The Investigation I’ve been getting so many questions from my clients and listeners about the various COVID vaccines. I know it can feel like a real mystery, especially if you have an autoimmune issue like Hashimoto’s. I am not an MD but I know you look to me for all types of answers because I can address things from a whole body perspective, explain things in a clear way but also can be unbiased. One of the key questions I get is whether or not someone should get the vaccine. Some have even asked if it’s better to contract COVID 19 as a way to build natural immunity.   I unfortunately can’t tell you if you should or should not get the vaccine because  I think it’s very personal and the decision is yours and only yours. I am not here to tell you what to do, but my hope is that if I answer your questions and clear up some of the confusion and mystery around it, it will hopefully make the decision, whichever decision you make easier for you.  Speaking of which, research on the vaccines is ongoing and new information is coming in each week. This episode was recorded in early May 2021 and refers to the most up to date information at that time.    Impact of Symptoms There are a variety of possible responses to both contracting COVID and the vaccine. When it comes to contracting the virus, reactions can range from a few mild symptoms to severe (fatigue, neurological symptoms, headaches, cardiovascular issues, blood clots, or death). These are often exacerbated by underlying conditions. However, research has shown that even those who have minimal symptoms can develop ‘long COVID’ or extended symptoms that last a long time. Research suggests that eating healthy, following a healthy lifestyle, and having sufficient levels of zinc and vitamin D can all lower the severity of the infection and possible symptoms. However, the long term effects are what a lot of people are worried about especially because we don’t know the full extent of them at this time so just getting Covid and “getting it over with” so to speak is certainly not that easy because even if your symptoms are mild, there is a chance for these long term issues and that is not something we want to take lightly.    COVID Vaccine Options: What’s the Difference? If you choose to get the vaccine, there are a few options to consider, depending on where you are in the world.  There are two main differences between the options: mRNA vaccines and Adenovirus DNA vaccines.  Moderna and Pfizer are both mRNA vaccines. Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) and AstraZeneca are DNA vaccines also referred to as adenovirus vector vaccines.    COVID Vaccine Options: How do the Vaccines Work? mRNA Vaccines: The Moderna and Pfizer vaccines contain mRNA which code for the spike protein (those are little crowns you can see on the coronavirus when you look at it microscopically). The mRNA itself is very fragile so they have to wrap it in polyethylene glycol which is a lipid nanoparticle. Once that mixture gets into the cells, our cells then read and code it to make the spike protein. Our immune system can then respond by producing B-cells and T-cells. The B-cells produce antibodies so that if we contract COVID, we can fight it off. The T-cells attack and neutralize the virus directly.  The difference between the Moderna vaccine and the Pfizer vaccine is in the dosage. Pfizer has 30 micrograms of mRNA while Moderna has 100 micrograms of mRNA.  Adenovirus Vaccines: The Johnson & Johnson and the AstraZeneca vaccine are a bit different but they're actually not  that much  different. These vaccines use an adenovirus (which, by the way, cannot replicate in your cells or mutate) that has DNA injected that codes for the spike protein. The adenovirus gets into our cells, the gene for the spike protein that was inserted into the adenovirus is then read by the cell and copied to mRNA and then the process is the same as the mRNA vaccine so essentially these vaccines are 1 step before the mRNA vaccines and once it becomes