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Writer's picturedrbeckyandrews
May 15, 2021

Covid Vaccine FAQ Part 2: Ingredients

Updated: Jul 31, 2021


Vaccine assembly line

This is Part 2 of a multi-part series. Part 1 covers foundational information about how the vaccines work and common questions / myths related to vaccine technology. The information in this current post may be easier to understand after reading Part 1.


In this section I will cover questions related to vaccine ingredients:

If you would like to navigate directly to the other posts you can click below.

 
 

Vaccine Ingredients


Historically vaccines have contained tiny amounts of somewhat toxic or reactive substances. Some of these were byproducts of the manufacturing process, some were added as preservatives (to keep mold and bacteria from growing in the multi-dose vials), some were added to increase the immune response, and others as key parts of the formulation like emulsifiers or surfactants. Ingredients that are not the active ingredient are called excipients. If you would like to see the excipient ingredient lists for most existing vaccines you can find them in the CDC Pink Book: The Vaccine Excipient List


Q: Many vaccines contain horrible ingredients - how are the Covid vaccines any different?

A: Here's some great news: these new Covid vaccines are some of the cleanest vaccines ever created, especially the new mRNA vaccines. The ingredients are basically water, sugar, salt, the mRNA and the synthetic lipid coating.

Here are the complete list of ingredients in the 3 US vaccines:


Covid vaccines do NOT contain:

  • Coronavirus

  • Egg

  • Latex

  • Aluminum

  • Mercury

  • Thimerosal

  • Formaldehyde

  • Msg

  • Human, fetal or animal tissue or cell fragments

  • Preservatives

  • Microchips

Q: What are synthetic lipid nano-particles and are they safe?

A: First the "what"

Recall that in Part 1 we discussed how fragile and transient the mRNA molecule is. These lipid nano-particles are needed to coat the mRNA while outside the body, and keep it from disintegrating before it is injected. These synthetic lipid nano-particles also help to get the mRNA into our cells (the nano-particle structure is similar to the molecular structure of our cell membranes). Both Pfizer and Moderna lipid combos include:

  • PEG: polyethylene glycol-2000

    • common ingredient in many pharmaceuticals (oral, topical and injected), as well as toothpaste and shampoo.

    • helps stabilize lipids

    • some people develop allergies or other immune responses to PEG

  • DSPC: 1,2 Distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine

    • synthetic phosphatidyl choline, used to make a lipid bi-layer similar to our own cell membranes

    • generally recognized as safe (in spite of the terrifying name)

  • Cholesterol

    • molecularly the same as the cholesterol made in our own body

    • safe

Pfizer also includes:

  • 4-hydroxybutyl)azanediyl)bis(hexane-6,1-diyl)bis(2-hexyldecanoate)

    • part of the synthetic lipid nano-particle, it promotes the uptake of the mRNA

  • N,N-ditetradecylacetamide

    • part of the synthetic lipid nano-particle, also helps deliver the mRNA into the cell

Moderna also includes:

  • SM-102

    • part of the synthetic lipid nano-particle complex

  • DMG: dimyristoyl glycerol verson of Polyethelene glycol (PEG)

    • same function and issues as PEG above

Johnson and Johnson includes:

  • Polysorbate 80

    • emulsifier, keeps the lipid parts of the vaccine in suspension in the water (prevents it from clumping together

    • some people are allergic

    • slightly toxic

A: Now for the "are they safe" part:

The real answer is: it depends on the dose, and on the particle. A few of the synthetic lipid molecules used to create the mRNA coating for these vaccines can potentially cause oxidative damage to the lipids in our own bodies (including cell membranes, mitochondrial membranes, etc). We all know that oxidative damage is bad, that is why we are supposed to eat foods high in antioxidants, right?


Is this an ideal quality in the lipid nano-particles? No. BUT, it is important to keep it in context. Every moment we are alive, the metabolic processes of even a healthy body produce molecules that cause oxidative damage. It is also worth considering the volume of oxidative damaging molecules we breathe in and swallow every day. The reality is that we are exposed to a LOT of pro-oxidant molecules (many made by our own bodies) all day, every day. We have built-in systems (native antioxidant molecules) to deal with this, and if you consume a healthy diet, these systems generally work really well.


The amount of synthetic lipid nano-particles in these vaccines is minuscule (less than 3/100ths of a mg), and the potential harm they do to our cells is essentially negligible compared to our daily exposure. Remember our cells experience oxidative damage from environmental toxins like car exhaust, charred meat, oxidized fats (fried food or margarine), and even high calorie, high sugar meals. If you were to consume or inject huge amounts of these lipids (say 500mg/kg body weight), then you would experience some cell and mitochondrial damage that might exceed your daily levels. At the dose that is contained in these vaccines, yes, these synthetic lipids are safe.



