Questions tagged [medicine]
NOTE: For professional medical advice, please contact your physician.
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Tefillin and upset stomach
A person suffering from diarrhea is exempt from tefilin (SA OC 38, KSA Tefillin 10:23).
According to the lashon of the halacha, it is ok, or even obligatory, to wear them if one feels they can keep ...
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Is it permissible to donate or sell organs that you can live without?
For example it's possible to live with only one kidney and it's still possible to have children with only one testicle.
Do donating or selling these organs have any prohibitions and if so which ones? ...
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Netilas yadayim after anaesthesia [duplicate]
Does waking up after anaesthesia require netilas yadayim? It's not a sleep per, se - but on the other hand, it absolutely is, and perhaps even more so.
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Does halacha strongly encourage the use of aggressive medical interventions?
It seems from what I've read in books: Jewish law encourages the uptake of aggressive medical interventions. Some examples include CPR, ventilators, chemotherapy, and intensive care unit (ICU) care.
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Are Dr. Barilan's bioethical writings consistent with Orthodox Jewish law? [closed]
Background
In general, it's better not to read Torah books by non-frum authors. (Source.) Occasionally, you might stumble across an author you've never heard of. Maybe they're frum; but you don't ...
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Vasectomy reversal
A Jew had a vasectomy before he was aware of the severity of the sin.
Is he obligated to undergo a reversal?
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On Pesach, to which side does someone with situs inversus lean?
Situs inversus is a condition where the body’s internal organs are reversed, apparently including the esophagus and the trachea.
Therefore, on Pesach, would a Jew with this condition lean on his ...
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Animal euthanasia in Halacha
According to Halacha, is it prohibited or permissible to do animal euthanasia on sick or injured animals? Or would it be prohibited as a violation of Tzaar Balei Chayim?
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Does a woman who gives her eggs become yoledet
In Leviticus 12:1-4 it states that a woman is impure for 7 days after birth, known as Yoledet. This is a status with similar rules to niddah. My question is, does this Halacha apply to a woman who ...
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Throat Lozenge and Prayer
What is the law of praying with a throat lozenge in one's mouth, when one has a sore throat? Please include various categories of tefilla, including making a bracha, saying amen, giving someone a ...
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Throat Lozenge and Hotza'a [duplicate]
What is the law of transfering between domains, and carrying outside with no eruv on Shabbat (hotza'a), with a throat lozenge in one's mouth, when one has a sore throat?
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May one chemically castrate animals
According to Halacha, Jews are not supposed to castrate animals, and many poskim say this is a noahide law as well.
My question is whether this prohibition on castration of animals is just a ...
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Putting on Band Aids on Shabbat
According to Halacha, is it permissible to apply band aids to your skin on Shabbat? Or would it involve any problem, rabbinic or biblical?
Would it depend on whether you tear the band aid’s wrapping ...
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If a Jew got testicular biopsy, can Jews marry him
Testicular biopsy is when men get a portion of their testes removed to be scientifically tested, often for reproductive reasons. The Torah prohibits Jews having marriage with eunuchs, men with injured ...
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Lo Yilbash and feminization/masculinization surgery
According to Halacha, a man is not supposed to dress like a woman and vice versa due to Deuteronomy 22:5. My question is whether feminization/masculinization surgery which makes your facial features ...
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Eye donations in Halacha
According to Halacha, is it permissible to perform eye donations or not?
I ask because, unlike many other organs, the eye isn’t generally a case of Pikuach Nefesh, but there are many things in life ...
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Is someone halachically obligated if anesthetized? Comatose?
If someone slept in until 1pm, they should daven a double Amida at Mincha, to make up for the Shacharis that they were obligated, but missed.
On the other hand, if someone was busy arranging for a ...
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Aloe Vera on Shabbat and Yom Tov
Is one who is burnt allowed to put aloe Vera on the burnt area on Shabbat or Yom Tov? Medicine is generally prohibited on Shabbos (pikuach nefesh is ALWAYS an exception), but even outside pikuach ...
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Pulse feeling in ancient times
The Shulchan Aruch Y.D. 195:17 (Harchakos Niddah) rules:
אם בעלה רופא אסור למשש לה הדפק: הגה ולפי מה שכתבתי דנוהגין היתר אם
צריכה אליו דמשמש לה כ"ש דמותר למשש לה הדפק אם אין רופא אחר וצריכה אליו
...
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A medicinal drink turning into a pleasure drink mid-guzzle
I am not, to my knowledge, thirsty, but I need to take a pill with water, so I do so without a beracha (see Shulchan Aruch OC 204:7). As I swallow the pill, I realise that I am enjoying the water, and ...
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Are Colgate wisps allowed?
I am basing my question based off a question asked here.
It seems like from there the general consensus seems that toothpaste does not have to be kosher. The way the wisp works is that it is a mini ...
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Can one use psychedelic substances for healing
Medical practices around the world have been trialling different substances such as psylocibyn and ketamine for depression and PTSD and have come out with positive results under safe and controlled ...
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Intimacy, עוֹנָה and Narcotics
One is not allowed to be drunk during intimacy with one's spouse. See, for example Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 150:13, Mishneh Torah Issurei Biya 21:12.
I saw a comment a long time ago in a halacha sefer ...
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Rambam’s view on sleep applying nowadays?
The Rambam states that when falling asleep, one should start off sleeping on his left side, and then switch to the right eventually, and then just rotate between those two positions for the entire ...
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Can a kohen have a child by IVF with a divorce. What is the status of the child?
