Our Story - The Apheresis Center

Our medical team has perfected treatment through decades of expertise and the empathy that comes from the lived experience of our co-founders

From left to right: The three Co-founders of the Apheresis Center: Markus Klotz, Silke Fischer and Constantinos Georgiou

When Markus fell ill at the end of 2020 after contracting Covid and his life was taken away from him through a severe case of Long Covid, he, his family and friends already had lost hope of a recovery when a therapy in Mülheim, Germany brought him back to life again. Dr. Beate Jaeger treated him with H.E.L.P. Apheresis for Long Covid. He was patient Nr. 14 in her published case study (click here for case study). He also was the first Long Covid patient ever to receive what is now known as Combination Therapy.

After his recovery, he, his best friends Constantinos Georgiou and Silke Fischer with the support of Dr. Beate Jaeger (WAZ News article on Dr Jaeger and Markus Klotz click here for news article), B.Braun and Mediprod opened the Apheresis Center in Larnaca with Dr. Irina Pavlik Marangos, who leads our medical team as our Medical Director, to give German, English, Greek and Russian speaking people access to H.E.L.P. Apheresis and Combination Therapy.

Markus as an expert patient with his lived experience is our managing director and patient relation manager, Constantinos, former PiceWaterhouseCoopers, manages the center and Silke, formerly B.Braun, as one of the leading H.E.L.P. Apheresis application experts trained our medical team in German medical standards. You will find Silke's talk on various apheresis forms and Combination Therapy here: Click here

You find a video with Markus about our Long Covid and Post Vac treatments and his personal advice for affected people here

And Constantinos gives you a personal tour through our clinic here

A video and interview of the two together from the ARTE TV documentary 'Long Covid - Healing in Cyprus' can be found here

Read Markus' Help Apheresis and Combination Therapy blog

Dr. Irina Pavlik Marangos, Medical Director and Chief Physician

Dr. Irina Pavlik Marangos has performed thousands of H.E.L.P. Apheresis for Long Covid and Chronic Illness treatments and has been leading the way in Long Covid and Chronic Illness Combination Therapy (The Cyprus Protocol). She obtained her doctorate at the University hospital Oslo and worked in the field of research and scientific publishing for many years before returning to the front line.

Her expertise in Combination Therapy, H.E.L.P. Apheresis, Medication treatment protocols, IV Treatments, Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy and Cryotherapy has deepened over many years of treating chronic patients with Long Covid, ME/CFS, Lyme, Fibromyalgia and other chronic diseases.

Dr. Pavlik Marangos' interview she gave for the ARTE TV documentary 'Long Covid - Healing in Cyprus' can be found here.

A video interview with Dr. Irina about Combination Therapy, H.E.L.P. Apheresis and the latest clinical experience can be found here

Members of our medical team:

For catheter surgeries and paediatric services Dr. Ilias Papadopolous is consulting our patients.

Psychatrist Dr. George Mikkelides

is responsible for our patients Trauma Therapy and Cognitive Function Therapy.

Physiotherapist Constantinos Theodorou is responsible for the passive mobilization, energy envelope and pacing techniques.

Chryso Zorbas, Clinical Director and Clinical Nutritionist

Chryso Zorbas is our clinical director and clinical nutritionist. She works with all our patients and directly with our Health Coach Tanja Walser and our medical team to assure that each patient gets an individualised Combination Therapy plan which is well balanced and real time adapted by the medical team. She will also hold your hand nutritionally from day one and guide you along the therapy with a personalized diet plan that will enhance your recovery process.

Combining the two fields of clinical management and clinical nutrition - working as the perfect connector directly between the medical team and the patients, whilst optimizing the patients diet during the treatment course is a highly specialised field. Her acquired knowledge in directing large-scale projects during the last years has prepared her for this new field where cutting-edge medicine in the form of Combination Therapy meets optimizing clinical nutrition.

She has acquired her master’s from the University of Aberdeen in Scotland. You can learn more about Chryso's work in her talk Click here for videos

Dr. Inbar Almon Tofan, Medical Supervisor

Dr. Inbar Almon Tofan is a dedicated general practitioner who obtained her degree at the International University of Zagreb.

During her clinical rotations at University Hospital Rebro in Zagreb, Dr. Almon Tofan gained hands-on experience in focused family medicine, emphasizing holistic patient care and chronic condition management.

In addition to her clinical work, Dr. Almon Tofan served in research at the University Hospital Rebro, collaborating on several research projects.

Currently she is leading our clinical case reviews and in the process of designing a new study layout for multimodal therapies with the assistance of 24/7 bio-tracking.

Dr. Almon Tofan is multilingual, with native proficiency in Hebrew, fluency in English and Croatian, intermediate knowledge of Spanish.

