More than 40 years ago, the Kaplan Center for Integrative Medicine was founded with a simple but unconventional belief: when medicine gets complicated, care must become more thoughtful—not more fragmented.
At a time when most healthcare was organized strictly by specialty and symptom, our clinic was built around a different question: What is driving disease beneath the diagnosis? Rather than treating organs in isolation, we focused on the biological systems that connect them—and on patients whose conditions did not fit neatly into a single box.
This philosophy placed the Kaplan Center ahead of the times.
Seeing the Connections Before They Were Obvious
Long before terms like systems biology and precision medicine entered the mainstream, our clinical work centered on the shared mechanisms underlying chronic illness, neurodegeneration, and aging. We saw, again and again, that inflammation, immune dysregulation, metabolic dysfunction, and impaired repair processes were quietly shaping disease years before it was formally diagnosed.
Our early patients were often those with complex, persistent, or unexplained symptoms—individuals who had exhausted conventional options but still lacked answers. By looking across systems rather than within silos, we were able to detect patterns others missed and design more coherent, individualized care. It isn’t rare that a new study comes out and shares findings that we have been seeing within our patients for the past few decades.
From Complex Chronic Illness to Precision Care
Chronic and neuroinflammatory disease remains the cornerstone of our practice. We continue to care for patients with post-infectious and post-viral syndromes, autoimmune and immune-mediated conditions, refractory pain, and complex neurologic disorders.
What has evolved over time is not our philosophy, but our capability.
Advances in immune, inflammatory, and metabolic diagnostics now allow us to identify disease activity earlier and intervene with far greater precision. Our care has moved beyond managing symptoms toward stabilizing underlying biology and supporting long-term function.
Expanding Into Cognitive Health & Alzheimer’s Care
One of the most important evolutions of our original vision is the development of our cognitive health and Alzheimer’s care pathway.
Decades ago, cognitive decline was typically addressed only after symptoms became disruptive. Today, research confirms what our systems-based approach long suggested:
Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders develop over many years, shaped by inflammation, immune activation, vascular dysfunction, and metabolic stress.
Our cognitive health services reflect this understanding. We emphasize early identification of risk–up to 20 years before symptoms even occur– comprehensive evaluation beyond memory testing alone, and personalized strategies to help slow progression, preserve function, and support patients and families across the disease continuum.
Advanced Therapies, Integrated With Purpose
Being ahead of the curve has never meant chasing trends—it has meant adopting innovation when it meaningfully advances patient care.
The Kaplan Center is proud to be the first outpatient center in the region to offer therapeutic plasma exchange as part of a comprehensive treatment strategy for carefully selected patients with immune-mediated or inflammatory conditions. This advanced therapy represents a significant step forward in addressing complex disease mechanisms—and is never offered in isolation, but integrated into a broader diagnostic and clinical framework.
Beyond Illness: The Evolution Toward Healthspan & Longevity
While the clinic was founded to address complexity and chronic disease, our work today extends beyond treating illness alone.
Drawing on decades of experience caring for what happens when biology breaks down, we have expanded our healthspan and longevity services to help patients intervene earlier—before disease becomes entrenched. This approach focuses on precision prevention: identifying early dysfunction, reducing chronic inflammation, and preserving cognitive, metabolic, and immune resilience over time.
Longevity medicine at the Kaplan Center is not about chasing youth. It is about using evidence, advanced diagnostics, and clinical insight to reduce future disease burden and support healthier aging.
A Legacy Built for What Comes Next
What has remained constant for more than 40 years is our commitment to thoughtful evaluation, systems-based medicine, and long-term partnership with our patients.
The tools have evolved. The therapies have advanced. The scope of care has expanded.
But the founding principle remains the same: complex problems require deep expertise, careful listening, and medicine that sees the whole system—not just the diagnosis.
As we look ahead, that blend of heritage and innovation continues to shape how we care for patients today—and how we prepare for what comes next.
We are here for you, and we want to help.
Our goal is to return you to optimal health as soon as possible. To schedule an appointment please call: 703-532-4892 x2
The Kaplan Center is the first to offer this treatment in the Northern Virginia region.
McLean, VA — January 27, 2026 — A treatment used to slow Alzheimer’s progression, reduce inflammation, and boost overall vitality is now available for the first time in Northern Virginia. The Kaplan Center for Integrative Medicine has launched an outpatient Therapeutic Plasma Exchange (TPE) program, bringing hospital-level innovation into a comfortable, wellness-centered environment.
Also known as plasmapheresis, TPE gently filters the blood to remove inflammatory proteins and toxins that can interfere with the body’s natural healing processes. The “old” plasma is replaced with nutrient-rich fluids such as albumin, helping to restore balance and create the optimal conditions for repair, regeneration, and improved cognitive function.
