When we think of Amish people we think of a simple life, free of modern advancements. Most of us view them as foolish for not using the advantages of convenient technology and even look down on them for not conforming to the norms of mainstream society. But if we look at the statistics, the Amish are much healthier than the rest of America. They virtually have no cancer, no autism, and rarely get sick. What are they doing different from the rest of America? Let’s look at some of the things they are doing different (here).
Why the Amish Rarely Get Sick
The Amish have chosen the traditional wisdom of our ancestors over our “modern” way of living. They live by the practices of past generations.
1. The Amish Don’t Get Vaccinated.
Did you know that Amish people rarely have any learning disabilities or autism. There have been only 3 cases of autism among the amish in which the kids got vaccinated (here). Instead of crediting their lack of autism to the absence of vaccines, mainstream society credits it to a superior gene that the Amish possess. In spite of constant pressure from the government, the Amish still refuse to vaccinate. You can read more about the dangers of vaccines – here. Vaccine-nation: Poisoning the Population, One Shot at a Time
2. The Amish Eat Organic, Locally Grown Food.
The Amish not only avoid prepackaged and processed food, they actually grow all of their food using organic farming methods. They raise their own animals; their food is natural and gmo free (the dangers of gmo). It’s important to note that they eat seasonal food during the harvest months, and save the rest by canning and fermenting. Seasonal fruits and vegetables are nutritionally higher in value. They are filled with anti-oxidants that are of great benefit to our health. Anti-oxidants fight free radicals, which helps you stay healthy and young. Thus, the lack of ADHD, food allergies and asthma can be undeniably contributed to their diet. Seeds of Deception: Exposing Industry and Government Lies About the Safety of the Genetically Engineered Foods You’re Eating
3. The Amish Eat Plenty of Healthy Fats.
The Amish have a very low obesity rate despite their high fat diet. Their eating habits by all means are not low fat. They eat plenty of butter, meat, eggs, raw dairy. Foods like butter and raw grass fed dairy contains a lot of fat soluble vitamins such as A, E and K2. It’s important to note that Vitamin K2 is very insufficient in modern diets. All that low fat nonsense has depleted our bodies from these essential nutrients. Vitamin K2 is particularly important as it is involved in calcium metabolism. Vitamin K insufficiency leads to many diseases such as cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, and even cancer.
4. The Amish People are Physically Active.
Compared to the overall 31 % obesity rate in America, the Amish only have a 3 percent obesity rate. Since they don’t use cars, or any modern technologies, their level of physical activity is very high: men averaged 18,000 steps a day and women 14,000. They walk a lot and are truly involved in physical labor which reflects in their extremely low rate of cardiovascular diseases. Accodring to David R. Bassett, Ph.D., FACSM, a professor at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, “The Amish were able to show us just how far we’ve fallen in the last 150 years or so in terms of the amount of physical activity we typically perform. Their lifestyle indicates that physical activity played a critical role in keeping our ancestors fit and healthy.”
5. The Amish Live Stress Free Lives
Stress is probably the number one culprit to our health problems. When you are stressed, your cortisol levels get elevated which is extremely dangerous for your health in the long run. Health problems associated with stress include heart disease, adrenal fatigue, hormonal imbalances, high blood sugar levels, elevated cholesterol and obesity. The Amish live in a stress free community. They live slow paced, patient lifestyles. They don’t compete with each other; they created a egalitarian community for themselves where their lifestyles are based on equality, cooperation and harmony. (here) The Amish live the same way they lived 300 years ago and we can definitely can learn some lessons from them. They live toxic, free self sustainable lives. They are not plagued with various diseases and they are much healthier than the rest of America. Source: http://www.lef.org/news/LefDailyNews.htm?NewsID=9191&Section=Disease http://www.healthnewsdigest.com/news/Cancer_Issues_660/Amish_Have_Lower_Rates_of_Cancer.shtml
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They also breastfeed!
I was just about to write that! Breastfeeding for one year or longer lowers the risk of cancers, obesity, diabetes, colds, flus, asthma, ear infections & in general provides a blanket of immunitites from mother to child. And another point not mentioned is that they don’t drink or smoke! (Maybe pipes?)
they dont drink or smoke,haha you dont know the amish i know then..i partied with them ALOT in my younger days
Correct…. they’re not supposed to, but you’re right, they definitely smoke cigarettes!
They smoke more than just cigarettes!!!!!
Nah, the first wild thing they do on their rumspringa is GET VACCINATED!!! Woop woop!! Those rebels!
Yep. They most certainly do drink. I had an Amishman ask me to drive him all over creation just looking for raspberry wine.
no pipe, they just do not smoke at all
Many of their older kids drink smoke and party for a period of time before they choose to follow the traditions of their people.
& many believe lessens the chance of breast cancer in the mothers 🙂
They also vaccinate their kids.. At least they do in Indiana..As a nurse I participated in vaccine update clinics all over the state in the middle and high schools and we had Amish kids getting vaccinated right along with the rest. The Amish do follow the state laws regarding vaccinations for school.
No they do not.. u may have a very very small example in that area but the Amish DO NOT VACCINATE
Actually, the vaccination rate in the Amish is increasing. It is a myth that they don’t vaccinate. Also, they do get sick as often as the general population, and nowdays often use modern hospitals when needed.
Many of my college friends had relatives who were Amish, and the families were still in touch because they had either left for health reasons approved by the particular bishop, or before they were members of the church.
Candy you have no clue what the Amish in Indiana do or do not do. They vaccinate. Some, not all, but they do vaccinate, and more and more are capitulating to the state laws as they matriculate into the “English” schools.
It is not state law that you must vaccinate your children. That is a myth. Doctors and school administrators will try to tell you differently, but they are either wrong or lying. How do I know? Because I have not vaccinated my children and the state is well aware of this, yet I am not locked up and they have not been taken from me
Yes they DO vaccinate. Not all do. But to make the blanket statement that the Amish do not vaccinate is very incorrect. They also smoke, both cigarettes and pipes. They also use snuff. They also have a lot of stress factors in their lives, maybe not the typical kind that we do. But there is a lot of stress in their lives as well as ours. I don’t know what group or community the above article is referring to, but the group I work with in the north-eastern Indiana area have a lot of health issues, ones that we really don’t want, like MD and MS. And they all get sick. Not everyone of them eats good healthy organic foods. They grow at home. But most of it is NOT organic. I am a driver for the Amish for over 2 years.
Vaccines are NOT a requirement to attend school. All States except 2 offer a religious and philosophic exemption from vaccination. Please visit http://www.nvic.org for each state’s exemption laws. And PLEASE stop telling people vaccines are required for school. They simply are not.
My step daughter needed two vaccines for school and she had not received them as of a certain date and she was no allowed to return to school until she got the vaccines
I had a feeling that you use of facts would upset some of the readers.
the do NOT vaccinate their children and neither should any of you! but I have seen several amish in the emergency room in pa.
Please do not tell other people not to vaccinate. You have the right to your opinion but vaccinating saves millions of lives and people should be able to educate themselves and decide to chose whether they would like their children to die from a completely preventable disease. People have the right to be educated. Autism is caused by genetic and environmental components. Since the Amish share most of their genes, being descended from a small group of about 200 people, and live in similar environments (diet, exercise, stress) their offspring are more likely to have the same diseases and illnesses as their ancestors. If there never was autism in their ancestors, it is likely that their won’t be in their offspring. Also, because Amish are so genetically related they are more likely to have rare, recessive genetic disorders.
I agree with anonymous. You would rather have hundreds if not millions of kids die of measles, whooping cough, polio, Tetanus, Mumps etc? Really? I am so glad most parents do vaccinate and don’t believe autism is caused by vaccinations either. I am a medical professional and have seen very few people with these illnesses, but the ones I have, were horrible and yes, some died. I get so angry with this subject, but I guess you have to blame autism on something.
According to a study in the 80s, 63% of Amish vaccinated (compared to 85% of Americans) with vaccination rates INCREASING (Hurst and McConne. For the most part, they don’t have a reiigious objection to vaccination. They pay for most of their health care out of pocket and just don’t see the need for it and don’t have quite the same pressure to have their children vaccinated.
