Most Amish people will seek proper medical attention when it is required. However, they believe that they shouldn’t interfere with the will of God. Therefore, they try not to interfere with the elderly who suffer from terminal illnesses. They believe that their lives are in God’s hands. I can understand this because they believe that birth and death is a natural part of life. I can see how they would believe in this. The Amish turn to herbal and home remedies to cure mild illnesses. For example, they take care of their health by drinking herbal teas, eating healthy foods, and getting enough exercise. When they can’t take care of their health by home remedies, then they will seek help elsewhere.
The Amish will bring their young sick and injured members to high-tech hospitals when they are beyond the help of home remedies and folk medicine. However, they do not like doing this because they feel awkward and out of place. Mainstream society tends to go to hospitals more often than the Amish for little health issues. This is because we tend to rely on doctors, nurses, and other health specialists more than home remedies.
Bibliography
McKusick, Victor.
2009. Amish Studies: Health. Internet Document. http://www2.etown.edu/amishstudies/Health.asp. Accessed November 5, 2009.
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I'm not really surprised that the Amish rarely go to hospitals because I would see it as against their faith. However I still think that they are primitive in that they don't take advantage of modern medicine. My opinion is biased however because I don't believe in god so this kind of devotion to god fascinates me. I can understand not going to the hospital for small things and just drinking herbal tea and being healthy, but when someone is really sick and they choose that it is gods hands I think that's ridiculous because often they can be saved easily at a hospital when they are terminal when they aren't so it is good to hear that they do go to hospitals. That did surprise me because I expected the Amish not to go because of how unnatural modern medicine is. When it comes to feeling out of place it's really something they need to get over because they feel out of place because of their lifestyle choice and if they feel awkward around people when one of them is terminally ill they can deal with it. I don't understand however the Amish lifestyle and how living the way they do makes them closer to god? If they think living primitively makes them closer to god why not go even further back with even less technology. Also as I said before I don't believe in god so the very idea that someone gives up most of life's pleasures to please this divine unseen deity is a mystery to me. We relay on doctors because we are aware that we could get very sick from something that starts off small. I don't understand why Amish are so afraid of god like they know he is out there enough to live a mundane lifestyle.I am also not very surprised that the Amish who go out in the world return to their lifestyle because there has been fear instilled in this children and that overtakes the more advanced lifestyle of the outside world, which is sad because I think that their fear is unprecedented.
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