Written by Dr. Gary Kaplan for London Daily News Published 15 January, 2026
As the new year begins, people often feel renewed motivation to improve their health. Yet with colder weather and shorter days, it can feel like an uphill battle. For those that are older, living with chronic pain or illness, or those that just find the gym daunting, the idea of staying active can seem especially challenging.
The good news is that effective exercise doesn’t require a gym membership, special equipment or extra-long workouts. In fact, consistency outperforms bursts of intensity for long-term fitness goals. Some of the most sustainable forms of exercise are simple and easy to do at home, making them ideal for cold weather or when time is limited.
From a medical perspective, consistent movement is one of the most powerful tools we have to support joint health, circulation, balance, mood and overall resilience. Below are a few practical, no-gym-required exercise options that can support your physical health with minimum strain.
1. Chair Fitness Circuits
Chair exercises are a great option for individuals that may have joint pain, limited mobility or balance. These movements are done seated or with partial support, including exercises such as seated marches, arm circles, leg extensions, or core twists. These movements should be slow and controlled. Chair yoga is also accessible option, widely available through online videos.
While these movements seem modest, they can help improve circulation, joint lubrication, core strength and reduce stiffness after long periods spent idle.
2. Stairs or Single Step Work for Gentle Cardio
Stairs or step work can be a powerful cardiovascular and strength-building workout–all you need is a step or set of stairs. Stair climbing, step-ups or calf raises on a step can help strengthen legs while supporting heart health. If your body permits it, you can use weights or hold lightly weighted items to add strength training intensity.
These activities are beneficial for maintaining bone density, balance, lower-body strength and cardiovascular fitness. Handrails or a wall can provide added support, however, individuals with significant knee pain or balance instability should approach stair exercises cautiously or avoid them altogether.
3. Walking
Walking is one of the most vital ways to maintain our health. It is no surprise that people who own dogs have been shown to be at least 2.5 times more likely to get adequate exercise than those who don’t. While walking outside in the cold may be more challenging, walking indoors at a museum or a mall can be an enjoyable way to get steps in.
Benefits of increasing your step count include improved heart health, weight management, bone and muscle strength, mood, immunity, cognitive function, and reduces your chances of chronic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, stroke or certain cancers.
4. Simple Strength Training at Home
Strength training becomes increasingly important with age, particularly after 50, as muscle mass and bone density naturally decline. Fortunately, strength training doesn’t necessarily require weights or machines. Your bodyweight can be used for movements like wall push-ups, gentle squats, or plenty of other movements that can be found online. Light resistance can be used with household items or weights.
Strength training is critical to support metabolic health and improve mobility, balance and independence. Individuals with joint sensitivity or knee or hip arthritis should keep movements small and pain-free, and always use support as needed.
5. Dancing for Movement that Doesn’t Feel Like Exercise
Because dance is enjoyable, people are often more consistent with dance than traditional workouts. Whether you are dancing freely to some of your favorite music, following a class or learning basic steps, it offers benefits such as cardiovascular health, coordination and cognitive health while providing a mood boost that can help counter any winter blues. Make sure that you have space, supportive footwear and move at a pace that’s comfortable.
6. Daily Mobility to Reduce Stiffness
Winter stiffness is common, especially for those with chronic pain or inflammatory conditions. A 5–10-minute routine of joint circles, gentle spinal movements, hip openers, and ankle mobility can make a big difference. These movements can improve range of motion, reduce pain and lower injury risks while preparing the body for daily activity.
Mobility work should never push into discomfort, particularly for those with active shoulder or spine injuries.
7. Community-Based Movement for Motivation and Support
Many community centres offer exercise programs and classes of all levels. These programs provide not only physical benefits, but also social connection—a proven, key ingredient to longevity that is often overlooked. Participating in a group can improve motivation, accountability, and confidence. It’s important to choose programs that match your ability level and to perform modifications as needed.
As you set health intentions for the new year, consider focusing less on rigid goals and more on finding movement that feels sustainable. Even small amounts of daily movement can add meaningful improvement in your physical function, mood and quality of life. Studies show you are also most likely to stick to your goals if you find a repeated time in your daily routine that works for you so that it becomes a habit–whether it’s a few minutes in the morning, lunch, or evening time as you wind down.
Your body is far more likely to respond positively to consistency you can easily maintain—not what you feel pressured to attempt.
We are here for you, and we want to help.
Our goal is to return you to optimal health as soon as possible. To schedule an appointment please call: 703-532-4892 x2
An Origin Story: Why the Kaplan Center Was Ahead of Its Time
/in Treatments, Wellness/by Kaplan CenterMore than 40 years ago, the Kaplan Center for Integrative Medicine was founded with a simple but unconventional belief: when medicine gets complicated, care must become more thoughtful—
not more fragmented.