My mother was not vaccinated because my grandmother was scared out of doing it. My mother had whooping cough AND polio, not to mention measles & mumps and other things. My mother vowed that her children would get vaccinated because she did not want us to go through what she had gone through as a kid. She said it was horrible.
Agreed. Here in WI theyvalso vaccinate. Many were dying of whooping cough, and chose to start vaccinations.
FYI- there are no laws stating children in schools need vaccinated! They push for your children to be vaccinated, they make you feel like it’s illegal if you don’t, but it is absolutely my legal right to NOT vaccinate my children. So to say that the Amish are being complacent with the law by vaccinating is a farce, they are being complacent with society, and I’m sure those Amish are few and fare between!
FYI, there are in my state of South Dakota and if you want to go to school you must show your vaccination records and if you don’t have them, then you must have a titer done to see if you have the anti-bodies in your system from those required vaccines. This goes for anyone, even if you’re 44 years old and going back to college and lived most of your life in another state. If you don’t, then you must get the vaccines to be in compliance with the law. There are religious exemptions; however, you have to show proof that you are exempt due to religious reasons. If you were born before 1957, you’re also exempt. It is not true and it’s irresponsible to say that no state law requires you to get immunized.
It is a law that children are to be vaccinated to attend school, with the exception of children whose parents object to vaccination due to religious reasons. So, to say there is NO law requiring vaccination is inaccurate. There are pockets of amish communities experiencing bad outbreaks of measles and whooping cough because the children were not vaccinated. There are outbreaks of measles and chicken pox among public school children because their parents refused to get them vaccinated.. Whoever started this “vaccinations are bad” thing clearly has little knowledge of how common and devastating polio, measles, mumps, and whooping cough can be. Go look up a video of a baby with whooping cough, and TELL me you would risk putting your child through that. As for Indiana, this is the vaccination law. It exists here, and it exists in most other states.. for good reason.
IC 20-34-4-2
Required immunizations
Sec. 2. (a) Every child residing in Indiana shall be immunized
against:
(1) diphtheria;
(2) pertussis (whooping cough);
(3) tetanus
(4) measles;
(5) rubella;
(6) poliomyelitis; and
(7) mumps.
(b) Every child residing in Indiana who enters kindergarten or grade 1 shall be immunized against hepatitis B and chicken pox.
(c) The state department of health shall adopt rules under IC 4-22-2 to require school age children to receive additional immunizations against the following:
(1) Meningitis.
(2) Varicella.
(3) Pertussis (whooping cough).
IC 20-34-4-5
Statement of immunization history; waiver; rules
Sec. 5. (a) Each school shall require the parent of a student who has enrolled in the school to furnish not later than the first day of school a written statement of the student’s immunization, accompanied by the physician’s certificates or other documentation, unless a written statement of this nature is on file with the school.
(b) The statement must show, except for a student to whom IC 20-34-3-2 or IC 20-34-3-3 applies, that the student has been immunized as required under section 2 of this chapter. The statement must include the student’s date of birth and the date of each immunization.
(c) A student may not be permitted to attend school beyond the
first day of school without furnishing the written statement, unless:
(1) the school gives the parent of the student a waiver; or
(2) the local health department or a physician determines that the student’s immunization schedule has been delayed due to extreme circumstances and that the required immunizations will not be completed before the first day of school
IC 20-34-3-2
Religious objections
Sec. 2. (a) Except as otherwise provided, a student may not be
required to undergo any testing, examination, immunization, or treatment required under this chapter or IC 20-34-4 when the child’s parent objects on religious grounds. A religious objection does not exempt a child from any testing, examination, immunization, or treatment required under this chapter or IC 20-34-4 unless the objection is:
(1) made in writing;
(2) signed by the child’s parent; and
(3) delivered to the child’s teacher or to the individual who might order a test, an exam, an immunization, or a treatment absent the objection
Why are all the women so obese
as they age if they are so healthy.
Yes, I bet that breastfeeding really helps.
Nobody lives a a stress free life!
Having said that, yes I do like their diets, and try to eat similarly. We don’t have enough space to grow all our own, but we do what we can. I believe it is a lot healthier in general.
However there is a lot of assumption about cause and effect in this article, i.e. they eat this, therefore they do not get that. Please cite some research. Eg why does GMO free food help you?
GMO = genetically modified organisms. When these enter our body, it is unrecognizable as food (eg: high fructose corn syrup) and is not properly digestible, stays with the body, and may lead to disease and/or obesity.
That’s not how GMO’s work. High fructose corn syrup is a food product made from corn, but can be made from non GMO corn. High fructose corn syrup is bad, and cannot be processes by the body but it is not a GMO.
Your body will recognize GMO carrots the same way it does an organic carrot. It’s simply taking a peanut protein (for example) from the peanut and putting it in a carrot to make it stronger. The danger of GMOs come in when someone who is allergic to peanuts eats that carrot with peanut protein in it.
Additionally, the problem with GMOs is that the GMO crops are designed to be resistant to the effects of toxic insecticide (which would otherwise kill the crop), which then washes off into the soil and our waterways.
Thank you Hanna! GMOs aren’t a real danger — pesticides are. I wish people would stop conflating the two!
We don’t know if gmo’s are dangerous. They haven’t been around long enough to know the side effects.
GMO’s and pesticides help plants fight of threats from insects and viruses and other disease. These things could all adapt, maybe slowly at first but increasingly to the point where we might not be able to keep up. A bacteria, fungus, and viruses are micro organisms that have a higher evolutionary rate. I fear we are prodding these organisms to evolve quicker, which might not be something we will see the effects of are even the signs of for many years, but it seems logical that given enough time nature will show us how strong and flexible it is. There was a book called “The Wind-up Girl”. It painted a post apocalyptic world about 100 years from now that has been wrecked by simple viruses and molds that began to outpace GMO’s. This meant that only GMO’s had a chance and that all natural food was impossible to grow. It was a very interesting take on the future, and seemed very logical to me. That’s my main concern with GMO/pesticides.
Hanna, Please do not confuse people with what you think a GMO is.. It has absolutely nothing to do with a peanut crossing into a carrot or any other food being inserted into and other food! The dangers do not come from people who are allergic to nuts.. Please please do your research…
All GMO foods are not the same. If you think that Roundup ready foods are safe, I’ll spray my tomatoes with roundup and you can feel free to eat up. I don’t understand how anyone can believe that our food supply being doused with poison and then fed to us could possibly be healthy.
Totally agree…GMO (Genetically Modified Organism) is a plant mixed with a special bacteria that is resistant to being sprayed with roundup so the farmers do not have to continually battle the weeds I see the farms around my home spraying the growing corn with it. The entire outside stinks like chemicals for a day after. Look at this video it shows rats that were tested over months and ate GMO corn that was not sprayed with roundup and rats that ate GMO corn that was sprayed with roundup.Lets just say they all had tumors even the ones who only ate GMO with out being sprayed with roundup…scary uphttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H62ScHZkTXw
You can pretty much correlate High Fructose Corn to GM corn for the simple reason that no processor of HFCS is spending the additional bucks to buy organic corn to make HFCS.
So the argument that GM corn and HFCS are not one in the same is all but moot.
Secondly, the genetic material being inserted into the corn’s DNA is designed to make it resistant to herbicide/pesticide. That is, industrial farm operations can theoretically dump tons of pesticides into the soil and on the corn plant itself and it will not impact the GM corn. However, this pesticide resistance in the corn’s DNA does NOT RINSE OFF. It enters our blood stream. Secondly, more and more weeds that are supposed to be killed by the herbicides are becoming resistant meaning more and more herbicides are being dumped into the soil. It’s a ruinous strategy for growing food that destroys the earth and impacts all of us in a negative way.
Thank you, Doug. It’s making me crazy that people still don’t get where GMO’s are leading us to.
We have many wonderful Amish friends here in Indiana. Many of my Amish friends are overweight, One has a severly Autustic son and her husband recently died of cancer. Among my Amish friends I see about as much Autism and cancer as with non Amish. And they do deal with a little of stress. Yes they may eat healthier in some ways, but they go very heavy on wonderfully rich deserts. and fried foods. Also all the ones I know have had their children vaccinated. I’ve seen about as much Autism, ADHD, and retardation if not more so than in the non Amish world.
