Health and Illness

Today, part 2 of the interview with professors Hurst and McConnell, on their new book on the Holmes County Amish, An Amish Paradox: Diversity and Change in the World’s Largest Amish Community.   If you missed the first part, or would like to find out how to enter a drawing to win the book, check [...]

Continue reading An Amish Paradox–Part 2 of an interview with Charles Hurst and David McConnell

A couple more articles caught my eye over the past few days.  Many people have likely already seen the article from yesterday’s NYT on Amish farms damaging the Chesapeake Bay through farm runoff. This issue has existed for a number of years, but this was interesting to see written about for a couple reasons:  one [...]

Continue reading Controversies over Amish manure and aching backs

Two days ago, I sat down with Harley Stutzman, a furniture finisher in the Holmes County settlement.  I had heard that Harley had been through an ordeal since our last meeting.  Harley shared his remarkable story as we sat on his front porch sipping ice cold Pepsis on a beautiful spring afternoon. By way of [...]

Continue reading Harley Stutzman gets back on his feet

Just back from a 10-day visit to Lancaster County.  Gave a couple of talks and enjoyed the unfolding of the spring season.  A few highlights from the trip: Amish business visits I dropped in for a day at the Markets at Shrewsbury, one of the Pennsylvania Dutch markets in the region.  It happened to be [...]

Continue reading Highlights from Lancaster County

Last night while  lounging around with Abe and Sara, we suddenly heard one of their little boys begin coughing and crying, clearly audible through the air vent in the ceiling. Abe knew instantly what was wrong by the sound.   “That’s the croup,” he decided, a bit glumly, and stood with his wife to go attend [...]

Continue reading Croup or whooping cough?

I sent a thank-you copy of my book to an Amish friend in PA.  He received it yesterday.  He thanked me and let me know that he would read it asap, but admitted that “reading in the summer is like swimming in the winter for us here”.  Which cracked me up, but made sense.  I [...]

Continue reading Odds and ends and another great photo

A few links I thought you might enjoy below: An Amish reading list from someone who would know! A view on politics and the Amish in one community, by someone else who would know. “Amish doctors”, home birth, genetic issues.  An insightful overview of Amish society and health care , written for health care providers [...]

Continue reading Links you might like

The Amish potential-exemption-from-health-insurance-requirement story has shot around the net and become something of a hot sub-story to the health care issue.  Frankly I thought it would get some attention but the amount of media coverage surprised me a bit. A scan of commentary reveals some upset at what’s been called a ‘get-out-of-jail-free’ card for the [...]

Continue reading Another look at the Amish and health insurance

Here’s a short video if you’re interested, courtesy of icyou.com, explaining the results of the Amish cancer rate study.  It includes some commentary from Andy Yoder, a medical student who grew up Amish and has ambitions to work in medicine in the Amish community.

Continue reading Amish cancer study video

The health plan which passed the Senate on Christmas Eve provides for substantial fines for individuals who do not purchase health insurance. A recent Daily Item article examines how the Amish, who do not use insurance outside of some forms of church coverage, may negotiate an eventual purchase requirement. A religious exemption exists, and Donald Kraybill [...]

Continue reading Amish to avoid health insurance purchase requirement?