At a time when most healthcare was organized strictly by specialty and symptom, our clinic was built around a different question: What is driving disease beneath the diagnosis? Rather than treating organs in isolation, we focused on the biological systems that connect them—and on patients whose conditions did not fit neatly into a single box.
This philosophy placed the Kaplan Center ahead of the times.
Seeing the Connections Before They Were Obvious
Long before terms like systems biology and precision medicine entered the mainstream, our clinical work centered on the shared mechanisms underlying chronic illness, neurodegeneration, and aging. We saw, again and again, that inflammation, immune dysregulation, metabolic dysfunction, and impaired repair processes were quietly shaping disease years before it was formally diagnosed.
Our early patients were often those with complex, persistent, or unexplained symptoms—individuals who had exhausted conventional options but still lacked answers. By looking across systems rather than within silos, we were able to detect patterns others missed and design more coherent, individualized care. It isn’t rare that a new study comes out and shares findings that we have been seeing within our patients for the past few decades.
From Complex Chronic Illness to Precision Care
Chronic and neuroinflammatory disease remains the cornerstone of our practice. We continue to care for patients with post-infectious and post-viral syndromes, autoimmune and immune-mediated conditions, refractory pain, and complex neurologic disorders.
What has evolved over time is not our philosophy, but our capability.
Advances in immune, inflammatory, and metabolic diagnostics now allow us to identify disease activity earlier and intervene with far greater precision. Our care has moved beyond managing symptoms toward stabilizing underlying biology and supporting long-term function.
Expanding Into Cognitive Health & Alzheimer’s Care
One of the most important evolutions of our original vision is the development of our cognitive health and Alzheimer’s care pathway.
Decades ago, cognitive decline was typically addressed only after symptoms became disruptive. Today, research confirms what our systems-based approach long suggested:
Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders develop over many years, shaped by inflammation, immune activation, vascular dysfunction, and metabolic stress.
Our cognitive health services reflect this understanding. We emphasize early identification of risk–up to 20 years before symptoms even occur– comprehensive evaluation beyond memory testing alone, and personalized strategies to help slow progression, preserve function, and support patients and families across the disease continuum.
Advanced Therapies, Integrated With Purpose
Being ahead of the curve has never meant chasing trends—it has meant adopting innovation when it meaningfully advances patient care.
The Kaplan Center is proud to be the first outpatient center in the region to offer therapeutic plasma exchange as part of a comprehensive treatment strategy for carefully selected patients with immune-mediated or inflammatory conditions. This advanced therapy represents a significant step forward in addressing complex disease mechanisms—and is never offered in isolation, but integrated into a broader diagnostic and clinical framework.
Beyond Illness: The Evolution Toward Healthspan & Longevity
While the clinic was founded to address complexity and chronic disease, our work today extends beyond treating illness alone.
Drawing on decades of experience caring for what happens when biology breaks down, we have expanded our healthspan and longevity services to help patients intervene earlier—before disease becomes entrenched. This approach focuses on precision prevention: identifying early dysfunction, reducing chronic inflammation, and preserving cognitive, metabolic, and immune resilience over time.
Longevity medicine at the Kaplan Center is not about chasing youth. It is about using evidence, advanced diagnostics, and clinical insight to reduce future disease burden and support healthier aging.
A Legacy Built for What Comes Next
What has remained constant for more than 40 years is our commitment to thoughtful evaluation, systems-based medicine, and long-term partnership with our patients.
The tools have evolved. The therapies have advanced. The scope of care has expanded.
But the founding principle remains the same: complex problems require deep expertise, careful listening, and medicine that sees the whole system—not just the diagnosis.
As we look ahead, that blend of heritage and innovation continues to shape how we care for patients today—and how we prepare for what comes next.
We are here for you, and we want to help.
Our goal is to return you to optimal health as soon as possible. To schedule an appointment please call: 703-532-4892 x2
Kaplan Center to Offer Outpatient Therapeutic Plasma Exchange (TPE) to Treat Chronic Illness, Cognitive Health and Aging
/in News, Press/by Kaplan CenterThe Kaplan Center is the first to offer this treatment in the Northern Virginia region.
McLean, VA — January 27, 2026 — A treatment used to slow Alzheimer’s progression, reduce inflammation, and boost overall vitality is now available for the first time in Northern Virginia. The Kaplan Center for Integrative Medicine has launched an outpatient Therapeutic Plasma Exchange (TPE) program, bringing hospital-level innovation into a comfortable, wellness-centered environment.
