Everywhere I go these days, people ask: “Dr. Bump, should I get the Covid-19 vaccine? Is it safe?” The short answer is, I would exercise patience and caution. Continue to support your health in ways that you’ve learned over the years with us. The long answer is:
While not an anti-vaxxer, I am prudent and reticent. As with any topic, per healthcare, beliefs are formed based on perceived “truths”. The questions asked produce the answers sought, unless we keep an open and objective mindset. I am curiously excited about the prospects of this vaccine and the technology behind it. I am for intelligent choices based on sound evidence provided by the best facts we can compile.
When studying therapies related to healthcare, whether they are techniques, nutrients, vitamins, herbs or pharmaceutical drugs, I want to know there is properly done research to support their use by my patients. So it is with a healthy amount of investigative curiosity that I reviewed the landmark study being used to validate the use of the Pfizer vaccine.
First, the marvels of modern genomic technologies (mRNA) used to create this vaccine are mind boggling. Suffice it to say that conceptually, the use of mRNA to prime our immune cells is brilliant. Basically, this vaccine will encourage your own muscle cells to make the protein (S for spike) that the corona virus uses to attach to your cells. It’s that spiky thing you see in pictures of the virus. mRNA has been used in cancer therapy for a number of years now, but it has not been used for a vaccine. From a broad overview perspective; it seems safe and hopefully effective, and time will tell.
Secondly, by nature I am an optimist, and I look with a bit of skepticism towards big pharma, the medical industrial complex and the federal regulatory agencies created to protect these industries, such as the FDA. As a Functional Medicine physician, I am interested in the science behind a new drug or nutrient supplement, as much as the quality of the research studies from which decisions are based. This is especially true with the Covid-19 vaccine which is the end result of research, clinical trials and FDA approval steps, just like any other new drug coming to market. This inoculation’s path from “bench” to CVS was titled “Project Warp Speed”, and has been tested and approved in record time. The title of the project alone should increase the scrutiny of those who know a bit about how to read and interpret medical research studies, to be cautious about the results. The storyline reads that because this vaccine uses the new mRNA technology cited above, it has been able to be fast tracked through testing and approval. That makes you an unofficial test subject in the short and long term, if you choose to be injected because this technology has not been used as a vaccine.
Thirdly; Is the landmark study which the FDA used as the basis for approval for this vaccine represent good science? Has it had proper peer review? (NEJMDecember 10, 2020 Safety and Efficacy of the BNT162b2 mRNA Covid-19 VaccineDOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa2034577) And has the research answered the most important questions regarding safety and efficacy? It is these questions and concerns I would like to address by briefly summarizing what I have learned about this vaccine, the research behind it, and some advice about moving forward for you my dear partners in health. Here are my concerns about the study which are less discussed:
Should you get the Covid-19 vaccine? Is it safe? It is your choice to make with the evidence provided, the facts that you have. If you feel you are healthy in immunity and have no risk factors, and are anxious about contracting this bug, perhaps get the vaccine. Otherwise, it is an exercise in patience and caution. In either case, continue to support your health in ways that you’ve learned over the years with Dr. Bump. Eat your fruits and veggies, take long gentle walks, take quiet time, pray, laugh and play and take your citicholine!
PS: Speaking of Citicholine: remember way back months ago when I spoke about the supplements ability to prevent coronavirus infection by strengthening the cell membranes? A recently published well done research study has demonstrated exactly that! (Molecules 2020, 25, 2271; doi:10.3390/molecules25102271)