{"id":262446,"date":"2025-07-13T20:26:18","date_gmt":"2025-07-13T20:26:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/262446\/"},"modified":"2025-07-13T20:26:18","modified_gmt":"2025-07-13T20:26:18","slug":"what-science-really-thinks-of-orlando-blooms-wacky-blood-cleaning-procedure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/262446\/","title":{"rendered":"What science REALLY thinks of Orlando Bloom&#8217;s wacky blood cleaning procedure"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">It&#8217;s a wellness obsession that has hooked Hollywood A-listers and longevity gurus alike\u2014getting rid of microplastics in the body.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">The particles\u2014which have been linked to cancer\u2014have\u00a0been found in human blood, semen, lungs, breast milk, bone marrow, placenta, testicles and even the brain.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Scientists have also discovered traces of the tiny plastics fragments, measuring less than 5mm, everywhere from the ice in Antarctica to the summit of Mount Everest.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">But when actor Orlando Bloom, 48, was pictured having a \u00a310,000 treatment last month to remove microplastics from his blood, it thrust the subject back into the spotlight.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">The 48-year-old, who once wrote that his morning routine involved\u00a0having &#8216;brain octane oil&#8217; for breakfast and 20 minutes of Buddhist chanting, praised the London clinic&#8217;s two-hour treatment.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Bloom, who starred in film franchises like Lord of the Rings and Pirates of the Caribbean, hailed it as a &#8216;new way of removing microplastics and toxic chemicals from our bodies&#8217;.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">However, dozens of experts have since\u00a0expressed scepticism regarding the claims of Clarify Clinic&#8217;s, arguing that the\u00a0basement clinic just off Harley Street, has little &#8216;reliable evidence&#8217; for how effective the procedure is.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Fresh research, however, has now suggested there may other anti-aging benefits to the method, known medically as a blood plasma exchange.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>   <img decoding=\"async\" id=\"i-e30f8cc7ddeb578a\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/99209553-14897087-Orlando_Bloom_48_underwent_a_10k_treatment_to_remove_microplasti-m-4_1752251078305.jpeg\" height=\"691\" width=\"634\" alt=\"Orlando Bloom, 48, underwent a \u00a310k treatment to remove microplastics and toxic chemicals from his blood at Clarify Clinic last month\" class=\"blkBorder img-share\" style=\"max-width:100%\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>   <\/p>\n<p class=\"imageCaption\">Orlando Bloom, 48, underwent a \u00a310k treatment to remove microplastics and toxic chemicals from his blood at Clarify Clinic last month<\/p>\n<p>   <img decoding=\"async\" id=\"i-c3f6ab707a1e8e96\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/100230869-14897087-image-a-5_1752251777803.jpg\" height=\"423\" width=\"634\" alt=\"Bloom, who starred in film franchises like Lord of the Rings and Pirates of the Caribbean, hailed it as a 'new way of removing microplastics and toxic chemicals from our bodies'. Pictured, with ex-fianc\u00e9 Katy Perry\" class=\"blkBorder img-share\" style=\"max-width:100%\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>   <\/p>\n<p class=\"imageCaption\">Bloom, who starred in film franchises like Lord of the Rings and Pirates of the Caribbean, hailed it as a &#8216;new way of removing microplastics and toxic chemicals from our bodies&#8217;. Pictured, with ex-fianc\u00e9 Katy Perry\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">So what is the truth? And should we really be worried about microplastics in the blood?\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">A blood plasma exchange works by extracting blood from the arm, where it is then separated into its different components, red blood cells and plasma.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Plasma is the pale yellow liquid that carries blood cells, proteins, and other substances throughout the body.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">This plasma is cleansed of &#8216;forever chemicals, microplastics, inflammation and the poisons and toxins&#8217;, according to\u00a0Clarify Clinic&#8217;s co-founder\u00a0David Cohen, before it is put back in the body with the red blood cells.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">This is similar, in principle, to an approach used by the NHS to treat conditions such as myeloma, multiple sclerosis and some types of leukaemia to remove abnormal proteins and harmful substances from the blood.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">But like all medical procedures it carries potential risks.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Common side effects can include nausea, fatigue and dizziness. More serious, although rare reactions include infections from bacterial contamination and patients can also suffer electrolyte imbalances that can make them ill.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">For this reason, the benefits of the procedure are believed to only outweigh the risks for life-threatening medical conditions.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>   <img decoding=\"async\" id=\"i-6923c98508667e88\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/90079925-14897087-image-a-3_1752250475230.jpg\" height=\"357\" width=\"634\" alt=\"Invisible to the human eye, microplastics are tiny plastic fragments as small as two micrometres, or two-thousandths of a millimetre\" class=\"blkBorder img-share\" style=\"max-width:100%\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>   <\/p>\n<p class=\"imageCaption\">Invisible to the human eye, microplastics are tiny plastic fragments as small as two micrometres, or two-thousandths of a millimetre<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Additionally, using the technique as form of blood-washing for microplastics has not been tested in randomised trials.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Professor Edzard Ernst, a world-renowned expert in complementary medicine at the University of Exeter,\u00a0said: &#8216;I am not aware of reliable evidence showing that the procedure has any of the claimed effects on human health.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">&#8216;I am not even sure that it removes anything from the patient other than a lot of cash.