Following our first post on natural remedies which Amish use, here are five more. This time, they’re all sourced from Emma Byler’s book Plain & Happy Living: Amish Recipes & Remedies. I’m not promoting these as something you should use, though. I’m just sharing them as ones that caught my eye “for informational purposes”. Amish use a variety of approaches to health care, including conventional…
What kinds of natural remedies do Amish use? The book Plain & Happy Living: Amish Recipes & Remedies by Emma “Jonas Em” Byler covers many of them. It includes chapters like “General Tonics”, “The Herbal Medicine Chest”, and “Poultices, Plasters and Salves”. The more recent book Nature & The Environment in Amish Life also contains a chapter looking at herbal remedies and natural medicine use…
Expectant Amish mothers generally have three choices on where to bring their children into the world – at home, at a hospital, or at a birthing center. In larger Amish communities, these centers cater to a Plain population. A new article in the Wooster Daily Record gives us a look at the Mt. Eaton Care Center in Mt. Eaton, Ohio, a place that’s been delivering babies…
Questions on the Amish & coronavirus – awareness, risk, and protection from disease With the coronavirus topic heavy in the media, I thought it might be worth addressing several questions regarding COVID-19 infection and the Amish. Do the Amish know about COVID? Reader Beverly posed this question yesterday. With all the recent hubbub over this public health issue, it might seem odd to think that…
In tragic instances dating back to at least 2004, otherwise healthy Amish boys and girls have died suddenly while playing, with no clear explanation as to why. These cases occurred not in one community, but in multiple states including Pennsylvania, Delaware, Kentucky, and Iowa. Now, this mystery spanning 15+ years has been solved. Research looking at two extended families has unlocked the genetic cause of…
Two readers wrote to make sure I didn’t miss this article. Dr. James DeLine has had a remarkable career as the “country doctor” of a small Wisconsin village – spending a good portion of his time treating Amish. The article is a long look at his work and career. I was drawn to this story for his involvement with the Amish, but DeLine’s background story…
How do Amish pay medical bills, if they don’t have health insurance? We get a look at how some Amish handle this in a new piece on Cincinnatti Public Radio. Amish famously do not use commercial health insurance, opting to rely on their own churches and extended communities when the need is great. And while a “pass-the-hat” approach may have been more common in the…
The Health & Well-Being In Amish Society Conference took place a little over a month ago. I’ve finally gotten around to putting together some photos and highlights from the event to share with you today. The event took place on the beautiful Elizabethtown College campus. Here is Leffler Chapel, where the main speakers delivered their presentations. There were around 200 attendees; many seemed to be…
Can a “galvanic skin measurement” device really discern over 7,000 potential health issues? That’s what one chiropractor was selling to Plain communities. His license is now suspended. From Pennlive.com: A Commonwealth Court panel has refused to void a state licensing suspension and $10,000 fine imposed on an Ephrata-based chiropractor accused of placing a misleading advertisement in a newspaper aimed at the Mennonite community. The ad…
Amish typically do not become doctors and nurses, but they do help save lives in other ways. For one, there is the Amish involvement in fire companies, particularly in Lancaster County, but not only there. Amish also work as Emergency Medical Technicians. Sisters Miriam and Karen Schlabach of Baltic, Ohio, are doing just that. From the Sugarcreek Budget (no longer online): Miriam’s journey to EMT…