it offers hope where there is none.
[For More Information About XGal-3®, visit EliazTherapeutics.com.]
Final Thoughts
Whether you’re seeking relief from autoimmune diseases, neurological disorders, or other complex medical conditions, apheresis may offer a promising solution. I’ve dedicated my career to integrating ancient healing wisdom with modern medical science. By merging the holistic perspective of integrative medicine with cutting-edge technology, we are able to explore new frontiers in critical care with apheresis and XGal-3. These approaches extend beyond just addressing the symptoms, but the root causes of devastating inflammatory conditions, potentially saving millions of lives.
RESOURCES
