Amish mothers in Aroostook County, Maine are among those who now face increased risks following the closure of a local hospital’s maternity unit – one of 11 to shut down in the past decade in the state. It’s true that many Amish mothers do give birth at home, with the help of midwives – often Amish women themselves, but also often not. That doesn’t mean…
News today: the Supreme Court has “erased” a decision against New York Amish parents who objected to vaccination mandates for children in Amish schools. The Amish refusal to comply following a 2019 change in New York state law resulted in three Amish schools being fined a total of $118,000. To this point, the Amish side had faced multiple losses in the case, with a federal…
In the lead article for the 10th issue of The Journal of Plain Anabaptist Communities (JPAC), three Amish scholars from West Virginia University examined why the Amish are often reluctant to take advantage of vaccines, both now and in the past. The study was conducted by Rachel E. Stein, Katie E. Corcoran and Corey Coyler, from the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at West Virginia…
Do we find autism among the Amish? This topic has, predictably, been all over the news this week. That’s because of comments made by President Trump at a press conference on Tuesday. The most relevant bit of the conference was this segment (emphasis added): Donald Trump 00:03:07-00:03:36 (30 sec) “And the first day, all of these great doctors behind me were there, I told them…
Due to the unusual nature of the Amish population, they frequently serve as a source for medical discoveries, especially related to genetic research. These can be discoveries on the “positive” side – such as the gene mutation in one Amish community which accounts for an over 10% longer lifespan, or one linked to lower levels of heart disease. They can also be about negative health…
Many Amish people make use of conventional medicine and health care. At the same time, many are partial to alternative treatments and unconventional approaches to health and wellness (here are five examples). And for some Amish folks, spending time being exposed to radon belongs on that list. A recent story in the Jefferson County, MT Monitor Online describes how popular one Montana mine has become…
Specifically, type 1 diabetes, which most commonly shows up with children and younger people. And as noted we’re talking about one community, albeit quite a significant one – the third-largest in the country, in Northern Indiana (Elkhart & LaGrange County). Here’s more from WSBT: MIDDLEBURY, Ind. (WSBT) — Researchers in Middlebury are finding hope in the work to cure diabetes. New studies suggest the Amish…
Unlike some other health myths about the Amish, this is a claim that evidence suggests is true. The BBC takes a look at this phenomenon – and wonders if we non-Amish can enjoy the same benefits: The Amish have gripped the imaginations of Hollywood scriptwriters, documentary makers and sociologists for decades. But in the past 10 years, their way of life has become of increasing…
Back in 2017, a story about a potentially life-extending gene mutation found in an Amish community went gangbusters. You can understand why. The gene mutation was credited with giving its Amish carriers a lifespan 10 years longer than those Amish who lacked it. From that report: The discovery was made by scientists from Northwestern University: The first genetic mutation that appears to protect against multiple…
I chipped in ideas for a recent USA Today article challenging some of the wilder health claims you see out there about the Amish. This is the social media post they were responding to: I’m not sure why this particular post was chosen, as these sorts of claims are pretty commonplace. I imagine because it manages to put so many of the more common misbeliefs…