Her diverse experiences and linguistic skills position her as a compassionate and knowledgeable practitioner, committed to providing comprehensive patient care and contributing to the medical community in Cyprus and research internationally.

Dr. Gustavo Aguirre-Chang, Medical Advisor

Dr. Aguirre-Chang, who has more than 30 years of professional experience, has worked with us not only on the digital version of the diagnostic screening test for Microclots/ Hypoperfusion/ Hypercoagulability (HHM) Symptoms, but has also contributed with his medical research carried out on Covid in its different forms: acute, subacute and mainly chronic Covid (Long Covid or PASC) and Post Vac Syndrome. In addition, he has developed several widely used "Therapeutic Tests" and large parts of his medication protocols against viral load, hyperactivated platelets and hypercoagulation have been incorporated into 'The Cyprus Protocol'. He has also developed specific diets for Long Covid.

Based on his experience in Long Covid, he is currently developing protocols for ME/CFS, Fibromyalgia, POTS, Autoimmune Diseases and other diseases and syndromes with fatigue and chronic pain.

You will find an interview about this and other topics of Dr. Gustavo Aguirre-Chang Click here for interviews

George Kyriacou, Director of Marketing and Digital Engagement

George, our Director of Marketing and Digital Engagement, works closely with our Clinical Director and partners to ensure a seamless patient experience from first contact to treatment. Known for his skill in reaching new patients, George has led numerous individuals to express, “if only I had found you sooner.” He drives our digital marketing and outreach campaigns, raising awareness of our clinic’s specialized therapies. By understanding each patient's goals and challenges, George tailors our approach to meet specific needs, enhancing quality of life. With extensive experience in London’s healthcare sector, he brings invaluable expertise to our Larnaca clinic, promoting patient-centered care with professionalism and insight.

Tanja Walser, Health Coach

Tanja is our certified Functional Medicine Health Coach - together with our Clinical Nutritionist Chryso one of the most important positions at our clinic - the combination of health coaching and clinical nutrition supervision is 'nothing short of semi-miracles and boosting the treatment results to another level' (quote of our co-founder Markus). As a recovered Long COVID patient, she fully understands the ramifications of Long COVID and other post-viral conditions.

Working closely with our clinical nutritionist Chryso Zorbas, she works collaboratively with patients and their carers, providing guidance on lifestyle modifications, such as pacing, stress management, sleep and where appropriate movement to optimise the journey to recovery. The coaching is part of the preparation of the patient’s stay at the clinic, support during the stay in Cyprus and to provide continued guidance after returning home for optimal outcomes.

She has acquired her master’s from the University of Zurich, Switzerland as well as Edinburgh, Scotland. You can learn more about Tanja's work in her talk. Click here for videos.

Arri Morris, Scientific Advisor

Arri is an inventor, biomedical engineer, and a clinical researcher with interests in rehabilitation medicine, genetic engineering, anti-aging, and saving lives with science. He designs clinical trials, analyses results with custom statistical software, programs compliant data capture systems, and carefully listens to patients to get at the right answers in the complicated world of medicine. He has been inspiring new treatment forms and treatment schedules with his scientific views - especially when our medical teams' clinical experience is combined with his scientific approach, the results are outstanding!

Rafaella Evangelou, Senior Nurse

Rafaella Evangelou has been heading nursing teams on the island for many years before she became sick with Long Covid. Our patients love the 'magic way' she handles apheresis needles and catheters. Her quite and calm way are a real blessing for all patients that suffer from anxiety and cognitive impairment - knowing Rafaella knows exactly how it feels, gives them great comfort and the feeling to be heard at any time.

Salomi Vasileiou, Senior Nurse

Salomi Vasileiou has been the first nurse in Cyprus to complete H.E.L.P. Apheresis training and since has undertaken hundreds of Help Apheresis treatments. On top she has vast experience with young patients and children, being the mother of two. The patience she developed during her parenthood has influenced her way with our patients in many ways, her empathy and calmness are highly appreciated by our patients.

Artemis Zei, Administration Manager

Artemis is not only the first person that you will meet when entering the center, she will also manage your treatment and doctor appointments, documentation and handles all other requests. You can reach her by email, whatsApp or phone. She literally is at the center of our center!

Partners

Dr. Beate Jaeger provides invaluable data as a medical advisor to our medical team who cooperates with her by exchanging data and clinical experience. All of our H.E.L.P. Apheresis protocols are based on her work. She recently has published a larger case study about H.EL.P. Apheresis for Long Covid. Our common current focus is to constantly find more affordable and available treatments for the patients, as H.E.L.P. Apheresis despite the great results seen in the last years also has drawbacks: costs involved/low coverage of insurances and low availability of machines in the next years.