It is my understanding that the mental retardation is from inbreeding, simply because no new genetic input is being introduced into their communities. I’ve heard that they do realize this and are trying to bring in outsiders (from other Amish communities) to combat the problems with this.
We live among the Amish in Indiana too and these “facts” are very skewed! They eat TONS of sweets and some do receive vaccinations. There was an ad for discounted vaccines in the local Amish newspaper. The reason why their medical conditions seem much lower is because they typically don’t go to a regular hospital for treatment, but to local naturopathic doctors in their community. The conditions then go unreported. When we’re at the ND we see dozens of sick Amish come in. They are active and eat local produce and animal products, but they definitely do get sick.
i read,research facts about the amish,i know they are very heavy,(some),due to eating habits, they eat very unhealthy then use the excuse of hard work to keep the pounds off, it might keep the pounds off, but i know a lot have heart trouble
People should also understand if it weren’t for GMO golden rice, millions of people would go blind
Cite proof of this.
The effects of GMO foods on our health are horrendous and devastating. That is why they are being banned world wide. The U.S. is marketing them for profits only. Watch seeds of death. Only one of the many documentaries out there on the research most in this country refuse to acknowledge.
NO! GMO`s are bad because of more than just peanut allergies. There are a million articles and books out on what GMO`s do. But basically it makes people more prone to cancers and other maladies as well as poisoning our food systems in the commercial grocery market. On top of that it makes the chosen few richer than rich each and everyday. People who have no concern for humankind or animals, they only exist to make as much money at the expense of other people and the health of nations globally. They have bought out the governments in order to gain full control. Its doubtful you will eat non-gmo from a grocey store these days. BUT we can change it by saying NO and not backing down.
Here’s your answers to your questions: Why GMO foods are bad for you, cosmetics, and why the Amish not only live healthier and longer, but why they live a better quality of life. read a book called ‘surviving off off grid’.
Hi Meggy, perhaps you didn’t notice the links attached to the 5 points that the article makes. Everyone has stress, but the stress of modern society is exponentially higher than that of the Amish lifestyle.
do you personal know the Amish people? they may live a simple live from what you see from the outside, I can assure you it is not with out the same amount of stress that the world has!
they are humans with the same fear and desire you and I have.
Amen, I will agree with that quote 100% and will give you a token to take to the bank also!!!
Sorry to upset you, but they do get sick. Have premature births, asthma, food allergies, cancer is becoming a bigger issue, heart disease. Maybe you should have done more research. The numbers are lower but the overall population compared to the number of Illness / disease is relatively the dame to other populations.
I know of the Amish and their settlements in and around Indiana and they are very successful, live off the land, and most of all, they ride heavily on God. They do not endure the stress levels like the rest of us because they are too busy performing the chores and duties required to maintain their lifestyle. They don’t encounter the additional financial burdens that the rest of us do because they don’t need electricity, televisions, computers, cell phones,30,000 dollar cars, etc.
I think you’d have to look a long way to find an Amish person without access to a cell phone.
I agree, fully. Also, the Amish don’t believe in western medicine and doctors. If they get ill, they will treat their own sick. If those sick die they will attribute it to “God’s Way”.
Yeah, that isn’t totally true. They do see doctors when needed. I have been to the Mayo Clinic while they were there.
That is not true at all. Do you know any Amish or are you thinking of some type is religion?
Wow. I agree with some of this but definitely not others! I live near and am friends with many Amish. I haul for them, meaning I take them places. Let me tell you, MANY of them have Cancer. One near here just died on Christmas day and her funeral is today. They eat more processed JUNK food than our family. They vaccinate their children, they go to traditional western medicine doctors and wouldn’t dream of living without it. One just had tubes put in her daughters ears a month ago. Yes, they might take more herbs and natural medicines but they don’t rely solely on that. This article makes it kinda sound like they are super human that don’t have any flaws but they are people, just like the rest of us. Some are more prone to stress, others not. I know bi-polar Amish, I know Amish that are on anti-depressants because they are suicidal, I know Amish men that beat their wives, I know rude Amish kids. I also know wonderful Amish people. Lovely families, respectful children, etc. When it comes right down to it, it isn’t whether they are Amish or English. It is how they were raised and how they choose to live. Were they taught responsibility and respect? Are they choosing to live out what they were taught. Were they taught healthy eating? Do they choose to eat healthy? And they do have cancer and other issues but many times they simply don’t seek the help for it. They just assume that an Autistic child is a gift from God and treasure it instead of trying to change it. I know MANY that have what they refer to as Mongoloids (Down Syndrome), or “simple” (usually some form of mental slowness) and often there are multiple children like that in one family.
thank you
i agree with the “slow” part. they have a lot of gene issues due to marrying their own relatives.with any set of people we all have issues regardless how close to god we try to live. we are human, no man is perfect.
They do not ínter marry as much as they do in Kentucky, where most have married their first cousins. The Amish and some Mennonites do not believe in all the methodsof conventional medicine. If they vaccinate it might be out of their faith. They are still much healthier than conventional society that tries to justify drinking, smoking, over eating, pesticide in foods, steroids and antibiotics in milk, and vaccinating as a good method to prevent illnesses. Fact is that in the 1990 it was discovered that the pertussis vaccination given to children in the USA was made with horse serum and caused many a case of autism. So for those of you holier than thou vaccine pushers do your own research. Also if you have Native American blood you are more likely to react negatively to the vaccines that are provided nowadays.
You are 100% correct I lived in Paradise and Lancaster Pa my kids had plenty of amish friends and all that you say is very true the girls I worked with at Weavers in New Holland would go to Florida in the winter and shun there garb and be in bikinis and drink and party like any other teen, Also they ate just what we all eat of the junk food .I went to a few homes and they have TV,Pool tabled Juke boxed in a family room in the basement they would get so drunk art the barn parties on Saturday night it was sinful and yes I was a mother of 4 and did see and know all of this, There parents bought the things for them so there you go thay are no different than anyone else out there as kids. The old Amish from the 40’s to the early 60’s were the strict Amish none of them around today to shun the ones out of line. It all is past history as ours is also as to the way we grew up. Ir is all for the history that we see them acting as Amish you should see the fast card they have that they park at there friends homes . They are normal teens full of salt and vinegar.Do not understand why they say all of the good of them and here in PA they must have vaccinations to attend public schools and if not they have there own schools where it does not matter they say. We lived by the school that was attacked by the guy that killed all the girls and the teacher and yes my kids lost many of there friends and you saw what they did they forgave the man for his act of hate on there families.Adter that my kids were so upset and did not want to go to school they were very scared but we workrd threw it. They are just humans here on earth and also have been accused by the SPCA many times of being so crule to there animals mules and horses they plowed the fields with they are a dying creed and yes they have all kinds of illness to and are at the Hospital in Danville all the time with there ailing children and family I have seen this all the time I would go there with my grandson. They go to the clinics there and also have all kind of operations and treatments for many an illness . God does not pick who will be treated differently here on earth only at the time of our death. They are only a nation of people that are trying to save there heritage but with the young moving onto new lives and leaving this is slowly dying down and away.
Apparently you and the author don’t live around Amish because this article is full of assumptions. The Amish get sick and use English doctors and medicine. I see them in our hospitals often. They also vaccinate. The difference is the Amish do not test for, treat, or recognize disabilities like Autism. As a closed society some medical issues are more prevelant in an Amish community than in the English who have more choices about who to marry, etc. Yes, the Amish have stress but a different type because part of their life is to know everything about everyone in the community and if someone is doing something they consider wrong, the Amish community will confront them about it, which can be stressful when it comes down to an older person putting snaps on their clothing due to loss of dexterity.
The Amish in our area DO go to the doctors- they also shop at Aldi’s and Wal Mart buying large quantities of canned foods, eggs, milk, butter, etc….
They have less stress because they live on the land and they don’t have electric bills or water bills nor do they have credit cards. They live much better than us and they don’t have to buy Obama Care. MOST OF ALL THEY BELIEVE IN CHRIST
Jean! I absolutely agree with you!
