A Perspective on Vaccines...

Vaccines have been around for a long time and are effective at limiting, reducing and even eradicating deadly diseases – Smallpox, Polio, Tetanus, Measles, Mumps, Whooping Cough, Tuberculosis, etc. They are designed and intended to prevent the spread of disease – VACCINES ARE PREVENTATIVE MEDICINE. They aren’t drugs, but more like a warning to your immune system “Hey, watch out for this Covid guy, he’s bad news!” So when your body encounters the disease there will be a robust immune response using your natural defenses to fight off the sickness before it can take hold, keeping you healthy and preventing you from spreading it to someone else.

We have devoted our practice to natural healing for over 15 years, helping clients to reduce or avoid medical intervention like surgery or drugs. Even though we deliver alternative medicine we are also healthcare professionals working in a public health environment and have been clinically trained on safety procedures to prevent the spread of disease. Global pandemics like Covid-19 pose a very serious threat and should not be trifled with. We have an ethical responsibility and duty to protect our clients and community from harm.

We trust everyone to make the best choices for their health but there is a lot of dangerous misinformation and erroneous myths out there about the Covid-19 vaccines. It can be confusing and scary to make important decisions when there’s conflicting information. Let’s try to clear some things up…

COVID VACCINES ARE NOT EXPERIMENTAL – It’s true that the technology behind the Covid vaccines has not been widely used before now. That doesn’t mean that it’s new or experimental. The science and techniques have been in development since the ‘90s under scientific scrutiny but there hasn’t been an urgent need until we were faced with this pandemic emergency.

WAS IT DEVELOPED TOO FAST TO HAVE PROPER REVIEW? The covid shot was developed quickly (it’s amazing actually), vaccines usually take years because the steps for development, testing and approval are done sequentially where one phase cannot be done before the other. This one was developed concurrently with teams working on different parts at the same time so when one phase is approved the next is ready to go. No steps were skipped and all the shots have been completely tested, reviewed and approved (for most adults) by the relevant scientific agencies and organizations through expedited review and emergency authorization.

I’M WORRIED ABOUT THE SIDE EFFECTS – The job of vaccines is to promote an immune response, which is good! Most folks will experience a sore shoulder, fatigue and mild symptoms for a day or two. Everyone responds differently and people with autoimmune conditions, fibromyalgia, allergies or chemical sensitivities can have a stronger reaction to the shot than others with symptoms lingering a bit longer. Plan some time to rest, most healthy adults do fine and if you have serious concerns about a adverse response, consult your doctor or seek a provider that offers an observation period like with allergy shots.

CAN’T YOU STILL GET SICK EVEN AFTER IMMUNIZATION? Yes, it’s possible but it is rare, very rare, very very rare. The vaccines are 90-95% effective (depending on brand) so the chance is small. And if you do happen get infected the chance of getting sick is even smaller, with the likelihood of hospitalization or death hardly a risk at all. You may see scary numbers like “9,000 people got Covid after being vaccinated”, but that is out of over 95 million total which is only 0.0094% (less than one tenth of one tenth of one percent).

I HEARD THAT PEOPLE DIED AFTER GETTING THE SHOT – Safety is a big concern with the CDC (et al) and they are collecting lots of data to make sure that the vaccines do not cause harm. They track post-vaccine morbidity to make sure that those deaths are not related to the shot, but it can be misleading. There have been many people who have died AFTER taking the vaccine but NOT BECAUSE OF IT. It’s a hard fact of nature that people die every day – car accidents, old age, cancer, heart attacks. Statistics will show that thousands of people die within a week of getting Starbucks, but that doesn’t mean the coffee killed them.

IF I’M IMMUNE WHY DO I STILL HAVE TO WEAR A MASK? Be patient, this is a transitional period where not everybody is immune yet. ‘Herd Immunity’ - when enough people are vaccinated to protect those who are not is 70-85% of everybody. So right now the people who can’t get the shot (organ transplant, cancer, immune deficiency, etc) are vulnerable while we wait for enough healthy adults to get immunized; and after the cases drop -  the masks can come off.

At ACUPUNCTURE FOR THE PEOPLE we encourage our clients to make the best choices for their own health and offer recommendations in good faith letting you decide based on the information available. The science shows that getting more people vaccinated is a big step toward ending this pandemic and enjoying more freedom in our lives.