General Wellness

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I apologize in advance if I come across a little angry and condescending in this blog but I have the right to vent from time to time.

VACCINATION RISKS. Recently, vaccination has been approved in the US for kids over 12 years old. Sadly, many parents are holding off on getting their kids vaccinated, either because they do not believe in vaccination or have lingering questions about the safety of the vaccines in general or they believe in silly conspiracy theories. Overblown issues with clotting risks and now, heart inflammation are making the confusion and reticence even deeper.

Again, I need to point out that there is a lot of lack of perspective, misinformation as well as conflicting information out there and hopefully, I can clarify a few things.

First and foremost, we are dealing with a worldwide pandemic. A healthcare crisis which has had a tremendous impact on us already, healthwise, socially, politically and economically, and will continue to do so for many years to come.

Secondly, vaccines are our only hope to deal with this virus. It is impossible for us to achieve herd immunity on a worldwide scale and we need to learn to cope and live with the virus. I believe this will turn into a flu-like issues requiring yearly vaccinations.

Thirdly, the vaccine is a drug and there is no drug, pill, herb, supplement or food or exercise regimen for that matter, that doesn’t have some kind of negative impact on someone, somewhere. I love strawberries, but some people die if they eat them. If you give 2 million people a drug, some will have side effects. That is life. What is the perspective and risk to benefit ratio though? Strawberries are super healthy, for the vast majority of people. But should we not eat them because of the tiny risk that I may have an anaphylactic reaction? The benefits of eating the strawberry far outweigh the risks fir the vast majority of people. The same goes for the vaccine. The risks of not taking it, FAR outweigh the risks of catching Covid-19 or passing it along to someone else.

RISKS. The vaccines have been shown to be safe in kids over 12 and adults. Any side effects seen have all been overblown, including the clotting risk (which I wrote about in an earlier post, and is actually higher in the non-vaccinated general population than after vaccination! Can these complications happen? Sure, however the rate of these complications is NOT above that which occurs in the general population. If you give 1 million people a vaccine, some of them will be diagnosed with cancer in the next few days, not because the vaccine gave it to them, just that the timing was such that they developed symptoms or were finally diagnosed at that time. The same goes for the clotting issue. You have a 4 in 1 million chance of getting a clot after the J&J vaccine but a 264,000 in 1 million (25%) chance of having a clot if you have a serious case of Covid-19. And the same extremely low relative risk exists for the occurrence of MYOCARDITIS.

Myocarditis is inflammation of the heart, often caused by a viral infection. It tends to occur in the spring and often resolves itself without complications. Well, guess what, it’s the spring and kids will be getting myocarditis, whether they get vaccinated or not. Now getting Covid, puts you at risk for lifelong heart problems in many cases. To me, it’s a non issue. Get your kids vaccinated.

My kids are older teens and adults, but they all got vaccinated.

I HAD COVID. WHY DO I NEED THE VACCINATION? Because you’ll be better protected. The data is clear on that point as well. There are greater measurable increases in antibodies after vaccination after having Covid than after having Covid alone. When should you get it? Any time after 2 weeks after symptoms started, but anytime is fine. My son had Covid. He got vaccinated.

WHY WEAR A MASK IF I HAVE BEEN VACCINATED? Although the vaccines are extremely effective, 90 to 95% effective still means 5 to 10% not effective. In addition, even if it was 100% effective, you can still be exposed to the virus and pass it along to someone else. Yes for a shorter amount of time, but it can still happen. It’s all about not taking chances and caring about those around you.

Of course, if you are vaccinated, your friends and family are vaccinated, and the situation is relatively safe (outdoors, good ventilation, small groups…) take off the mask and enjoy each others’ company. It feels great to hug and even kiss on the cheek again. Just be mindful of situations where there may be potential exposure. Going out in public, be aware that AT BEST, 50% of people are vaccinated. Healthcare facilities? Sick people go there. Makes sense to wear a mask all the time. Grocery stores, I personally plan to continue to wear a mask. Who knows who is standing next to you. 

Here are some misconceptions that are completely false:

• The new vaccine incorporates into and alters your own DNA permanently. It doesn’t make any kind of permanent changes. None of them do.
• There is a tracking device in it. That is science fiction and is patently not possible today. Also, even if it was, do you think you are so important that someone gives a crap about who and where you are? Get over yourself and start thinking about others!
• Pregnant women should not get vaccinated. This is patently false. It not only protects the mother but also the baby after the baby is born.
• I had a reaction to the flu vaccine so I should not take it. This is also patently false. These are completely different vaccines and it’s like saying I shouldn’t take an aspirin because I had a bad reaction to an antibiotic or I shouldn’t eat an apple because I had an allergic reaction to an almond. Even some of the more concerning flu related to reactions like Guillain Barrè syndrome or Bell’s palsy are not reasons to avoid the Covid vaccine.
• It has absolutely no impact on fertility in both men and women.
• Baby parts were not used in the creation of these vaccines.
• I am old or I have a chronic condition and I’m worried about having a reaction. Those are exactly the types of patients who really need to take this vaccine.
• I don’t want to miss work because of side effects. I know of no one who had reactions to the vaccine, usually after the second dose, who missed any work (unless they wanted to) and think of the loss of time and money you will experience if you actually catch Covid!
• It’s too new and I don’t trust it. They are not as new as you think. They have been in the works for more than 15 years, since the first SARS outbreak started.
• They do not impair the body’s innate, natural, immunity to any significant degree. Have some people been shown to have temporary alterations in their immune response to other things? Yes. But so do many, many other things in life. If you run a marathon, you are much more likely to catch a cold because your immune system is suppressed from the stress of running 26.2 miles. For some, innate immunity actually improved after the vaccine, with improved symptoms of other chronic diseases they have! The vast majority of people are fine.
• I have severe seasonal allergies. This is not a reason to avoid the vaccine. Take some Claritin. Rinse your nose. And get the shot!

There are three situations where for sure you should NOT get vaccinated. 

1. If you have a known anaphylactic allergic reaction to one of the components of the vaccine. This is extremely uncommon. The components of each vaccine are readily available so if you are concerned, look them up and use a different vaccine. 
2. If you want to take a chance of catching this disease and having long-term complications or potentially dying.
3. You just don’t give a crap about anybody else in society other than yourself.

NOW, think about what I just wrote in #1. CHOOSE a different vaccine. How privileged are we that we actually have a choice as to which vaccine to get? Most of the world is desperate to get ANY vaccine and we have a choice!!! How arrogant we are and how shameful that we are wasting vaccines for purely shellfish reasons while the rest of the world struggles and suffers. Even in Canada, my parents were told they had to wait for 4 months to get their second dose because of the lack of vaccine and here in the US we’re throwing it away? WTF. How sad for you that you can’t go to your favorite bar or gym because you don’t want to wear a mask or refuse to get vaccinated! Get over yourself and start looking beyond your 2 foot radius. 

If you have a question about the vaccine, please ask someone who knows something about it and don’t believe what you read on the Internet, Google or friends who I have no medical knowledge whatsoever. My email is on my website. It’s the best way to reach me.

In the meantime:

MASK UP, when appropriate. Wear a good one. Wear it properly.
DISTANCE.
WASH YOUR HANDS. Not as big of an issue as initially thought, but still important.
VENTILATE.
VACCINATE.
GET HEALTHY!!!!! We are an even sicker society after 18 months of lockdown than before. 

Stay safe and be well.  

AC ✌️🌱❤🏃🏻🧘🏻‍♂️🌎 🐖 😷(doctorchuma.com)