Actually I think the rate of “Christians” among the Amish is actually few. I believe they are a fear driven society. Yes, it all seems idealistic and I am sure not in all places it may be real. But they use and abuse their women. Incest is a problem as they don’t discuss issues in their families. Such as sexual sin etc… Many also carry cell phones.
Jean, I also agree with you!
Amen Jean. Personally, staying away from doctors and treating myself with natural remedies when I have a very rare illness has kept me much healthier.
I have personally seen amish with credit cards.
It’s true no one lives a ” stress free” life but do you honestly think that their worries are any thing like the rest of our society? Stress over children, loved ones , animals , and work ;also taking into consideration that they are a people of great faith ( witch does dramatically reduce stress ) , are in my opinion the core stresses we all face . Americans , we stress over to much for me to name in this short reply. Lack of stress is no doubt a contributor to their health and lack of disease ( dis-ease).
I agree with one of your points…NO ONE lives a stress free life.
Great points!
The diet the Amish eat on their own and what you see in Amish restaurants are not the same. My husband and I spent our honeymoon close to an Amish town in Illinois and ate at one of their restaurants. Peanut butter on the table had a nutrition label, made to look like an Amish brand. We read the ingredients and it was no different than the normal grocery store junk.
There is also an Amish market around here and one can buy normal processed junk there as well. And the Amish bakery sells cookies and breads made with all purpose flour and refined white sugar. So what gives? Either they are eating differently than what they offer outsiders, or they are now conforming to the standard American junk diet.
These generalizations aren’t completely accurate, but it’s nice to assume these things! I went to the farm picnic where we used to get our raw milk, and the farmer’s baby clearly had Mumps. The Amish I know are still exposed to vaccine preventable diseases, and they get sick- it happens. (Of course then they get lifelong immunity.) And I KNOW they didn’t have a stress free lifestyle, as they were being targeted by the FDA. It was seriously stressful on them and their family and community. Raids by the FDA to a generally peaceful community surely brought stress to them.
So what the baby had mumps? Contrary to modern opinion, mumps and measles are not these deadly ravages we’ve been led to believe. My mom had measles when she was pregnant with my brother. Both recovered just fine. So the question is, since these illnesses are not fun, but certainly not fatal (unless there are other complications, in which any illness could be) why are we pumping kids full of toxic chemicals to prevent them?
Maybe your mother was fine, but I know a girl who died of measles because she wasn’t vaccinated, so one example does not a point makes. In fact, many babies every year die or suffer from severe complications due to diseases that are easily preventable by vaccines. They catch these diseases because they cannot be immunized before a certain age and come in contact with kids from irresponsible parents who didn’t vaccinate their children. It is very selfish not to vaccinate, and it has been long proven that the study that said vaccines cause autism was a fake.
i agree with everything you say. *and* at the same time, we “english” need to be careful to ask the amish farmers how they grow their food for *us.*
the food in their *own* gardens is organic, frequently heirloom. they know that’s best.
however, the food they grow for us is often GMO, round-up ready. it’s cheaper, less labor-intensive, and most of us are too ignorant to ask.
a head-covering, long-sleeved dress, and an apron does not automatically equal *our* best food choice. ask about their growing methods, they’re usually happy to share what’s what. (which is how i found out that the incredibly cheap whole chickens in the farmer’s market were actually perdue chickens they got at an auction to resell.)
🙂
You do not list any references or research to prove your thesis that the Amish do not get sick. While, yes, I do believe that healthy eating and exercise are beneficial to our health, your contention that the Amish don’t vaccinate or get diseases is wrong. Most do vaccinate their children to some extent. Being a closed society with a small genetic pool, their incidence of genetic disorders is also higher than the general public. One report that I read states that aside from “these genetic disorders, the general pattern of illness and causes of mortality among the Old Order Amish are similar to those for the US as a whole”. Accident rates are also higher. I don’t know that they live any longer than the rest of us, but I know that they have a harder life than I do. Check out these articles.
http://www.case.edu/artsci/anth/documents/Amish.pdf
http://blogs.plos.org/thepanicvirus/2011/06/28/anecdotal-amish-dont-vaccinate-claims-disproved-by-fact-based-study/
My father turned 90 this summer and although he has taken BP medication most of his adult life, has had oral and skin cancer surgeries, he enjoys an active and vibrant lifestyle, walks every day, even though living a modern lifestyle. I hope I can enjoy such a life. I live in the country, grow some of my own food, have my own health issues and am not stress free. One thing the Amish have that many of us don’t and to me is vitally more important is their steadfast belief and trust in God, that alone leads to a stress free life.
I have to say I don’t agree about the processed foods. We live in an Amish area, and they shop at Wal Mart. Their carts are always full of chips and other junk food. We see it first hand. Maybe all areas are not like this but ours is.
This appears to have been written with minimal, second-hand info and rumors as the primary source(s). Like anyone else, the Amish do have stress in their lives, are vaccinated, and they eat junk food and drink Coca-Cola. I see their shopping carts in WalMart.
However, I’m sure many of them consume raw, un-pasteurized dairy products which are extremely healthy and beneficial for us. And the physical labor definitely contributes to their overal health.
Vaccines…
This, although slightly tongue in cheek explains more from a legitimate, scientific stand point than anything that people have written about the ‘dangers of vaccines.’
Because we’d all like to see a return of virtually eradicated diseases.
http://www.quickmeme.com/p/3vqjb0
They also have less contact with unfamiliar germs.
Why do you think that? What makes a germ unfamiliar? They shop at the same stores I do, eat at the same restaurants, run businesses that are patronized by us “Englishers”.(Case in point: Just today I saw Amish people at: the mall, Burger King, outlet stores and Target. I often see them at Walmart, Goodwill, pharmacies, hardware stores, grocery stores, banks, various restaurants, including Ruby Tuesday, and Olive Garden, even gas stations–yes, they buy gas, as well as cigarettes, chewing tobacco, and soda. Even those who are home more are being introduced to those germs by the family members who are out and about. The truth is, people who don’t around the Amish have an idealized vision of who and what they are and, ideally, I wish we could all still see them that way, just as I did as a little girl, just visiting the area. But it’s like visiting Disney World. There’s a lot going on below the surface that you don’t know about and, underneath their “costumes”, they are “real” people, not characters in a fairy tale where everything is perfect.
Well, many Amish don’t get sick. Unfortunately many Amish have also fallen prey to the modern American diet and consume large quantities of junk food, sugar and white flour. I have been going to an Amish farm for five years, and I know for a fact that many in their community struggle with the same issues we “Englishers” do. Granted, the Amish tend to get more exercise, but with fewer Amish farming for a living, some of them are moving to a more sedentary lifestyle.
I lived with the Amish in Nappanee Indiana. They got sick just as much as my family. Cancer, birth defects, asthma, the flu and you name it. The difference was they rarely sought out medical care or reported their symptoms. But just speaking with local Amish families at local stores checking out and etc… I know for a fact they are not a utopian society who is miraculously untouched by illness.
This article might seem nice but it’s not remotely true. I’m from rural Pennsylvnaia with huge Amish community nearby. My mom worked with the USDA for a while and she said the Amish have some of the worst code violations because they use tons and tons of chemicals in their food production. Nothing they do is “natural” or “organic” in terms of what goes into their food (they’re inspected for the food they produce, package and sell). Also there is no record keeping of autism in the Amish community. They don’t go to modern doctors so their children don’t get diagnosed. That said, though they avoid doctors for most ailments, many of their children DO get vaccinated.
Also, as was mentioned above in the comments, they shop at Walmart and modern grocery stores. They often live without electricity in their homes (not true in their factory style farms), so preserved junk food is really common.
They DO lead simplier lives, and seem very much at peace and happy. However, they don’t live any longer, and sometimes shorter lives, because of the hard labor and lack of medical care
The only part of the article that is not a myth, is the part about them being hard workers.
Whoever wrote the article obviously does not live near any Amish, has never looked in their shopping carts, or never worked in the health care field in an area heavily populated with Amish!
Very few of the Amish around here are organic farmers. And they don’t have a good understanding about mixing and using the chemicals they apply to their crops.
They use lots of “natural remedies” to the point of delaying care until it is a dire emergency.
