A black walnut dental treatment is apparently enjoying popularity in Amish (and I assume other) circles. Black walnut extract is claimed to fix cavities, cracks, and toothaches. A local dentist, however, says it doesn’t work. Dr. Stephen Raffensperger is quoted on the treatment in this article. He is adamant that it does not do what it claims. But he’s not being listened to. “If I…
I rarely get ill, but when I do, it’s more often than not in the summertime. I put this down to the constant temperature swings of modern life–going from a scorching 100+ degrees outside to the frigid air conditioned interiors of the car, work, home or store. I try to be proactive about this. If I’m going to, say, the supermarket to do some shopping,…
Not all Amish vaccinate their children, with concerns over safety, money and thwarting God’s will. Amish apparently also vaccinate their horses at a lower rate. Human vaccination has been a hot issue for many years. We don’t really think as much about animal vaccinations. However animal-borne diseases are a potential danger, and not just to a farmer’s bottom line. Officials in New York are trying…
This is just a heartbreaker. A 2-year-old boy in Ohio died after severe scalding last week. Following the burn (hot water tipped onto him from the kitchen stove) he was first taken to be treated with an “Amish home burn treatment” of B and W ointment and burdock leaves. When he began going into shock the following day, he was brought to the hospital, but…
A new study seems to show that Amish children are “remarkably immune” to both allergies and asthma. Researchers compared a group of Indiana Amish children to Swiss children from both farm and non-farm environments. Swiss farm kids were over 3 times as likely to show a predisposition to allergies than Amish children, while Swiss non-farm children were over 6 times as likely. The Amish asthma…
Amos Hertzler is a one-year-old Amish boy who was born with a rare esophageal condition. His story came to public attention last October as his parents were having difficulties raising the funds for the expensive procedure Amos needed. Thankfully, Amos has since had his surgery and now the family is trying to pay off the remaining $60,000 in debt (having already covered $175,000). Last Saturday…
Amish people can seem a little health-obsessed. At least that’s the impression you get when perusing Amish publications, filled as they often are with advertisements for a wide range of health-enhancing products. Many Amish purchase piles of vitamins and supplements via local dealers and mail order. You can also point to the organic food movement, which has spawned Amish evangelists who believe in the health…
Last week on the Amish quilt shop post I mentioned I picked up a copy of Plain and Happy Living: Amish Recipes and Remedies. This is a book written by the quilt shop owner’s aunt. She noted that it isn’t common for an Amish woman to publish something like that (and even less so 20 years ago, when the book first came out). Since the…
I remember the first time I got a sense that Amish might approach medicine a bit differently than the rest of us. I was selling books in Indiana. An Amish woman whom I met at the door casually mentioned that her children were battling whooping cough. “You’ve had your shots, right?” she asked. “Yes…I think?” One of the hazards of the job, I suppose. Well,…
A couple of heart-breaking stories this week. An 11-month-old Amish baby died (article removed) late Sunday night when it fell from a moving buggy in Missouri. The person holding it had fallen asleep. Yesterday morning, an Amish woman in Indiana County, Pennsylvania, succumbed to serious burns suffered in a home explosion. She had thrown kerosene on a fire to get it burning better. The regularity…