By this point, you’ve probably seen some of the many stories making the rounds about increased awareness of potentially damaging (or in some cases fatal) side effects from the mRNA COVID vaccines. Even the CDC has been admitting for a while now that both myocarditis and pericarditis can result, particularly in younger adult males, though they seem to play down the numbers. Blood clots are also reported in a disturbing number of patients (mostly after getting the Johnson & Johnson shot), though it’s still a tiny portion of the population, thankfully. Enough concerns have been raised that multiple European countries have stopped offering these vaccines to all but the most elderly and at risk.

So if I were to ask you what the root cause of these side effects is likely to be, you might be tempted to say that the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are causing them, right? Aha! As it turns out, you would be wrong, at least according to the author of a study published in an Indian medical journal. The author of that paper claims that the vaccines aren’t to blame. You are! That’s right. “Misinformation” about vaccine side effects is probably making some people so nervous about getting the shots that their stress levels are causing all of these side effects. Don’t you feel ashamed? (The Blaze)

In September, the Indian journal “Biomedicine” published a so-called study by self-professed “mRNA Alchemist” and biotech engineer Raymond D. Palmer, entitled “Covid 19 vaccines and the misinterpretation of perceived side effects clarity on the safety of vaccines.” The study is presently being hosted on the National Library of Medicine site, which is operated by the U.S. federal government.

While various experts, such as internationally esteemed American cardiologist Dr. Peter McCullough, have issued warnings about potential downsides of the vaccines, Palmer, an astronomy hobbyist and former realtor, claimed that those wary about the COVID-19 vaccines do not just suffer “a profound lack of scientific and medical training” but are at the root of a great deal of vaccine recipients’ suffering.

Palmer’s paper claimed that various adverse effects that take place “in and around the time of receiving the [COVID-19] vaccine” may result from the “mental stress” generated by concerns about those very vaccines.

I’m glad that’s been cleared up, as I’m sure most of you are as well. But you’re to be forgiven if you still have a couple of lingering questions. For example, even for those of us who are not doctors, does it sound a bit unlikely that “mental stress” caused by “misinformation” could cause the muscles of your heart to swell up? Or to cause excessive blood clots to form in your veins?

According to Raymond Palmer’s paper, that’s precisely what’s probably happening. Stress can also lead to heart attacks, dizziness, fainting, blurred vision, and loss of smell and taste. Who knew? More to the point, how did any of us survive our first round of final exams in high school?

Sadly, not everyone seems to agree with Raymond Palmer. As the linked report points out, the University of Utah found that the Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca vaccines have been found to lead to thrombotic thrombocytopenia in some patients, resulting in excessive blood clots.  But hey, they were probably very stressed out as well, right?

In reality, from all of the research I’ve seen thus far, the number of people who experience significant or fatal side effects from the vaccines remains statistically quite low (thankfully). But for those who experience such effects, they can indeed be quite dire indeed. Given the relatively tiny number of young, healthy people who actually die from COVID, it’s probably still best to consult your healthcare provider and decide for yourself based on your age, underlying conditions, and/or other relevant factors. Because I’m in my sixties with a couple of underlying conditions, my doctor advised me to get the initial vaccinations and a booster, so I did. Of course, like almost everyone else these days, I still wound up catching the ‘Rona anyway. (Which sucked royally.) If I were twenty or thirty years younger, I probably wouldn’t have gotten the shots. But as I have tried to continually stress, I’m not a doctor. Don’t base your choices on me. Just be aware that you do have choices and get the best information available when making up your mind.