They have their own little schools, taught by their own people who only have an 8th grade education. So many learning disabilities are missed and/or overlooked. They have great compassion toward their own who have special needs, very accepting of how God made them, and often don’t see it as something that needs attention.
I did not see any links to studies to back up what they state as truth in this article. I doubt there are any, since they are a very closed off people.
I cannot really take this article at face value. Although I personally tend to agree with the information, I am also very aware that incidents of physical disease and illness are grossly under reported in the Amish populations. This holds even more true concerning issues of mental or emotional maladies. There is a wide variety of reasons for this but I don’t believe we have an accurate statistical picture of a community that is rather closed off and self isolated.
Otter
Perhaps it’s a regional thing, the Amish in our area (some of whom are our family) eat like most Americans. Yes, many but not all garden, can, freeze, raise their own meat. But, they also buy milk and eggs, boxed cereals, velveeta, make homemade desserts with white sugar and food coloring, drink pop, eat at fast food restaurants, etc.
Heres an example of a very common main dish from an Amish cookbook put together as a fundraiser for a local Amish school (that was given to me by my husband’s Amish aunt): chicken breast and vegetable casserole – chicken breast, frozen California blend vegetables, 1 can cream of chicken soup, 16 oz container cream cheese, tater tots, ritz or townhouse crackers, butter.
And the dessert section is full of gems like this: circus peanut jello – orange jello, circus peanut candy, canned crushed pineapple and cool whip.
The Amish DO get sick. They get cancer, diabetes, heart problems, like everyone else. I personally know Amish people who are or have been sick. There are many Amish (women especially) who are obese, including children.
Certainly, the ideas you outline above are healthy and sound appropriate for a closed society that shuns worldly indulgences, but at least in the Amish I know they have plenty of worldliness in their lives (cell phones, lap tops, refrigerators, electricity and computers in their businesses). Aside from their religion, dress and transportation, there isn’t a whole lot that separates them from the rest of us and they are not immune to the sickness and disease thst comes with eating a SAD diet.
Hi, we live in an Amish community and they do get sick and do have people with cancer and autism and all the diseases that we get vaccinated for. They have children born without immune systems and they usually die very young, 3 in two families that I am friends with. They work hard and do NOT get enough nutrition to supply their needs, many of the men die very young and the women give birth to a lot of children and they are run down. We buy most of our vegetables from them and can & freeze them and they taste so much better than the store bought. Our neighbor Amish lady has kidney failure and is on dialysis. So they do get sick and have many problems that you do not know about.
I also have a few Amish friends up in Mio Mich and one mans niece had cancer and went to the Munson Hospital in Traverse City for many treatments . They do not have state or federal Insurance but as a community of the Amish they collectivity take care of all hospital expenses among their own people..
This article talks about their overall health, but nothing about their longevity. I grew up in the Amish communities around Lancaster PA and got to partake in the Amish culture frequently. While they may be averse to certain diseases like cancer and obesity, I don’t recall seeing any 90-year old Amish. Perhaps it’s just because they shun our medical practices, but it’s still worth being said. I did find the article interesting and agree that simple lifestyle changes can greatly improve our quality of life, but modern science is not without it’s merits either.
I personally know a 94 year old Amish woman! She still pushes her reel mower, cleans her own house and makes her own meals. At home. Not in a nursing home. That is remarkable, but it is not the average. It is also not the average among non-Amish. Just to let you all know…
i have an uncle who is 94 years old, still drive, very few health issues.lives alone except for nights due to so many break-ins.some in all sectors are blessed to live, long healthy lives.
I am not sure where you got your information. I personally know a lot of Amish people and they do get sick just the same as everyone else does !
Your facts are a bit off.
From the AmishAmerica.com site –
“Do Amish use pesticides?
Most Amish farms are not organic, and most Amish farmers use a variety of pesticides and fertilizers. The perception of the Amish as an antiquated people, living close to the land, may cause some to believe that Amish farm without artificial means. However, the majority of Amish do rely on chemicals and fertilizers to boost crop yield and control pests. Amish, like most American farmers, have relied on artificial means for many decades.
A minority of Amish do practice organic farming, and increasing numbers are becoming certified organic. Organic farming has been seen as a good fit by some Amish. The higher prices afforded by organic products allow farmers to make a living from smaller acreage, important to the Amish, who face high land prices in many areas.
Organic dairies can be found among Amish in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana, and elsewhere. Organic produce farming has grown in popularity among Amish, particularly as markets for organic products have emerged.”
Complete bunk. I live in an Amish area. The women are all overweight and even obese…every single one of them that is an adult. I’ve never seen a thin Amish woman. They eat tons of processed flours and sugars and bake pies and all sorts of goodies for other people to buy. They are no healthier than anyone else and I’d even say they are often very UNhealthy compared to a person who eats a large amount of raw fruits and veggies and next to no processed foods. The Amish like their food cooked.
I have seen MANY thin Amish women . . . but they do get sick just like everyone else. I am from PA.
hmm….i grew up in an area with a lot of Amish people – went to school with them and interacted with them on a daily basis….and none of these things are true.
I agree with Amy. I raised my kids in an Amish/Mennonite community, and they get cancer just as much as the rest of us.
It’s unfortunate that this story, which apparently originated from one of the most UNtrustworthy sites on the Internet called HealthWyze, is still making the rounds in the form of “new” blogs. This article, which is obviously written someone who’s never stepped foot in Amish country (where I live) or interviewed a single Amish person is full of misinformation. Some of it is lifted from an old article written by Dan Olmsted (no relation to me) who did a wonderfully compelling piece on the Amish many YEARS ago. Since then much has changed for the Amish, and many of them do, indeed, vaccinate. And they do get sick. And they do get asthma and cancer and everything else that the ‘English” get. And they do get autism, although their numbers appear to be far fewer than in the “English.”
They also most certainly do eat processed and junk foods. As a journalist I’ve interviewed numerous Amish over the past 20 years. I’ve sat down to dinner with them, ridden in their buggies with them, and they’ve ridden in my car with me. I’ve walked through their entire homes, and have done numerous feature and news stories with them. I’ve talked with young mothers, and I’ve asked them about vaccinating and autism. And, I learned that Amish do get autism, and Amish do vaccinate. Not all, but a growing number due to the fact that many Amish are matriculating to public schools, where they are pressured into vaccinating, and because many are choosing hospital births, where they are pressured into the early vaccines.
As far as growing everything organically, because they don’t have huge corporate farms, they have more reason to simply reuse their old seed, rather than falling prey to the buy-it-new-every-year GM seed, which would mean they’re possibly growing things organically. But they still use pesticides and fertilizers to help their plants grow.
As far as eating only organically, all you have to do is go to the local Aldi’s or Walmart, and you will see many many Amish–some of them “old order” (you can tell by the way they’re dressed) with their grocery carts loaded with junk foods of all sorts, including packaged & processed foods made up of sodas, cookies, and sandwich meats. So please, folks, stop spreading this “Amish don’t get sick” story. It’s a bunch of baloney and it’s making the people who share it look silly, if not stupid.
Although there may have been a time when they didn’t vaccinate or get autism, today is a different story. The REAL story here would be to go in to the Amish communities and do an investigative piece that would put together when they started vaccinating, when they started seeing autism, and when they started eating the “English” way.
Exactly.
Lol. I think the author got their info about the Amish from watching Harrison Ford’s movie “Witness”. Most Amish here work in trailer factories and eat a steady diet of mcdonalds, Doritos, and Mt. dew. Some of them even sell meth, which is non GMO. They do not get cancer or autism because they do not believe in those things.
Your article is misleading. The Amish DO get sick but not to the extent of the general population. The Amish get Fibromyalgia at almost the same rate as the general population in the US.
The Amish do not use organic practices. Mostly, maybe, but they absolutely use GMO crops. They say it makes living their lifestyle easier, they say.
And a source, I guess:
http://web.archive.org/web/20080101163233/http://www.whybiotech.com/index.asp?id=3947
If only these things were true! Go out to a McDonald’s in Amish land…wait a short while and you’ll be very likely to see a long line of Amish folk waiting to order just like everyone else, except dressed in their custom attire. They may not have refrigerators to store their frozen foods from WalMart, but that doesn’t mean they don’t use their neighbors’!
