Healthcare Resources

This page offers support and resources and is not a substitute for medical advice. If you have concerns, see or call a health care professional, especially if your concern is serious.

In an emergency, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room. You never need permission or a doctor first. If you’re thinking about suicide, call or text 988, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. When to get help right now lists the warning signs.

Most of us raised in Christian Science grew up knowing almost nothing about doctors, medicine, or vaccines, except that we didn’t use them. Learning to see doctors and nurses as resources and allies takes time. These guides, written by former Christian Scientists and the nurses and doctors who help them, are a place to start.

Start here

• First steps with doctors: when to get help right now, how to book a first checkup, and what to tell the doctor.
• How to tell your medical provider about your CS background: scripts, tips, and a sample letter.
• Christian Science & Doctors: the kinds of doctors you may need, from primary care and dentists to urgent care and the ER.
• Ask a Nurse: If you’re concerned, get it checked out! for the fear of what a first visit might find.
• Medical History & Personal Health Records: starting a health record when your family kept none.

Emergencies and hospitals

• Ask a Nurse: What to expect when calling 911
• Hospital Stays: your care team, the daily routine, pain, and going home.
• First aid: the American Red Cross teaches first aid and CPR classes, and its free First Aid app walks you through common emergencies.

Medicine

• Stocking the Medicine Cabinet: basic over-the-counter medicines and supplies to keep at home.
• Ask a Nurse: A Very Brief Lesson on Medications
• Visiting the pharmacy: what pharmacists do and what to ask them.
• Ask a Nurse: Headaches: when to treat one at home and when to get help.

Vaccines

• How to get Vaccinated: catching up as an adult, from antibody tests to side effects.
• Ask a Nurse: Getting Vaccinated for Polio as an Adult
• Measles: outbreaks in Christian Science communities and how adults who missed vaccines can get them.
• All posts about vaccines

Mental health

• Step-By-Step: Finding a Therapist
• Resources for former CS to share with their therapists
• Mental Health Support, Books & YouTube Videos

Women’s health and sexual assault

• Women’s Health Resources: Menstruation, Sex & Menopause
• Sexual Abuse & Assault Resources: hotlines and support organizations.

Family still in Christian Science

• Helping Family still in CS: Mary Baker Eddy’s own statements on medical care, church policy, and further reading for talking with a relative who is sick or injured.

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Kat began this collection in 2013 as a series on her blog, Kindism, and several of these guides started there. Every post on the site about health care is under Health Resources.

If there are topics we’re missing, or that you would like us to address or can contribute to, please e-mail us at exChristianScientist@gmail.com.