Also known as plasmapheresis, TPE gently filters the blood to remove inflammatory proteins and toxins that can interfere with the body’s natural healing processes. The “old” plasma is replaced with nutrient-rich fluids such as albumin, helping to restore balance and create the optimal conditions for repair, regeneration, and improved cognitive function.
Click here to read the full press release.
7 Easy Ways to Stay Active Without a Gym
/in Bone Health, Featured Press, Lifestyle, Longevity, Wellness/by Gary Kaplan, DOWritten by Dr. Gary Kaplan for London Daily News
Published 15 January, 2026
As the new year begins, people often feel renewed motivation to improve their health. Yet with colder weather and shorter days, it can feel like an uphill battle. For those that are older, living with chronic pain or illness, or those that just find the gym daunting, the idea of staying active can seem especially challenging.
The good news is that effective exercise doesn’t require a gym membership, special equipment or extra-long workouts. In fact, consistency outperforms bursts of intensity for long-term fitness goals. Some of the most sustainable forms of exercise are simple and easy to do at home, making them ideal for cold weather or when time is limited.
From a medical perspective, consistent movement is one of the most powerful tools we have to support joint health, circulation, balance, mood and overall resilience. Below are a few practical, no-gym-required exercise options that can support your physical health with minimum strain.
1. Chair Fitness Circuits
Chair exercises are a great option for individuals that may have joint pain, limited mobility or balance. These movements are done seated or with partial support, including exercises such as seated marches, arm circles, leg extensions, or core twists. These movements should be slow and controlled. Chair yoga is also accessible option, widely available through online videos.
While these movements seem modest, they can help improve circulation, joint lubrication, core strength and reduce stiffness after long periods spent idle.
2. Stairs or Single Step Work for Gentle Cardio
Stairs or step work can be a powerful cardiovascular and strength-building workout–all you need is a step or set of stairs. Stair climbing, step-ups or calf raises on a step can help strengthen legs while supporting heart health. If your body permits it, you can use weights or hold lightly weighted items to add strength training intensity.
These activities are beneficial for maintaining bone density, balance, lower-body strength and cardiovascular fitness. Handrails or a wall can provide added support, however, individuals with significant knee pain or balance instability should approach stair exercises cautiously or avoid them altogether.
3. Walking
Walking is one of the most vital ways to maintain our health. It is no surprise that people who own dogs have been shown to be at least 2.5 times more likely to get adequate exercise than those who don’t. While walking outside in the cold may be more challenging, walking indoors at a museum or a mall can be an enjoyable way to get steps in.
Benefits of increasing your step count include improved heart health, weight management, bone and muscle strength, mood, immunity, cognitive function, and reduces your chances of chronic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, stroke or certain cancers.
4. Simple Strength Training at Home
Strength training is critical to support metabolic health and improve mobility, balance and independence. Individuals with joint sensitivity or knee or hip arthritis should keep movements small and pain-free, and always use support as needed.
5. Dancing for Movement that Doesn’t Feel Like Exercise
Because dance is enjoyable, people are often more consistent with dance than traditional workouts. Whether you are dancing freely to some of your favorite music, following a class or learning basic steps, it offers benefits such as cardiovascular health, coordination and cognitive health while providing a mood boost that can help counter any winter blues. Make sure that you have space, supportive footwear and move at a pace that’s comfortable.
6. Daily Mobility to Reduce Stiffness
Winter stiffness is common, especially for those with chronic pain or inflammatory conditions. A 5–10-minute routine of joint circles, gentle spinal movements, hip openers, and ankle mobility can make a big difference. These movements can improve range of motion, reduce pain and lower injury risks while preparing the body for daily activity.
Mobility work should never push into discomfort, particularly for those with active shoulder or spine injuries.
7. Community-Based Movement for Motivation and Support
Many community centres offer exercise programs and classes of all levels. These programs provide not only physical benefits, but also social connection—a proven, key ingredient to longevity that is often overlooked. Participating in a group can improve motivation, accountability, and confidence. It’s important to choose programs that match your ability level and to perform modifications as needed.
As you set health intentions for the new year, consider focusing less on rigid goals and more on finding movement that feels sustainable. Even small amounts of daily movement can add meaningful improvement in your physical function, mood and quality of life. Studies show you are also most likely to stick to your goals if you find a repeated time in your daily routine that works for you so that it becomes a habit–whether it’s a few minutes in the morning, lunch, or evening time as you wind down.
Your body is far more likely to respond positively to consistency you can easily maintain—not what you feel pressured to attempt.
We are here for you, and we want to help.
Our goal is to return you to optimal health as soon as possible. To schedule an appointment please call: 703-532-4892 x2