I live in an Amish community in southern Mo. and I have to tell you that they do get vaccinations, they had a really bad growing season from using GMO corn that they got from the farm agent sold by monsanto that was so full of nitrogen from the drought that it was useless and poison to boot. They have an equal amount of stress it’s just of a different kind. They get cancer just as must as the english do (English being outsiders) They also are carriers of a genetic disorder that caused newborn girls to starve to death until it was found that those children lacked a protein that is now given three days after birth.. Most farms use and over use pesticides, They do eat fresh in season fruits and veggies and can the rest which would be better if the food didn’t have all that poison on it from the growing season. I know it’s washed before cooking but some is still absorbed during growing. Most use a chemical to preserve eggs and any time chemicals are used it can’t be good for anyone, Most adult women are obese and diabetes is rampant. To an outsider it may look like an great way to live but the high amount of fats and processed sugars say otherwise. I don’t know where you got your so called statistics but they are greatly flawed. I know this as an outsider because most were my patients.
Long list of what they don’t do:
*watch tv
*own computers
*drive cars
*walk on concrete
*breathe polluted air
*drink polluted water
*eat GMOs, additives, preservatives
*absorb negative energy from “normal” people ; )
*wear clothes with artificial dyes
*listen to violent music or sounds
Here’s what they do:
*breath fresh air (laden with nutrition from nature, and highly oxygenated)
*eat fresh food (they grow themselves, where they live)
*move their bodies regularly
*walk on the earth (same name of the planet we inhabit 😉
*avoid artificiality of all kinds
*support each other as true brothers and sisters
re amish live stress free lives. i do not think any culture where subjugation exists is stress free, for either those doing the subjugating or for the recipients of.
from an amish woman:
“Saloma Furlong
Comment on The Amish Woman (September 21st, 2010 at 21:02)
The answer to this first question posed is probably as varied as the question of “Are American women happy?” It is impossible to make a generalization.
Yes, Amish women have a vote in church, but at least in the community in which I grew up, a woman was expected to voice her disagreements to her husband, who was then the designated spokesman. It was never clear to me who I was supposed to go to when I disagreed. I had to stay silent about my disagreement and vote “yes” with every other woman in the congregation, even though every fiber in my being sometimes protested.
As for me, I was not a happy Amish woman. My independent nature was a problem. The “why” questions that boiled up from within were a problem in a culture where one doesn’t ask questions. And above all the domination that the men in the community lorded over me was a problem, whether it was the bishop admonishing me in public for jogging, my father getting violent with me for a perceived slight, or my older brother bullying me into doing exactly what he wanted me to — making a meal for him, washing his buggy, getting his bath water ready, cleaning the floor after his haircut… it didn’t matter how small the issue… it had more to do with whether or not I did it submissively.
I was not the only unhappy Amish woman. There are those who feel stuck, perhaos by their family circumstances (many children, for instance) making it nearly impossible, or else they don’t have the courage to leave the only culture they knew. I feel for these women.
I would agree there are also happy Amish women. In fact, I knew some of them. Theirs was a submissive, quiet nature, and I often envied them that. It is also why they are still there and I am not.”
thank you mim for a bit of truth.
The article was just about generalizations of the Amish community as a whole. I don’t know why the readers are so up in arms about such factual generalizations. e.g.: exercise, eating clean organic food, stress free, etc.. If everyone, not just the Amish, followed these rules to living, they indeed would be healthier than living the traditional, low exercise, high fat, and stressful american lifestyle. Great article by the way.
Some Amish may follow all of your observations, but I can attest to the fact that not all do. We live quite close to an Amish community and I see them in the local grocery store quite often. I also see shopping carts filled with cereal, bleached white flour, vegetable oil and candy. I have seen many Amish men smoking (what I assume to be) cigarettes. So I guess I would not assume their lifestyle to be 100% healthy.
I am not saying that they are not probably healthier than 99% of other Americans, just pointing out some observations I have made.
Hi Angie! Thank you for sharing! The point of this article was to point out the fact that the Amish are still healthier than the rest of America. Of course, there are exceptions to any rule but at least they haven’t had the many years of dangerous exposure to GMO’s and junk food that the rest of America has been eating for years.
Have you actually ever spent time with the Amish?….doesn’t sound like it
This is total bullocks. Amish get sick at roughly the same level as others. If they get sick less, it is due to working on a farm (and thus being exposed to bacteria). They do get vaccinated as often as the rest of the population.
Ugh. This is completely idealized and not accurate. Many drink, smoke, use chemical cleaners, grow GMO and let’s not forget they rarely allow the girls an education past the 8th grade which essentially keeps them in servitude.
…except that Amish people *do* get sick. They get cancer, they get autism – where did the author get his/her data from? And, incidentally, the vast majority of Amish parents *do* vaccinate their kids (84% when the last survey was done in 2006). So … yeah, exercise and minimally processed foods are good for you, but we already knew that. The rest of this is a load of bunk.
I used to work for a man who’s family were “reformed” Amish (meaning they had left the Amish and came to live like we do). He grew up until he was five among the Amish and still has Amish cousins living in Pennsylvania that he visits on occasion. I had heard at one point that the Amish have very low incidences of Autism or “mental retardation” as it was called back then. He laughed and said “If you take the Amish at face value, they don’t have retardation, they don’t have Alzheimers, they don’t get cancer and they don’t have deformed babies. That’s because people like that are never allowed outside, and they’re shunned by the community if they are. They’re seen as being punished for some sin.” He then went on to tell the story of a family member that was born with a cleft palate and when he was old enough to eat on his own he was locked in the attic of the house. He grew to adulthood there, rarely seen, and eventually died in the attic. It gave me the creeps and I’ve looked at the Amish very differently since then.
THAT is the side of the Amish that most people are oblivious to. Can you really look at a group of people as a whole and believe what you see on the surface? That there is no mental illness? No physical deformities? No developmental issues? No abuse? No incest? You don’t see it because it’s hidden away.
I have seen and talked to Amish people in Northern New York State. They eat McDonalds, buy processed sugar treats at Aldi and Walmart, and buy the same flour and sugar to make things that we do. So when it comes to the GMO-free nonsense, it’s just that, nonsense.
An absolute lie. They DO get autism. And no, there is ZERO credible evidence linking vaccines to autism. Yes, they do get sick. They’re not magically immune to micro-organisms and viruses. No, they don’t’ live “stress-free” lives. They deal with plenty of stress. To claim otherwise is just bizarre.
Funny how ya’ll are pointing out that they do vaccinate and have kids with autism. Hmmmm, seeing a pattern?
Glad they are healthy…however, those puppy mills they run – the dogs are NOT healthy. Wish they would care for their animals they way they do for themselves 🙁
“Hi Angie! Thank you for sharing! The point of this article was to point out the fact that the Amish are still healthier than the rest of America. Of course, there are exceptions to any rule but at least they haven’t had the many years of dangerous exposure to GMO’s and junk food that the rest of America has been eating for years.”
The above statement is not true. I have lived in PA and WI and have for many years bought raw milk from and interacted with the Amish and Mennonite communities. My dentist made the statement that of all the groups of people he treated in SW PA, the Amish had the worst teeth.
I shopped in a bulk foods store for 8 years in PA and the Amish I saw in there were always loading their carts with junk. They get sick just like us. They eat junk and their health is poor.
Having said that, I do believe this article would apply to the Amish of years ago. The Amish today are very accepting of and participatory in the same behaviours that get the rest of us sick.
The title of this article is very unfortunate. It is no longer true. The Amish are not, overall, any healthier than the rest of America.
I just reread the article. Yes, if this was true of the Amish now, they would be much healthier. This info is so dated. It is absolutely no longer true. Many Amish vaccinate now – pressure to do so being great – and many have adopted processed foods because they are easier than scratch.
If everything in this article were true of the Amish today, they would indeed be much healthier. But it is no longer true. I think a retraction of this article and its misinformation would be a good thing.
I am PA Dutch, 51 years old and have lived many years alongside the Amish and Mennonite communities. This article no longer applies to many of them,.