You will find an interview about this and other topics of Dr. Beate Jaeger and our Co-founder Markus Klotz here: Click here for interviews

Joachim Gerlach, Scientist and Researcher in the field of Long Covid and the SarsCov2 virus delivers valuable insights into the nitty-gritty of biochemical processes in this field. Find some of his work here here: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Joachim-Gerlach and a talk with Markus Klotz and him on the advance of Long Covid treatment protocols below.

Videos of the Apheresis Center and our Team

Entering our Clinic - come in and have a look!

Supercharging our Patients' Treatment Results with Health Coaching and Clinical Nutrition Supervision

Markus Klotz, our Co-founder and managing director talks with our two Superwomen:

Our Health Coach Tanja Walser, who will guide you through your entire recovery journey from A to Z, making sure that every bit of it is optimised and effortless - full support from someone who knows and has been there - a recovered expertpatient and Health Coach at your side all the time!

Our Clinical Director and Nutritionist Chryso Zorbas, from whom you will receive full clinical nutritional supervision from day one, even before you arrive at the clinic - because any food you put into your body is essentially information - getting this part and the supplements right is a huge bonus to your treatment outcome, especially as she is also our Clinical Director and directly involved with our medical team!

Our Long Covid and Post Vac Story - a look into the past, present and future with Markus Klotz - our Co-founder and Managing Director

Long Covid, Post Vac Syndrome and Chronic Illnesses - it is never easy to find one's right road to recovery. But with a little help it is definitely much easier. Markus talks about what we have learned from our medical team's clinical experience in the last two years and what his personal advice as a former patient is, if you are looking for the right treatment form.

More videos with Markus:

Gez Medinger and Markus Klotz talking about why Combination Therapy needs to be individualised for each patient

Interview Markus Klotz Radio Italiana Florida

Interview Markus Klotz in the ARTE TV documentary 'Long Covid - Healing in Cyprus'

A tour through our clinic with Constantinos Georgiou - our Center Manager and Co-founder

Constantinos' family has grown substantially the last two years. He keeps 'adopting' patients. He is the person helping you with everything in the clinic and on the island to make you feel at home.

And after all treatment shifts have finished, he makes sure we never run out of supplies and the whole clinic keeps running like a Swiss clock. Another, shorter video tour with no sound through our clinic you find at the bottom of this page.

Our Clinical Director Chryso Zorbas talks about how we manage the best care for our patients and her experience as clinical nutritionist

Our Clinical Director Chryso Zorbas and co-founder Markus have a short talk about how she manages the best care and treatment for our patients, what they can expect at our clinic and the important role of before, during and after treatment courses. Having an experienced manager AND clinical nutrition expert like Chryso in our team, helps us to bring the already high standards and success rates even higher up. Because every little step up on the ladder of recovery matters.

Clinical Experience, Combination Therapy with Help Apheresis and our patients - a talk with our medical director and chief physician, Dr. Irina Pavlik Marangos

Dr. Irina as she is affectionately called by our patients and nurses has been working in research in the University Hospital Oslo for almost a decade before she decided to come back to the frontline. After having treated chronic illness sufferers for many years, there is only few symptoms and medical issues she has not come across in this field - one of the reasons no patient ever gets a questioning look from her. Only if someone under her care does not follow her doctor's advice she will go in no time from soft as silk to pragmatic! One of her biggest strengths is to talk to patients in a non-medical language that makes everyone understand their treatment effortlessly.

The Clinic

In February 2022 we opened the Apheresis Center in Larnaca, Cyprus.

Why Cyprus?

Cyprus of all EU countries offers the best of all worlds for international and local patients: English is one of the two languages of Cyprus. It is easily accessible and comes with all the other advantages that the island has to offer like the best climate in the EU and ionic sea air, air-conditioned buildings in the summer, great food quality, low prices for transport, food and accommodation. Perfect medical support from private clinics like American Medical Center and Apollonian Hospital is another great benefit. So are the short distances from airport to the clinic to the sea and accommodation. Read more

As the clinic was founded by former sufferers of chronic conditions, our lived experience is reflected in every single detail in the clinic. From a separated waiting area where patients can lie down to rest, to low light and low noise environment - every single detail was designed under the influence of our lived experience.

The Combination Therapy (The Cyprus Protocol) based on H.E.L.P. Apheresis was born out of our own recovery stories and through it's application on ourselves and our family members.

ARTE TV Documentary 'Long Covid - Healing in Cyprus'

ARTE TV Documentary 'Long Covid - Healing in Cyprus' about our Apheresis Center

In fall 2023, a team of journalists from European TV channel ARTE TV accompanied three of our Long Covid and Post Vac Syndrom patients and interviewed them and our team at the Apheresis Center. Below you find the link to watch short excerpts of the documentary which are also easy to watch for patients with cognitive dysfunction, brainfog and related migraines. The documentary aired in June 2024.

Click here to watch