Millions of Americans get vaccinated against covid-19 on average every day now, and while many people do shared with pride his vaccination status on social media, others will describe mild but definitely noticeable side effects immediately afterwards as a badge of honor, such as arm pain or flu-like fatigue. But not all post-vaccination symptoms will necessarily be due to the vaccine; some may be caused by the twin placebo effect.
Just to clarify it in advance, there is nothing wrong with experiencing side effects after vaccination, regardless of the reason. In any case, these side effects are often an indication of the fact that the body’s immune system is set in motion, as it learns to recognize the appearance of the coronavirus after it has obtained a plan of appearance of the vaccine (usually the vaccine). its ear protein, which the virus uses to infect cells). This immune response is one that tends to take into account symptoms such as fever, fatigue, and general pain for one or two days after receiving the vaccine. Usually, but not always.
Let’s take a look at the clinical trial data for the mRNA dose vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech, the first to reach the American public last December. The data, based on more than 30,000 volunteers, shows that it is a safe and effective vaccine, but not free of side effects. About 84% had reactions at the injection site such as pain or itching the week after taking a dose; 63% experienced fatigue; 55% experienced headaches.
If we look at these figures alone, it makes sense that most people who get the vaccine feel something. But, surprisingly, in the same trial, a considerable portion of the people who received the placebo placebo also experienced some of these symptoms. After the first placebo shot, about a third of people reported experiencing fatigue and about a third had headaches.. About 12% of those receiving placebo also experienced diarrhea after the first shot, more than the vaccinated group after any dose. As a reminder, the people of placebos were only given a little saline, also known as salt and water.
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Now, some of these people who were given the placebo place may have experienced fatigue, headaches, or diarrhea that day, no matter what happens, even if they weren’t at trial, a topic that Gizmodo has covered recently before. Unfortunately, they are very common diseases, caused by many different things. But some may have only experienced them because of something we call the “nocebo effect”. Just as our positive expectations can make us feel better after taking a potential new treatment, at least for a while, our negative expectations can do the opposite and make us feel bad. On Twitter, some even exist admitted a after taking the placebo, I feel worse than after taking the real one.
There is a tendency to dismiss the placebo / nocebo effect as a mere product of the mind. But every sensation we experience ultimately, it is processed in the mind, so it doesn’t really say anything. Sometimes this feeling can be traced back to a strictly physical cause (a hot stove touched) and is sometimes more complicated. The stress a person can feel from getting a newly developed vaccine or even from getting a vaccine in general, if they hate needles, could definitely be enough to cause a headache or wear them down to the point of fatigue.
None of this is unusual to the slightest extent, it’s just human nature. And, of course, the source of a person’s pain, nocebo or not, does not diminish the need to recognize that pain and try to remedy it if possible. But the placebo / nocebo effect is one of the many reasons why we need carefully planned research, such as controlled clinical trials, to better understand the world around us. This is especially important when trying to find out the potential benefits and risks of any new drug or vaccine. Fortunately, in the case of the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine and others like it, its advantages in protecting us from serious illness and death are increasingly clear every day, especially in countries where vaccination is high.
So go ahead and get vaccinated as soon as you can. Keep in mind that you may not have post-guard issues be of the most obvious cause.