At least two-thirds of the common side effects experienced by those who get vaccinated against Covid-19, can largely be explained by the reverse effect of the "placebo" rather than the vaccine itself, according to new US scientific research.
Placebo refers to the improvement in physical or mental health following a placebo treatment, such as a pill with no active ingredient, an injection containing only saline, etc. The opposite phenomenon is the "nocebo" (nocebo), when someone experiences unpleasant side effects, such as nausea or fatigue, after receiving a placebo treatment that does not actually contain any active substance. The twin phenomenon of placebo/nocebo is a typical case of the power that mental and psychological factors have in influencing a person.
Researchers at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, led by Dr. Julia Haas and Harvard University School of Medicine Professor Ted Kapchuk, director of the Plazibo Studies Program, who published the paper in the US medical journal "JAMA Network Open", evaluated (meta-analysis) data from 12 randomized and controlled placebo-controlled clinical trials of Covid-19 vaccines, which included reports of adverse events from nearly 23.After the first dose
, more than one in three (35%) who had had a placebo vaccine reported systemic side effects such as fever, 20% headache, 17% fatigue and 16% pain, redness or swelling at the injection site.
After the first dose, more than one in three (35%) who had had a placebo vaccine reported systemic side effects such as fever, 20% headache, 17% fatigue and 16% pain, redness or swelling at the injection site. In comparison, 46% of those who had had actual vaccines reported at least one systemic side effect such as fever, while two-thirds reported some other local symptom.
The researchers take it for granted that a significant proportion of these side effects in vaccinees are due to the placebo/nociception effect rather than the vaccine itself, given how often the same side effects were reported by people who thought they had had a vaccine. The study, according to Haas, estimated that 76% (three-quarters) of all first-dose side effects[/B] among vaccinees were likely related to the placebo/snozebo.
After the second dose, systemic side effects in the placebo group were 32% and local 12%, whereas in the vaccine group they had increased to 61% and 73% respectively. The researchers estimated that half (52%) of these side effects in the second-dose vaccinees were due to the placebo/nociception. The scientists estimate that the second time vaccinees expected to have more side effects than the first dose and self-justified.
Haas noted that unfortunately, "concerns about side effects are one of the reasons for hesitation about vaccination." Capchuk stated that "Medicine is based on trust, and our findings lead us to believe that informing the public about the potential effects of nociception can help reduce concerns about Covid-19 vaccines and reduce hesitancy towards them."
Source: Cyprus Times
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