Is there any workaround avialable for thousands of kohanim who want to have children but are older singles and can't get married because of the high percentage of divorcees in the female population ...
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Can I refuse an ambulatory care biopsy on conscience objection?
Genesis 9:4. To eat a limb torn from a live animal is unspeakably cruel.
There are numerous diagnosis tools for any medical condition, all partially specific and reliable. Most of the time several ...
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Receiving animal based organ transplants
I was looking at the idea of receiving an organ transplanted from an animal as in this question. One issue which was not raised is that of tum'ah. Though the transplant might be acceptable for many ...
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Medical Term for Aylonit איילונית
Is there a modern medical term for an איילונית? Is this someone just lacking female hormones?
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Corona "parties" for children
Background
Particularly throughout this present omicron wave, people have floated the idea of having childrens' "corona parties". In such a 'party' parents invite previously uninfected ...
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May one take vitamins without a hechsher? [closed]
I.e, vitamins from big pharmacies. Are there kashrus issues? Must they be certified?
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How do Jews discern genuine spiritual experiences from hallucinations?
When believers appeal to their private spiritual experiences to argue for their faith, skeptics typically respond by dismissing their stories entirely, conjecturing that these are more likely cases of ...
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Prayer before a general anaesthetic
Every night, prior to bed, people recite the Shema. Affixed to that recitation is a variety of psukim and brokhes, requesting of Hashem that He ensure that we will sleep well, without any disturbance, ...
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Would cryogenic freezing while still alive be permissible?
As answered here and here, halachic death is defined as an irreversible heart [and/or respiration, and/or brain] cessation.
If so, would cryogenically freezing someone while they're still alive1 be ...
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How can heart transplants be permitted?
Are there authorities who hold that a stopped heart constitutes halachic death, but yet permit heart transplants? Stopping and taking out the recipient's heart would seem to be technically considered ...
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What is breathing for, according to sages?
Initially, God breathed a soul into Adam through his nostrils (Gen 2.7). So we definitely know that breathing (נשימה) is linked somehow to the soul (נשמה).
We require breathing to survive and without ...
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Doctors losing their licence/ r'shut beit din
Various sources refer to doctors acting with the permission of the beit din; some suggest that this is a mandatory requirement and that it is forbidden to practice medicine without such permission (eg ...
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Is it permissible to peel open a contact lens blister on Shabbos? Does wearing the contact as a bandage to shield the cornea change the rule?
Soft Contact Lenses are a polymer lenses that are worn on the surface of the eye as alternative to prescription glasses and less commonly as a bandage (protect the surface of the eye, the "cornea&...
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What is the mechanism of death by poisoning?
The four deaths mentioned in the Jewish law have a very straightforward physical impact on the body. All of them cause inability to breathe which is linked to "maintenance" of the soul, and ...
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When one is diagnosed with a terminal disease, is refusing treatment a form of suicide or acceptable considering the circumstances?
People are diagnosed with terminal illnesses on a regular basis. Many times a person refuses to undergo treatment because they don't wish to experience the pain and exhaustion that would entail.
While ...
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Vaccines using aborted fetal cells
A friend of mine informed me that a few coronavirus vaccines might have used aborted fetal cells during development and/or production. What I have found by so far is that these cells were grown in ...
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What blessings would one say upon receiving the COVID19 vaccine?
I have some gaps in my Jewish knowledge, but it seems prudent to recite Shehechiyanu upon receiving the first shot, as it is a momentous occasion. Not just momentous for your own health, but the ...
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יהי רצון שיהיה לרפואה on optional pills
Many say יהי רצון שיהיה לרפואה before taking pills and other forms of medicine:
Flavorless medicine, such as pills that you swallow, do not require a blessing—but we do say a prayer that the medicine ...
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Black seed (Nigella Sativa) - "קצח" in talmud
Black seed ("Nigella Sativa"), known as קצח in Modern Hebrew, is known for having medicinal qualities - but is it at all mentioned in the Talmud or any Jewish sources as treatment to most ...
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Kashrus in nasal vaccinations [duplicate]
In the UK, the influenza vaccination contains pork.
The nasal flu vaccine does contain hydrolysed gelatine derived from pork as one of its
additives. Gelatine is commonly used in a range of ...
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Egg donation within a family
If a woman were to donate her eggs to a family member who, unfortunately, could not conceive on her own, would that invoke considerations of halachic incest if the man who would fertilize the egg ...
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Should a doctor use a promising-but-unproven medicine, or handle it via a clinical trial?
Suppose a patient has a life-threatening disease. The doctor can treat with a drug that sounds promising, but more data are needed before it's solidly proven to work. Alternatively, the doctor can use ...
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Can an Orthodox doctor ask a not-yet-religious Jewish doctor to take his shabbos rounds?
Can an Orthodox doctor ask a not-yet-religious Jewish colleague to exchange Shabbos hospital rotations?
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Cleaning tefillin from Covid19 contact
If someone contacts COVID-19, then everything they touch has to be disinfected. This is normally done with a wet disinfectant. Are there any recommendations for how to do this for tefillin to avoid ...
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What is the criteria of safek pikuach nefesh?
An expert in a particular field (a doctor, an actuary, etc.) can advise on the risk of mortality from a specific activity of anywhere between 0% and 100%. At what threshold of risk would the halacha ...
user17319
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Does melatonin need to be kosher?
I'm not certain if it's medication or not. I'm speaking of plain, non-flavored powder capsules.
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