Q: The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines contain PEG, do I really want that in my body?

A: PEG is an inert, non-toxic substance with wide ranging (and common) applications in medicine. It is used as an osmotic laxative (Miralax) and as colon prep. It is included in many medications to improve drug delivery to the tissues. In the Covid vaccines it is a key part of the lipid-nano particle, and helps the vaccine get into the cell. A small number of people develop allergic reactions to PEG and it is one of the molecules that they suspect is a trigger for the allergic reactions to Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. This immune response may also contribute to some of the injection site pain that people experience with these mRNA vaccines. Unless you have past allergic reactions to PEG, it is likely that it is not a molecule of concern for you.



Q: The J&J vaccine contains Polysorbate 80 (PS80), do I really want that in my body?

A: The real answer is: it is a matter of perspective. Is PS80 awesome? No, we don't really want PS80 in our bodies. It does have moderate toxicity at doses as low as 80mg/kg (in a 150 lb person that would be a 5000mg daily dose - about 1.5 teaspoons).


Is this actually a concern? I would argue that it is not. (Remember, I treat people who are ill from exposure to environmental toxins, so I am more cautious than most doctors about toxic chemicals). It is all about perspective.


Here's the deal. PS80 is almost certainly already in your body, and at much, much higher doses than what is in the vaccine. Polysorbate 80 is a common emulsifier and surfactant. It is used in many cosmetics, personal care products, and many foods such as ice cream.

  • The official toxic dose of PS80 is above 5000mg per day = 5 million mcg

  • One cup of commercial ice cream may contain over 300,000 mcg of PS80.

  • One tablespoon of commercial body lotion may contain over 7000 mcg of PS80.

  • These vaccines contain 50-150mcg of PS80.

So, just like the issues with the lipid nano-particles above, while it does have some level of toxicity, the dose is so small that toxicity is negligible compared to daily exposure, and it plays an important, stabilizing role in the vaccine formula. Getting Covid will do much more damage to your body than this tiny dose of polysorbate.


Q: Do the Covid vaccines contain microchips?

A: No, there are no microchips in the vaccine itself. There are microchips attached to the outside of the vaccine bottles, and on the outside surface of some of the vaccine syringes to help track where the vaccine lots have been sent.


Why injectable microchips in the vaccine are not possible:

Microchip technology has evolved to the point that we can make very tiny microchips, however, these chips are NOT so small that they are invisible to the naked eye. If there were microchips in the vaccines, you would be able to see them. Additionally, the vaccines are in multi-dose vials. If there were microchips intended for injection "hiding" in the vaccines, there would be 6-12 floating in each vial, and the person drawing up the injection would not be able to control how many went into each injection. Furthermore, the vaccines are drawn up through micron filters to prevent any bacterial contamination, and those would certainly prevent any chips from being drawn up.

infographic showing microchips and syringes

People have pointed out that we are able to microchip our pets. The microchips that are injected into pets are about the size of a large grain of rice and a huge bore needle (almost 2mm wide) is used to deliver them under your pet's skin. The smallest microchips are not yet small enough to fit through a 25 gauge hypodermic needle, so they are not injectable using the needles used for immunizations. As you can see above, you would not mistake a vaccine needle for a chip injecting needle.


As an aside, RFID chips do not provide GPS location (this requires cell service and electrical input from a battery). All they are capable of is providing pre-programmed identification and information if scanned at very close range (a few inches). This is the same technology used by credit card chips, and keyless entry for cars. Your cell phone DOES provide GPS tracking data. So, if you are truly worried about the government tracking your every move, ditch your cell phone, your credit cards, all your social media accounts, and never get on the internet again.


What supplements should I take to protect me if I get this vaccine?

As you can see above there is basically nothing in these vaccines that requires an active "detox" process or protection. That said, everyone can benefit from detoxing, so if you want to do a cleanse, you certainly can. If you want to take an active role in supporting your body during the vaccine process here are some suggestions:

  • You may want to consider taking antioxidant support, especially vitamin E. Vitamin E protects lipids from oxidative damage.

  • If you want to enhance this, you can take Vitamin C and Glutathione.

  • You may also want to enhance your body's immune response with medicinal mushroom formulas and/ or astragalus.

  • You may want to apply hot and cold compresses to the injection site. Move your arm as much as possible to clear the swelling out.


References

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