The Amish are an insular religious community that originated in Europe and migrated to North America in the 17th century. They live in closed communities and avoid modern medical treatments such as immunizations and antibiotics. Despite that, they’ve often survived diseases that ravage the common populations. So how does the Amish immunity come about?
In this post, we'll look at Amish health secrets and examine how the Amish maintain good health throughout life.
What this article covers:
Have the Amish Reached Herd Immunity?
The Amish lifestyle entails minimal contact with the outside world, which has helped them stay safe from many illnesses. They’re a self-sustaining community that eats what they grow, crafts its own products like wicker easter baskets, and generates its own electricity.
Herd immunity is a form of protection from contagious diseases for individuals who haven't been immunized. It happens when the immunity of a significant portion of a population (or herd) protects individuals who haven’t developed immunity.
When a large part of a community is immune, it protects the rest because there is no longer a continuous chain of transmission. Several factors have helped the Amish community get closer to achieving herd immunity, including:
Self-isolation From The World
The Amish have a unique way of life, which has helped them maintain a level of immunity not witnessed in the outside world.
They’re self-isolated from the world, making them less susceptible to diseases like influenza or other viral infections. They don't come into contact with many people who may be infected by these diseases.
The Amish believe that God wants them to live separately from modern society and remain as closely tied to the Earth as God created it as humanly possible. They believe that if they stay out of the world, God will bless them with good things like family and health.
Helpful Religious Practices
The church is considered a strong source of support for the Amish community, so they congregate frequently for religious celebrations like weddings, funerals, or baptisms.
The church also allows them to bond with one another through prayer meetings or Bible studies. This strengthens their social bonds within the community, which affirms their faith and makes them less likely to seek medical assistance from the rest of the world.
Do the Amish go to doctors? They do in rare instances. For the most part, they believe in healing by faith.
Recent scientific research shows that religious involvement can help decrease stress levels by increasing optimism, happiness, and peace of mind among individuals who practice it regularly.
This results in lower levels of cortisol – a hormone produced by the adrenal gland during stressful situations – which increases immunity against diseases like COVID-19 virus infection.
Physically Active Lifestyle
The Amish live a very physically active lifestyle. They farm their food, milk their cows, grow crops, and raise livestock on small farms without mechanization. Most Americans would balk at the prospect of having to milk their own cow!
Manual labor has been shown to improve physical and mental health. The benefits of manual labor are so powerful that it can help protect you from chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and dementia.
Manual labor helps them prevent chronic disease by:
Strengthening muscles
Regular physical activity helps strengthen muscles and bones, which can help reduce the risk of falls, fractures, and osteoporosis.
Improving balance
Regular physical activity can improve balance, coordination, and flexibility, which helps reduce the risk of falling.
Reducing stress
Physical activity can help regulate hormone levels, including those involved in stress response. This may help lower blood pressure and reduce inflammation.
Increasing fitness
Regular physical activity increases your endurance and helps you maintain a healthy weight by burning more calories than you take in through food. This makes it easier to manage other lifestyle factors that influence your health, such as diet and sleep.
Healthy Eating
The Amish people may also be immune to the virus because they eat healthy, unprocessed foods. They don't eat processed food because they live simple life and don't have time or energy to make processed foods. They store fresh produce in a wood harvest basket and have mastered preservation methods through the years.
They eat foods that have lots of vitamins and nutrients. They don't eat fast food because they believe it's bad for them and their families. The Amish people are immune to the virus because they eat healthy, unprocessed foods.
Stress Management
The Amish don’t own modern technology like cars, computers, or cell phones. This means they don't have to deal with traffic jams or work emails at all day hours. This can help them avoid stress-related illnesses like heart disease and high blood pressure.
The Amish can cope with this crisis because they know each other well. Their strong sense of community keeps them safe from the pandemic of loneliness, which is often a major contributor to weak immunities.
They look out for one another. They also have a long tradition of helping those in need and working together to get things done.
How Do the Amish Deal With COVID-19?
Are you wondering why they aren't the Amish wearing masks? It's because they strongly suspect what the government tells them—the community associates wearing masks with fear. Although the Amish are willing to make masks and sell them, they will not wear them. Similarly, they don't take vaccines.
Let it be known that the Amish are not entirely immune to COVID-19, and there have been cases of the virus spreading through their communities.
However, because of their relative isolation from the world, they have had fewer cases of COVID-19 than other populations.
The Amish have found alternative ways to deal with COVID-19 that include:
Quarantine
Among the Amish, everyone exposed to the disease stays home when an outbreak occurs. This means they don’t go to school or work during this quarantine period. It also means they cannot leave their homes until they are no longer contagious.
Since medieval times the Amish have learned the technique of infection control by isolating those who are ill from healthy people so that they don't pass their germs on to others.
They keep sick people out of public places like markets and churches until they recover or die. They also ensure that anyone who visits the sick person washes their hands or even bathes before returning to their home.
Use of Herbal Remedies
The Amish have had a long history of using herbs for medicinal purposes. So it's no surprise they've continued this tradition in the face of COVID-19.
One of their most common herbal remedies is 'blessed thistle.' It's made from the seeds of a flower found throughout Europe and North America.
It’s effective against bacteria and fungi, including anthrax and staphylococcus infections. The Amish also use garlic as an antibiotic and for its anti-inflammatory properties for Amish hearing loss treatment.
Isolation from the Outside World.
The Amish generally live in rural areas, and their homes are often far away from each other. They aren’t connected to the internet or social media, which can help prevent the temptation to enter the world.
The Amish tend to avoid going into public places like restaurants and shopping malls. Therefore they don't come into contact with many people who might be carrying a virus like this COVID with them.
In addition, the Amish don’t allow visitors into their communities unless they know them well enough to trust that they won’t bring any harm into their homes or businesses.
This practice has helped prevent the spread of many infectious diseases among them, including influenza viruses, and should continue to work with COVID-19.
Short Distance Travels
The Amish don’t travel much, so they don’t go to the places where COVID-19 is most likely to be found. Their horses and buggies don't get them so far into the world, and they produce and make everything they need, from bicycle baskets wicker to bread boxes and even Amish baby formula recipe. This reduces the need to rely on others or companies who might have been exposed to COVID-19.
Avoidance of Hospitals
The Amish also have a policy against medical treatment outside of what can be provided by a community member trained to treat medical conditions.
This is because they don’t want to risk contracting communicable illnesses or exposing others while seeking medical help outside their communities.
Conclusion
The Amish have a unique lifestyle and beliefs. They live in rural areas and use few modern conveniences like electricity or cars. The Amish are much healthier than the rest of the American society because Amish healthcare consists of eating healthy food, sleeping well, working hard, and stressing less. They treat illnesses in their homes using herbs and immune-strengthening religious practices.
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