Your Health and The Experts - Keep them on the Watch During this COVID-19 Crisis.

 We look at the question: How do vaccines work? We the try to analyse how this question is addressed by what are believed to be reliable health information sources with evidence-based intervention approaches often echoed by our public health experts.

First .we revisit some of the fundamental principles of biology relevant to the current topic, as expressed by Sadava and others (2017),captured in the following except: “Organisms sustain and renew themselves; use molecules obtained from the environment to synthesize new biological molecules, extract energy from the environment and use it to do work.”

One more universally accepted tenet common to organisms or living matter, relevant to this issue, is that of the ability of living matter to recognize and distinguish non-self from self, Gonzalez (2011)

Now getting to the issue: How does a vaccine work? 

PublicHealth.org addresses the question in the following excerpt: “A vaccine works by training the immune system to recognize and combat pathogens, either viruses or bacteria. To do this, certain molecules from the pathogen must be introduced into the body to trigger an immune response. These molecules are called antigens, and they are present on all viruses and bacteria.” ,Delves (2020) It is notable from the highlighted text that the scientific facts in this case are inaccurate and/or outright incorrect. From the basics of biology/immunobiology as noted in the first section of this post, the body does not need any outsider to train its immune system. It has the innate intelligence to distinguish non-self from self and fend off the non-self, Gonzalez (2011).

The CDC addresses the issue of how vaccines work in the excerpt below as follows, “Vaccines help develop immunity by imitating an infection. This type of infection, however, almost never causes illness, but it does cause the immune system to produce T-lymphocytes and antibodies. Sometimes, after getting a vaccine, the imitation infection can cause minor symptoms, such as fever. Such minor symptoms are normal and should be expected as the body builds immunity. Vaccines help develop immunity by imitating an infection. This type of infection, however, almost never causes illness, but it does cause the immune system to produce T-lymphocytes and once the imitation infection goes away, the body is left with a supply of “memory” T-lymphocytes, as well as B-lymphocytes that will remember how to fight that disease in the future”, CDC (2014).

The CDC message, conveyed in particular from the highlighted text is contextually inaccurate. n the first highlighted statement, the phrase ‘vaccines help develop immunity” implies that they are a necessary factor without which immunity cannot be developed. Put in other words, if the body fails to mount immunity against a specific disease. It is due to vaccine deficiency against that particular disease. However, if we look at causes of failure to mount immunity, vaccine deficiency is not a factor at all, but malnutrition is certainly one of them. Adding to this inaccurate messaging, the phrase “once the imitation infection goes away” would want us to believe that the vaccine leaves the body “voluntarily” or at will, once its helping mission is accomplished. However, this is not the case, as the body, in the first place does not invite the vaccine for help it, neither does it recognize the vaccine as a helper, instead it is recognized as an intruder/invader, and therefore stages a full blown war against it with the mission of ejecting the vaccine out of the body, in what ever possible form.

In the case of current novel vaccines against the coronavirus causing COVID-19, which are based on messenger RNA (mRNA), as the biological component of the ingredients, the immunological response mechanism is somewhat different, from what is usually understood (vaccine as the direct antigen). The mRNA first code for synthesis of a protein of the virus of interest by the host organism. Although the synthesized viral protein does not cause disease, the host immune system then act on the synthesized viral protein.

The main concerns with the use of mRNA vaccine approach is the not so obvious but very high potential risks of development of devastating molecular mimicry associated autoimmune health problems, as documented by some researchers, such as Pahari et al., (2017) and Wucherpfennig, (2001). Most autoimmune diseases manifest as chronic conditions and hence it is unfortunate that today’s health expert are not informing the public on safety  of use of mRNA vaccines with regards to autoimmune diseases, sometime later down the line post vaccination.

 

One more troubling aspect of the current intervention approaches to COVID-19 by our health care providers and the health experts is their phobic to use of natural intervention approaches such as food as medicine (nutritional supplements) to combat COVID-19,  despite well documentation of effectiveness of use of supplements in enhancing immunity against infectious diseases as noted by some researchers  such as that of Calder (2020) and Gombart, Pierre and Maggini (2020).

 

Who do we really trust watching our backs during this current health crisis? Our experts or we are on our own?  

Comment are welcome

 

References

‍ Calder PC. (2020). Nutrition, immunity and COVID-19. BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health. Available online at: Nutrition, immunity and COVID-19 (bmj.com)

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), ( 2014). How Vaccines Work. Available online at: Understanding How Vaccines Work (cdc.gov)

Delves,P. J., (2020).Overview of the Immune System. The Merck Manual Consumer Version. Available on line at: Merck Manuals Consumer Version 

Gombart, A.F, Pierre, A & Maggini, S (2020). A Review of Micronutrients and the Immune System–Working in Harmony to Reduce the Risk of Infection. Nutrients, vol. 12, no. 1, p. 236, accessed from: http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/nu12010236

Gonzalez, S., González-Rodríguez, A. P., Suárez-Álvarez, B., López-Soto, A., Huergo-Zapico, L., & Lopez-Larrea, C. (2011). Conceptual aspects of self and nonself discrimination. Self/nonself, 2(1), 19–25. Avaiilable online at: https://doi.org/10.4161/self.2.1.15094 

Pahari S, Chatterjee D, Negi S, Kaur J, Singh B, Agrewala JN. (2017) Morbid Sequences Suggest Molecular Mimicry between Microbial Peptides and Self-Antigens: A Possibility of Inciting Autoimmunity. Front Microbiol. 2017 Oct 9;8:1938. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2017.01938. PMID: 29062305; PMCID: PMC5640720. Accessed from: Frontiers | Morbid Sequences Suggest Molecular Mimicry between Microbial Peptides and Self-Antigens: A Possibility of Inciting Autoimmunity | Microbiology (frontiersin.org)

Sadava, D., Hillis, D.M., Heller, H, C., and Hacker, S.D. (2017). Life: The Science of Biology. Eleventh Edition. Sinauer Associates, Inc. Sunderland

Wucherpfennig, K. W., (2001). Mechanisms for the induction of autoimmunity by infectious agents. J Clin Invest. 2001 Oct 15; 108(8): 1097–1104. doi: 10.1172/JCI14235. Available at: JCI - Mechanisms for the induction of autoimmunity by infectious agents.