&#8217;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">British medic Dr Michael Mrozinski, who boasts over 94,000 followers on\u00a0<a style=\"font-weight: bold;\" class=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DLkBHZYPWCF\/\">Instagram account<\/a>\u00a0where he calls out &#8216;medical misinformation&#8217; also took aim at the practice.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">&#8216;Orlando\u00a0Bloom paid thousands for a &#8220;microplastic detox&#8221; where his blood was <a style=\"font-weight: bold;\" target=\"_self\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/tvshowbiz\/article-14796911\/Orlando-Bloom-undergoes-10k-treatment-toxic-chemicals-blood.html\" rel=\"noopener\">filtered through plastic tubing,<\/a> using plastic cannulas, into a plastic machine, to remove microplastics,&#8217; he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">&#8216;You couldn&#8217;t script this better if you tried. The wellness industry has officially eaten itself.&#8217;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Dr Dan Baumgardt, a GP and senior lecturer in the school of physiology, pharmacology and neuroscience at the University of Bristol, also told <a style=\"font-weight: bold;\" class=\"\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thetimes.com\/life-style\/health-fitness\/article\/microplastics-orlando-bloom-truth-blood-gzccxsrvh\">The Times<\/a>: &#8216;Any procedure requiring intravenous cannulation and separation of blood constituents is not going to be risk-free.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">&#8216;Simple cannulation carries a risk of infection, haematoma and extravasation [the leakage of fluid from a vein into the surrounding tissue], and with any procedure it&#8217;s important that the risks don&#8217;t outweigh the intended benefits.&#8217;\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>   <img decoding=\"async\" id=\"i-89f3a126d3a3b173\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/82720571-14897087-Experts_say_you_can_cut_your_exposure_to_microplastics_by_swappi-a-4_1752250488554.jpeg\" height=\"381\" width=\"634\" alt=\"Experts say\u00a0you can cut your exposure to microplastics by swapping out plastics in your home for natural materials, metal and glass\" class=\"blkBorder img-share\" style=\"max-width:100%\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>   <\/p>\n<p class=\"imageCaption\">Experts say\u00a0you can cut your exposure to microplastics by swapping out plastics in your home for natural materials, metal and glass<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">A spokesperson for Clarify Clinic said: &#8216;The biological plausibility of removing synthetic particles from circulation, and their known contributions to inflammation and toxicity, provides a clear scientific rationale.&#8217;\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">No larger clinical trials assessing blood plasma exchange impact on microplastics, specifically, have yet been carried out.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">One recent trial, however, has found it could slow biological ageing.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">The small study of 42 participants, discovered that those who underwent the treatment over the course of a few months had lower concentrations of biological compounds that accumulate with age, compared with a control group.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">This essentially means they were ageing more slowly, keeping their biological age lower.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Writing in the journal <a style=\"font-weight: bold;\" class=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/10.1111\/acel.70103\">Aging Cell<\/a>, US researchers said:\u00a0this is the first study in humans to report a decrease in biological age by blood plasma exchange using well-validated epigenetic metrics of biological age.&#8217;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">The trial, however, was sponsored by Circulate Health, a plasma exchange startup.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Although wary of the idea of microplastic blood detoxing, experts have repeatedly raised the alarm over people&#8217;s increased exposure to microplastics.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Invisible to the human eye, microplastics are tiny\u00a0plastic fragments as small as two micrometres, or two-thousandths of a millimetre.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">These particles make their way into food, water supplies and even into the air as plastic products degrade over time.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">Studies have suggested that\u00a0they could lodge in sensitive blood vessels and trigger heart attacks, or cause Alzheimer&#8217;s disease if they get in the brain.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">However, other experts have argued scientists are still not measuring microplastic levels correctly.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">In a commentary published in the journal <a style=\"font-weight: bold;\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/d41586-025-00702-2\">Nature<\/a>\u00a0earlier this year, four scientists said human tissue samples may be being contaminated\u00a0from the plastic test tubes and dishes used in laboratories.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mol-para-with-font\">&#8216;Modern laboratories are hot spots of microplastic pollution,&#8217; they added.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It&#8217;s a wellness obsession that has hooked Hollywood A-listers and longevity gurus alike\u2014getting rid of microplastics in the&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":262447,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[92,105,459,257,211,33008,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-262446","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health","8":"tag-dailymail","9":"tag-health","10":"tag-instagram","11":"tag-london","12":"tag-nhs","13":"tag-orlando-bloom","14":"tag-uk","15":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114847808899824072","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/262446","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=262446"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/262446\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/262447"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=262446"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=262446"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=262446"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}