I usually read comments to get more information than may be contained within an article, and I have to say, that there sure is a lot of confusion about the Amish culture. I come from Iowa where the Amish still keep strong and isolated communities. There is no going to school with “English” children, or vaccinating even livestock, or pets. They also still use manure as fertilizer with nineteenth-century farm implements to spread it. Maybe this system is changing in other places throughout the US, and maybe some of the readers here are confusing the Amish with Menonites and Friends.
Y’All are in error. The Amish Do vaccinate, they Do have autistic children and thimerosol hasn’t been in US vaccines sinece 2001 and, as you may have noticed, the autism rate hasn’t gone down.
http://autism-news-beat.com/archives/29
Both my parents were amish, my inlaws are amish, I have amish all around me. They are not so different from the rest of the world. They have special needs children, sickness & plenty of death (including cancer). I have never in my life thot of them as different in health or sickness or death!!!! Its all around!!
With respect to the OP, the generalizations about the Amish this article is based on are not substantiated. I was born in Lancaster County and lived there for the first two and a half decades of my life. Amish people get sick; they have all manner of chronic disorders. The Amish lifestyle is often romanticized, but it comes replete with its own stresses and strains that are most likely just as difficult to contend with as our own. The Amish do have a sense of community that is worthy of respect, but what I saw was no utopia.
They kick gay kids out of the community. That doesn’t sound stress free to me.
I was born and raised Amish. I did not read all the posts on here, but the story line itself is way wrong. I can’t believe all the things people believe about the Amish. There is more stuff on here that is just not true than anything I have read in a long time.
The Amish do vaccinate, I received the shots as an Amish kid 50 years ago. The Amish get cancer and autism (I have a nephew with autism) at about the same rate as other people do. The Amish see doctors when they get sick also. They may try home remedies a bit more and won’t go to the doctor as quickly, but, when they get sick, they go to the doctor.
Some people need to quit reading fiction about the Amish and thinking that is how they live. LOL!
I am so fed up with seeing the vaccine/autism articles. I agree with all four of the other points, but I’m going to go ballistic if I see another damn post about the so called link between vaccines and autism. It’s bullshit people, the scientist who did the study himself said so. He falsified the data, the children who had autism already had it. Please feel free to blast comments back at me, go ahead, I’m a biologist.
This article is just plain silliness. These claims are completely based on assumptions and zero fact-checking. Give me a break.
This would be a piece of harmless piffle if it didn’t include the “no vaccination” section. Humans have been running from deadly diseases for thousands of years and a small cult is trying to set back the eradication of the worst of them.
But plenty beat me to it in the comments and apparently the writer simply knows nothing about what they are saying.
Incest is the key… all the germs and bacteria and viruses that they would normally spread around is already in the bloodstream of the community. They rarely go outside their own areas so there is no new diseases to catch. But the incest has a lot of other health issues like “Blue Light Disease”.
I lives in Amish country in Pa. An Amish neighbor of mine’s father just died of lung cancer. They smoke and not just in their running around years. Some get vaccinated. They have heart attacks and eat what we eat. Haven’t you ever seem them in McD’s eating a big mac. some have healther diets than others but they use sprays on their veggies. We only have one person that has a dairy that is organic. Some of my best friends are Amish but they are not perfect. Most are good-hearted but they have drug addicts, pedophiles, mean and hurtful people in their group. They also have some of the biggest puppy mills around.
They do go to chiropractors instead of so many doctors. I drive for them at times. People need to keep an open mind and not romanize about the religion and followers.
and they dont pay taxes
that is not true..they pay taxes
http://www2.etown.edu/amishstudies/Government.asp
I think many urban people heavily romanticize Amish culture. The most credible thing in this article is that Amish people are more physically active. I hate to tell you this, but Amish people have no idea what organic means. It’s not that Amish people don’t get sick, it’s that they don’t have insurance and don’t pay to go to a doctor. I see Amish taking the train up to Chicago all the time where there is a clinic that will give them free health care. They simply tough it out. They don’t get chemo, they just drop dead. City people are so stupid they think an “Amish Chicken” is better than a locally grown chicken. Not true! Amish don’t care about all the things the stuck up foodies care about in the city, not at all. An urban chicken is probably better grown than an Amish Chicken. I have never ever seen a grass fed cow in Amish country. Amish use just as many chemicals on their crops. Most Amish I grew up with were grateful to leave their religion and resented their life. And. Another. thing. Kids are severely mistreated in Amish families. They are beaten, raped, abused, molested. etc. and those abused kids come to grade school for everyone to see their emotional and physical neglect. Why buy anything from people who do this? Why? On top of that, Amish don’t even go to high school. How on earth do they get away with that? I would never spend my dollars on Amish produce and then act like I’m doing something good. Those dollars support a lifestyle that oppresses women, denies kids an education, and exposes children to physical, and emotional abuse that they think is normal. Annnnd, they don’t pay taxes.
I agree with much of what you’re saying, but surely there are health benefits to not having all of the artificial crap in their food that we have in ours. I’m not saying that non-Amish can’t eat healthy, I’m saying that Amish are never exposed to these foods and all eat fairly healthy (i.e. no high fructose corn syrup, less sugar, more balanced eating, etc). That would be reason enough for them to have a lower incidence of diabetes, heart disease, and some forms of cancer.
The Amish read their Bible, practice justice, love mercy and walk humbly with their God. And so God keeps the “wild beasts” out of their midst – all the diseases that the rest of the world suffers from, like alcohol, drugs, porno, TV etc. And they eat what they grow. So why shouldn´t they be healthy ?? I grew up the way the Amish live, except we had electricity and a radio. We used wheat and sugar and it didn´t make us sick. We had an outhouse and a coal stove and a well to pump water. That was out in the country in Germany 1943. We had to pick potatoes every year, there were no machines only horses. The Amish are not crazy to live that way, it is a healthy environment. I have only one question: Do they have homosexuals ?
No they do not have homosexuals. Want to know why? They persecute them mercilessly. It’s the same reason they don’t have many mentally handicapped. They keep them all locked up and hide it.
The Amish do not have an egalitarian society or community. They are patriarchal and practice gender hierarchy, which would be extremely stressful to many women myself included.
The GOOD news is they will never read all of these comments that I just read. So many different opinions & everyone thinks theirs is right. STRESSFUL
There’s an idealized folklore surrounding the Amish that somehow they don’t get sick or have problems like everyone else. Usually people on the outside attribute this to their diet, as if diet is salvation, and if you eat their diet then you can become as pure as the Amish. But even the Amish will tell you it’s their GOD that sets them apart, not their diet or their lifestyle or their family structure. Even the Amish admit these external things provide no Salvation at all, and they themselves do not depend on it. What they do, they do in honor of their God, not their health or for the sake of stubborn atavism – like people who insist on having only antiques or refusing to own an ipod. Honor to their God is integral, whereas awe leading to doing what the Amish do to eat healthy is just pretense.
If not for their God, any organic hippie commune could call themselves “Amish”. But they would be wrong.
(And the Amish DO vaccinate and go to the ER and still manage to love God, though they offend lore on all three counts)
While the article is generally right on with regard to nutrition, etc, the bit about vaccination is rife with inaccuracy. The fact is, many Amish do vaccinate, and while incidence of autism is less among the Amish, they do get autism. Source: http://imfar.confex.com/imfar/2010/webprogram/Paper7336.html This data studies two of the largest Amish communities in the country, lest it be said that the sample size wasn’t large enough. This propaganda by the anti-vaccine community really has to stop. It’s not only irresponsible, it’s actually dangerous.
