Mennonite Measles in Texas

[Southerner]

I tend to find more in the older generation who took a stance on fetal cells and the younger generally are ignorant.

For me, it's reversed. The younger are more "enlightened" and distrustful of health professionals whereas the older generation was on the side of vaccines eliminated serious diseases, go and get them. My children are vaccinated but I am in the minority as a millennial.

[randomguy]

Mennonites as a whole don’t have a stance on measles or vaccines. In my denomination it is left up to each family’s personal choice.

Generally more plain Mennonites prefer home remedies etc. I actually frequently counsel people to consider going to good specialists instead of just questionable home remedies.

That was dumb of me to ask it in such a way as to assume some sort of monolith. Is there anyway to get at a general feel for overall health of the culture?

I don't understand your question. "Overall health"????

There's this Make America Healthy Again slogan and the general sense that Americans aren't the healthiest bunch. Now here is a distinguishable community being put under the microscope for their position on vaccines, or low vaccination rates, but as a group, are they doing better than the general American public in the matters of health? I suspect they are. And if that's the case, there is this awkward moment where the top-down public health advice is being given to a group that is doing better on its own.

[JohnH]

That was dumb of me to ask it in such a way as to assume some sort of monolith. Is there anyway to get at a general feel for overall health of the culture?

I don't understand your question. "Overall health"????

There's this Make America Healthy Again slogan and the general sense that Americans aren't the healthiest bunch. Now here is a distinguishable community being put under the microscope for their position on vaccines, or low vaccination rates, but as a group, are they doing better than the general American public in the matters of health? I suspect they are. And if that's the case, there is this awkward moment where the top-down public health advice is being given to a group that is doing better on its own.

Plain people overall are significantly healthier than the general population, measured a few ways like incarceration rates (mental health), amount of people on disability, diabetes rates and so on. It is an object of study. (For example OO Mennonite women in Ontario had less mental illness than their non-OOM neighbors in the same rural community.)

In my own denomination people who avoid vaccines went from 5% in 2019 to about 30% now. Mostly due to the disappointment of how ineffective the COVID vaccine was, and sentiment of how it was felt it was being forced on everyone back in 2021.

[mike]

There's this Make America Healthy Again slogan and the general sense that Americans aren't the healthiest bunch. Now here is a distinguishable community being put under the microscope for their position on vaccines, or low vaccination rates, but as a group, are they doing better than the general American public in the matters of health? I suspect they are. And if that's the case, there is this awkward moment where the top-down public health advice is being given to a group that is doing better on its own.

If Mennonites as a population are more healthy overall, and I don't know if they are, it might be because there are some behaviors that are mostly absent, such as smoking and alcohol and drug abuse. But otherwise the health problems are similar to anyone else. I suspect that the percentage of population that has normal vaccinations could be less than the general population, but I don't know that for sure. A lot of Mennonites get the standard immunizations if they are required.

[Ken]

Mennonites as a whole don’t have a stance on measles or vaccines. In my denomination it is left up to each family’s personal choice.

Generally more plain Mennonites prefer home remedies etc. I actually frequently counsel people to consider going to good specialists instead of just questionable home remedies.

What is the Mennonite "home remedy" for measles?

Did you notice the word “Generally”?

This is a thread about measles outbreaks in a Mennonite community.

Various people throughout this thread have made general references to non-vaccine treatments or remedies for measles, home remedies or otherwise.

I'm just curious what any of them are. Since every single piece of information I have read says there is no treatment for measles, only letting the disease run its course. Although severely sick infants and children do sometimes need to be intubated which is apparently what is happening with some children hospitalized in Texas.

There is some literature about Vitamin A supplement for measles, but that is in reference to vitamin-deficient children in 3rd world countries, not American children who tend not to be vitamin deficient.

[Southerner]

That was dumb of me to ask it in such a way as to assume some sort of monolith. Is there anyway to get at a general feel for overall health of the culture?

I don't understand your question. "Overall health"????

There's this Make America Healthy Again slogan and the general sense that Americans aren't the healthiest bunch. Now here is a distinguishable community being put under the microscope for their position on vaccines, or low vaccination rates, but as a group, are they doing better than the general American public in the matters of health? I suspect they are. And if that's the case, there is this awkward moment where the top-down public health advice is being given to a group that is doing better on its own.

Ok, got it. So, no, I don't buy into RFK's mantra. When he speaks, he sounds very unhealthy.

Mennonites are overall pretty healthy but we deal with obesity, childhood diabetes and mental illness also like the rest of society. The difference is we are not into hard drugs.

Mennonites and Amish do tend to have bad teeth. They don't spend on dental work.

We're also an inbred mess. So there are diseases unique to marrying closely.

You will on occasion meet Mennonites who appear to be at death's door and they're the ones who are experimenting w tinctures or diets. A very good friend of mine goes to the local liquor store to get vodka to make his tinctures.

[Ken]

There's this Make America Healthy Again slogan and the general sense that Americans aren't the healthiest bunch. Now here is a distinguishable community being put under the microscope for their position on vaccines, or low vaccination rates, but as a group, are they doing better than the general American public in the matters of health? I suspect they are. And if that's the case, there is this awkward moment where the top-down public health advice is being given to a group that is doing better on its own.

If Mennonites as a population are more healthy overall, and I don't know if they are, it might be because there are some behaviors that are mostly absent, such as smoking and alcohol and drug abuse. But otherwise the health problems are similar to anyone else. I suspect that the percentage of population that has normal vaccinations could be less than the general population, but I don't know that for sure. A lot of Mennonites get the standard immunizations if they are required.

Measles is a childhood disease for the most part. As are most of the diseases for which children are vaccinated. So I doubt smoking and alcohol are really a factor. Non-Mennonite 6 year-olds aren't doing much drinking or smoking either. And the diseases caused by drinking and smoking (heart disease and lung cancer) aren't conditions for which there are vaccines anyway.

But I suspect you are right. There isn't much difference in childhood health between Menno and no-Menno populations. As a teacher one thing I have noticed is that childhood obesity seems inversely linked to affluence in this country. I work in various schools and the kids in more affluent schools are dramatically less obese than the kids in poorer schools. When you start to notice it the difference is striking.

[Ken]

Mennonites and Amish do tend to have bad teeth. They don't spend on dental work.

A lot of Mennos and Amish are probably on small rural water systems or well water that isn't fluoridated. That probably has an effect as well.

[Southerner]

Mennonites and Amish do tend to have bad teeth. They don't spend on dental work.

A lot of Mennos and Amish are probably on small rural water systems or well water that isn't fluoridated. That probably has an effect as well.

I took a small pink fluoride pill every morning growing up. I have beautiful teeth...w filled cavities. None are missing.

[Ken]

Mennonites and Amish do tend to have bad teeth. They don't spend on dental work.

A lot of Mennos and Amish are probably on small rural water systems or well water that isn't fluoridated. That probably has an effect as well.

I took a small pink fluoride pill every morning growing up. I have beautiful teeth...w filled cavities. None are missing.

Also it occurs to me that dental coverage tends to be something that only larger employers offer. So a large percentage of Mennos and Amish who farm or own small businesses or work for small businesses likely don't have dental insurance. Of course one doesn't need dental insurance to see a dentist. But if you are already paying for the coverage, might as well use it. I can send my kids to their annual checkups, knowing that it is covered, as are any fillings they might need.