Seventh-day Adventists in Hungary are determined to educate people about the difference between effective health practices and fringe medical theories. Dr. Peter Landless, associate health ministries director for the Adventist world church, says that more and more Hungarians are bypassing the country’s over-burdened health care system and turning to alternate health practices.

“While many alternate practices are simply ineffective, some can cause real harm to patients,” says Landless, who, along with two other leaders from the church’s headquarters in Maryland, United States, conducted a week-long health seminar for 150 pastors and health workers in Balaton, Hungary, May 26 to June 2.

Landless says the problem is caused in large part by lack of access to conventional medical care. Hungary’s national press calls the country’s health system “dysfunctional” and in need of urgent reform. Many patients don’t report pain to their doctor because of cultural hang-ups, and overworked doctors don’t have time to treat lesser afflictions. Some hospitals face closures due to lack of state funding.

“When people are starved for information they’ll take anything that comes their way,” says Landless. “Some fringe groups are still teaching bogus things like reflexology and iridology—looking into the iris of the eye to make a complete diagnosis of someone’s health.”

Landless also says that there are misconceptions about what constitutes a healthy diet. He says the Adventist Church promotes a lacto-ovo vegetarian diet that contains all essential nutrients. But for those who chose a vegan diet—which eliminates all animal products—supplements of calcium and vitamin B12 are absolutely essential, says Landless.

“In many countries these supplements are readily available,” he says. “But in some less developed countries, where some people are undernourished already, it’s not healthy to be a vegan.”

Adventist pastors and health workers in Hungary are committed to helping people understand the difference between reliable and unreliable sources of information about medical care and nutrition, says Landless. “People need to be educated before these quack practices will die out.”

He says that better communication between doctors and patients is also critical to this process. “Good health practices will take hold when the health practitioner sits down with the patient and tells them they need to get involved with their own health and informs them fully how to do this,” he explains.