If you don’t vaccinate your babies against pertussis, you are a fool. If you recommend that others do not vaccinate because you have done the research, you need to do more research. http://www.quickmeme.com/p/3vqjb0
I’ve known several Amish over the years who died of heart disease. Many of the ones I know in Michigan and Indiana loved cooking with lard and ate a lot of beef and pork. As they aged they did a lot less work because they let their children do most of the manual labor and they became fat.
vaccines are almost surely not the link to autism, even though there is a mountain of publicity centering around that. the other factors mentioned here may be related far more closely. autism and vaccines often happen at around the same age, which may be an entirely unfortunate coincidence
Awh hate to burst the bubble. I traced my roots back to several Amish communities, who invited me in to gather hand written records. Allensville Pa and other larger Amish communities. First…the women suffer greatly from obesity and so do the men. Second. I worked at Mercy Hospital which offered free care to the Amish community until UPMC took over. They get sick, very sick. Most, however, let it go, if that is what God wants. They lady I spent several days with on her porch was hooked up to O2. They also give antibiotics to their animals. They are very stressed and looking for work. Look around Pittsburgh’s broken down communities. The Amish drive from up north by the van full to do renovation projects on redoing old torn up homes. They also travel for cement work. The men work off the farms, because the farming is not paying enough unless they give in to government subsidies for farmers. Which they won’t do. The wood in your box spring mattress is most likely made by an Amish man. In the Amish community I spent time with, the Amish men stand outside the local tavern (only two in their hood) anyway they stand outside so many inches, hand in their money and own glass thru the back door. They drink in numbers and it drives the locals nuts. Third, it is not a law to get kids vaccinated, but the government is keeping tallies on the reason why. They will pressure you into getting them tho. The obesity statement floored me. When was the last time you visited one? The women are nice and thick, obese.
I find this very interesting. I have lived among the
Amish for 40 years. They do get sick, they do get cancer, their children do get vaccines. Where are you getting your info?
They do not eat organic. Their “feed” comes from the local feed store like the rest of the farmers. Very few here in our area have enough land to feed their cattle on. I also have seen plenty of Amish smoke too. Old order Amish, is much more strict, but many of them are leaving the old order for less strict orders.
From what I read and hear in your voices is the Amish were doing fine until society messed with their lives and started pushing government ways on them, just like the Indians & Islands they were fine before society & their diseases killed them off …….
Generalizations on any sect of society are like rounding the number 6 up to 10 though closer in proximity to 5. Very inaccurate.
Not sure where the writer got their info. Living in an Amish community for most of my life I can say that they are hard working, good people but they do have cancer and sickness in their community. As well as dwarfism and other genetic disorders, Just like other people. They have stress. They have obesity. Many also use pesticides, being sprayed right behind them and their work horses. There is canning and good food going on but they will also go to fast food joints too. This article just seems kinda silly and very broad and not fact based.
Hate to break it to you, but many Amish communities grow GMO crops. Not sure where you got your information saying otherwise.
Saying ALL Amish do one thing or another or NO Amish do this or that is like saying ALL Christians go to church. Or ALL pit bulls are mean. Why would anyone generalize a culture or religion or race or any other group and use the words ALL or NONE? Regardless of which side you are on….if you were raised Amish or still are Amish you don’t know what ALL Amish do. If you are a nurse who vaccinated a few Amish children, that doesn’t mean ALL Amish children are vaccinated.
If you don’t know what GMO is please do lots of research. Same with vaccines. There was a time before research when cigarettes were thought to be safe also. Fortunately, for those of us who don’t want to take chances with our health(just in case) there are organic options instead of GMOs and laws(in MOST states) protecting us from being forced to vaccinate. In my state(Oklahoma) when you enroll you ask for a waiver, they hand it to you, you sign your name, check one of three boxes(religious reasons, health reasons or other reasons),and turn it in with other enrollment forms. It’s really easy. If you are on the fence about GMOs I would say try organic for a few weeks or a few months and see how you feel. Especially if you have symptoms. ANY symptoms. Try it, what’s the worst that can happen? You feel better? I personally will never be convinced that GMOs are better for me. I will take the natural, organic, pesticide free option if it is available. Natural and organic or genetically modified? Thank goodness we all have options.
Ok about the Amish… I live in northern Indiana in a very heavily Amish populated area..middlebury.. I have grown up with Amish friends playing with them and goin to their homes as a kid and young adult…. and now I work with them everyday in a rv factory…. lets make this short and easy…. Amish people have the same problems as everyone else… they have cell phones.. they get sick… they have cars.. they have generators(electricity) they have teen pregnancy.. they smoke and drink and do drugs… they eat as much fast food as you and your neighbor.. they live almost the same exact way everyone else does…. you just don’t hear about all this because they are a little more private.. they have their own doctors… their own ways of dealing with legal issues…. so on and so on… there are good nice Amish people and mean nasty horriible bad Amish people…. they are just like you and I…. just a little more private about a lot more than most people… so do a little more research besides just books that say they are about Amish.. causes around here people make a lot of money off of anything they can put the name Amish on… there are dumb faux books everywhere that say they are about the Amish way of life…. Amish people are just like you and I…
Coming from a common Anabaptist heritage with the Amish I affirm their choice to live simply and naturally… However… this use of the “Amish Brand” for misleading and likely self-serving reasons makes me a bit sick. The Amish do get sick, they do get cancer, and some of them die tragically young because they typically choose not to use modern medicine. They do have lower rates of Autism, and it is for genetic reasons, but they also have many other problems with genetic abnormalities due to the fact that inbreeding is difficult to avoid in isolationist cultures with small populations. I am grateful for the growing appreciation for the Amish simple living. Please, Live simply and tread lightly on God’s green Earth, but don’t use good people as evidence for bad science… OK…. Rant is now concluded. Sorry.
Almost every single one of these “facts” are untrue. You must of not done enough research. Take it from someone so has lived in area that I surrounded by Amish. They gets shots, they buy produce from the grocery store and much more. I should know espically since some of my friends are Amish, I went to school with Amish, and all the Amish game into the Jay c I worked at.
The Amish are normal people. Do you really believe everything you read? Lol the only different a is the true old order Amish drive Buggies. But yet when they need to go far they hire some one to drive. They eat the same food, go to the doctor, get stressed. This is a bunch a bs. I should know grew up in Indiana, and was babysit by an Amish lady. Her family was also from out of state. Their the same everywhere, they just don’t flaunt it.
It MUST be vaccinations that make people sick! It can’t have anything to do with the fact that there are not constant and increasing electromagnetic fields around their homes, or ever increasing wireless signals passing through their bodies, or that the Amish eat food that is not loaded with chemicals or CORN SYRUP. It’s vaccines. Unbelievable!
Irresponsible drivel…don’t know where u get your facts but I studied Amish health in a culture health and development class and none of what you write is true. They often use pesticides and herbicides, have a lot of stress, often eat poorly including too much fat and have health problems that include obesity related illnesses and genetic illnesses like cysticffibrosis that are even more common because of a smaller gene pool. This “facts pulled from my ass” article is irresponsible too, encouraging people to do things “for health” using examples that are pure fiction!
As a person whom has lived around the Amish for most all my life.. Not all of this is true.. While I do believe that they have less sickness because they live their lives more like everyone would have in the 40-50-60’s.. I tend to do the same and I am also never sick.. But the part of this article that says they do not eat processed food is nonsense.. They shop for their goods at Walmart the same as everyone else, and at other bulk food places.. What most people miss is that they then take that bulk processed food and make something else from it, or just repackage it and then sell it to the average man with a huge markup because it’s “Amish Made”.. It not only nonsense, it is genius and they are making a killing off people’s ignorance..
Go ahead and vaccinate all you want, just don’t tell me what to do. I never have vaccinated my now grown child and I hope he doesn’t marry some sheeple woman who will demand their child be vaccinated.
Our Amish community is full of John Deere tractors being driven up and down the roads and highways by young and old. It’s nothing to see 2-3 teenage girls going to town on a tractor.
http://blogs.plos.org/thepanicvirus/2011/06/28/anecdotal-amish-dont-vaccinate-claims-disproved-by-fact-based-study/
The above study discusses and has links to medical atudies showing that most amosh people do in fact vaccinate. Also the myth that vaccinations cause autism has been debunked over and over by Independant medical research
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This is not written by someone who knows the Amish. They have autism and other disabilities. There is tons of cancer that often goes undiagnosed until it’s too late. The children die of diseases like measles and whooping cough from not getting simple vaccines. Their natural so called doctors don’t use universal precautions and spread diseases among the population. I have many ish friends and they are healthy in some ways but stop holding them up as perfect human specimens. They are far from it.
They do not all grow their food organically. Their food is not better than ours. It’s just homegrown food. They also use GMOs