Disclaimer: None of the information in this article constitutes medical advice, and is just the opinion of the writer(s) and published for informational purposes only. We recommend that patients follow their doctor’s guidance in regard to vaccines and detoxification.
There are a lot of conflicting views online about vaccines generally, and especially about the COVID-19 vaccine, so we wanted to examine based on published medical research whether there is a need for a detoxification (detox) from the vaccine, given that this is something patients are often curious about.
In this article we’ll review the mechanism of action of vaccines, explain when medically-assisted detoxes are necessary, and explain whether there's research suggesting that patients should detox from vaccines.
When are Detoxes Necessary?
The body is constantly undergoing natural detoxification processes, but occasionally there are rare environmental conditions which may cause someone to require medically-assisted detoxification.
The liver and kidneys, along with the lungs, work to detoxify the blood and maintain optimal health. The liver changes the chemical nature of most toxins, rendering them harmless, while the kidneys filter toxins out of the blood into urine.
Certain toxins, like heavy metals, bioaccumulate in the body and can overwhelm natural detoxification systems. A patient that was working in an industrial facility for decades and was exposed to significant amounts of mercury, for example, could get sick from mercury poisoning if the amount in their bloodstream became too high for their organs to properly filter.
In such a case, a detox may be recommended by a medical professional using chelation therapy, which is a risky medical treatment involving compounds that bind to heavy metals and allow patients to excrete them.
Are Vaccines Toxic?
We haven't come across any medical research suggesting that vaccines are toxic to the human body. A vaccine is a biological compound which mimics a virus, and allows the body’s immune system to build antibodies which can fight the targeted virus if exposed to it in the future.
This means that someone receiving a COVID-19 vaccine shot should be less likely to get seriously ill from COVID-19 once they’re fully vaccinated, because their body’s natural defense mechanisms will be heightened.
To make the comparison clearer, a vaccine is a substance which may cause uncomfortable effects for a short duration, but is not toxic to the body. Certain heavy metals like lead and pesticides like paraquat are directly toxic to the body.
An extensive medical review published in 2022 analyzed public data to determine side effects and toxicity of the COVID-19 vaccine. The study authors found no toxicity of note.
Are Inactive Ingredients in Vaccines Toxic?
Many websites claim that the adjuvants, which is the medical term for inactive ingredients in a vaccine, are what's actually toxic as opposed to the vaccine itself. This is also inaccurate, and this topic has been studied extensively in published medical research.
One study investigated aluminum exposure in children (from vaccines and dietary sources) and found that the combined intake was extremely low and posed no health or safety threat.
Another study disproved the link between mercury-containing vaccines and autism, because autism diagnoses have continued to rise while mercury in vaccines has substantially dropped. It’s worth noting here that the mercury in vaccines (which is phased out of nearly all vaccines given to children in the U.S.) is in the form of ethylmercury, which is much less toxic than methylmercury (the form in fish).
Do I Need a Vaccine Detox?
All of the available research suggests that the answer is no; a vaccine detox is not necessary nor likely to provide any health benefits.
We are exposed to contaminants of all forms in modern society, but the dose makes the poison. It’s true that you may be exposed to a very small amount of toxins in a vaccine (unrelated to the active compounds of the vaccine), but they do not require a detox.
People don't consider a detox after eating a dinner containing fish, even though the mercury levels in that fish dinner are higher than the mercury levels in a vaccine. According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the standard mercury dose from a vaccine is equivalent to the mercury dose in three ounces of tuna.
People don't consider a detox after eating a bowl of rice, even though rice contains trace amounts of arsenic. The human body is able to naturally detoxify these low-dose toxins.
The need for detoxification in a medical setting comes from rare exposure to extremely high levels of heavy metals or other contaminants like pesticides. These detoxification processes, like chelation therapy, also come with significant risks because forcing the body to process and excrete large amounts of toxins at once can be hard on the body.
Our Natural Liver Support Recommendation
As we've stated in this article, we don't recommend the use of products to "cleanse" or "detox" the body. However, there are compounds which can naturally support the body's own detoxification processes.
The liver and kidneys detoxify the body, and moringa leaf is a plant which has been found in medical research to optimize and enhance the body's innate detoxification pathways.
A clinical trial on animals, published in the Food and Chemical Toxicology journal, found that moringa leaf reduced liver damage and improved symptoms of liver fibrosis.
A medical review published in 2016 reviewed tens of individual trials on moringa leaf and concluded that the plant may be effective for chemoprevention due to its ability to support natural detoxification pathways.
We are not suggesting that moringa leaf should be used to treat any specific medical condition; we're just highlighting early research suggesting that this plant may be beneficial to organ systems that detoxify the human body. Moringa is a food product and not a supplement.
Apothékary Moringa Powder is the product we recommend to consumers looking to naturally support the liver and kidneys. It has one single ingredient (moringa powder) and no questionable additives.
Moringa powder can be added to smoothies, yogurt or just mixed into water or tea.
Companies Promoting Vaccine Detox Products
We recommend that consumers avoid supplement companies promoting vaccine detox products, because as outlined in this article, we haven't come across any medical evidence that a vaccine detox is beneficial or necessary.
The few vaccine detox products that we reviewed while updating this article (which we won't link out to because we don't wish to support their business) all contained questionable ingredients and made uncited health claims.
Consumers should ask themselves whether there is any objective, medical proof that the ingredients in a health supplement (in this case a vaccine detox supplement) are effective, and whether the company selling the supplement can prove their product works based on published clinical trials.
