One who is slightly ill and makes an effort [and manages] to get around like a well person, is forbidden to be medically treated in any way, even in a way that no melachah is involved.¹ (prohibited labors). This prohibition applies only to things done exclusively by and for the sick. Thus, walking for health reasons would be permitted since it is also done by persons who are well. [This applies] even to applying oil,² 327: 1; Mishnah Berurah ibid.] whether this is done by himself or by someone else or even by a non-Jew.³ for one who is ill enough to be confined to bed. [Rambam; Mishnah Berurah 326: 46] For one who is less ill, some permit asking a non-Jew to do a melachah d’rabanan. [Magein Avraham 328: 12; Shulchan Aruch Harav, etc.] Others prohibit this. [Chayei Adam 69: 1]

footnotes: ¹ The Sages prohibited taking cures lest one come to grind medicines. Grinding is one of the thirty nine major melachos ² If this is done only by and for the sick. See footnote 1. [Rema ³ A non-Jew may be asked to do even a melachah d’oraisa

All foods and beverages which are consumed by people who are well may be eaten and drunk as a cure, even if they have some bad side effects, and it is [therefore] obvious that it is being done for medicinal reasons, nevertheless, it is permitted. Anything that is not eaten or drunk by well people, is forbidden to be eaten or drunk as a cure.⁴ You may consume herbal juices, or drink a raw egg to make your voice more pleasant.⁵ 328: 120] There is, however, disagreement among contemporary poskim regarding vitamins. This is not considered medicinal since your throat is not sore.

footnotes: ⁴ Unless you are ill enough to be confined to bed. ⁵ Products consumed solely to improve your health are not permitted. [Mishnah Berurah

If you have a slight toothache but are not in great pain, do not rinse them (the teeth) with vinegar, or other liquid for medicinal purposes and then expectorate the liquid.⁶ Rather, you should rinse and swallow it, or dip some bread into it and eat it as usual. Similarly, if you have a sore throat do not gargle with some liquid,⁷ 302: 10] but, instead, swallow it and, if as a result, you feel better, then so be it.⁸ or even a Jew to do a d’rabanan with a shinuy (doing the act in an atypical fashion). [Minchas Shabbos]

footnotes: ⁶ It is obvious that you are taking a cure. ⁷ Gargling with mouthwash is permitted even for relief of a sore throat. [Biur Halacha ⁸ For severe pain you may ask a non-Jew to do even a melachah d’oraisa

If you have abdominal pains and the like, or if you have a rash on your scalp, since in our society we do not usually apply oil except for medical purposes, it is forbidden to apply oil, because it is obvious that you are doing this as a cure.

One who suffers from angina, and relieves his pain by sucking [milk] directly from a goat, may do so on Shabbos (because sucking milk is [considered] mefarek⁹ = lit. separating, the name of the category of melachos which includes milking. Sucking the milk directly from the goat is an unusual way of milking which is only a d’rabanan prohibition. In case of pain the Sages removed their prohibition. in an unusual manner, and due to the pain of the illness the Sages did not forbid it.)

footnotes: ⁹ Mefarek

If you have a stomach ache [and would feel relieved by heat] you may place on your stomach a cup from which hot water was emptied, although it still contains warm vapor.¹⁰ 326: 19] Similarly, you may warm up some clothes and put them on your abdomen.

footnotes: ¹⁰ See Chapter 33 paragraph 12 where the author rules that placing the cup while still containing the hot water is prohibited due to the danger of scalding. A “hot water bottle” is allowed if there is a real need. [Mishnah Berurah

If you have injured your hand or foot, you may soak¹¹ it in wine to halt the bleeding, but not in vinegar¹² 328: 92] because it is [more] potent, and is [therefore] obviously medicinal. For a delicate person, wine is the same as vinegar and is forbidden. If [the wound] is on the back of the hand or the back of the foot or was caused by a metal object you may do anything at all for a remedy. [For the significance of these wounds see later, Chapter 92, paragraph 5.]

footnotes: ¹¹ צָמַת = lit. contract or shrink i.e. the wine has a contracting effect which aids in halting the bleeding. ¹² Or whisky. [Mishnah Berurah

For a slight pain of the eyes do not apply undiluted saliva (i.e. saliva that is in one's mouth before having eaten anything) because it is obvious that you are doing this as a remedy.¹³ 328: 20] For severe pain or infection you may use eye drops or ointments. However, if you are unable to open your eyes, you may moisten them with undiluted saliva, because this is not applied as a remedy but rather to enable you to open your eyes.

footnotes: ¹³ [Shulchan Aruch

If you are suffering from overeating, you may insert your finger into your throat in order to regurgitate.

A wound which is not critical may not be bandaged with a dressing even if it was prepared the day before. Nor [may you apply] anything that acts as a remedy, even a leaf or an old dry rag, since it too serves as a remedy. However, you may apply something to prevent it from being scratched [or irritated]. If it was already bandaged the day before, you may open one end [of the dressing] slightly and cleanse the wound opening, and then open the other end and cleanse it. Do not wipe the dressing itself because you would be "smearing."¹⁴. If the bandage fell off the wound onto the floor you may not restore it.¹⁵ If it fell on any object, you may restore it. If you are suffering great pain you may tell a non-Jew to restore it. However, you may not ask a non-Jew to prepare a dressing on Shabbos, because smearing the dressing is a d'oraiso prohibition and is prohibited even through a non-Jew, unless you take completely ill¹⁶] (as [is discussed] later, paragraph 16).

footnotes: ¹⁴ מְמַרֵחַ = spreading or smoothing whatever may be on the bandage—a forbidden melachah ¹⁵ Lest you are מְמַרֵחַ—see above footnote. ¹⁶ Or the possibility exists that you might become so ill. [Sefer Hachaim

You may not place a cloth on a bleeding wound because the blood dyes the cloth;¹⁷ 320: 24. The poskim are in disagreement because it is of questionable benefit for a cloth to be dyed in this manner. The Mishnah Berurah, (328: 146) therefore rules that when the need is great, this is permitted. and certainly [not] a red cloth because it is improved by this. It is also forbidden to squeeze the wound in order to extract blood.¹⁸ (causing a wound). [Magein Avraham] Others say it is only d’rabanan. [Chayei Adam] But, what may you do? You may bathe it in water or wine to remove the blood, and then wrap it in a cloth. If bathing does not stop the bleeding, you may apply a spider web¹⁹, nevertheless, it may be handled for the benefit of one who is ill. [Mor Uktziya; Yeshuos Yaakov 309; Kikeles Shabbos] Others, however, disagree and prohibit handling muktzeh for this purpose. [Chayei Adam] Therefore, the Mishnah Berurah (328: 58) rules that for the benefit of an ill person, muktzeh should be handled with a shinuy—i.e. in a manner that is unusual. and then tie a cloth around it. However, some have misgivings about this because spider webs are curative. Therefore, if possible, this should be done by a non-Jew.

footnotes: ¹⁷ Magein Avraham ¹⁸ According to some it is the melachah d’oraisa—chovel ¹⁹ Though a spider-web is muktzeh

One who punctures an abscess in order to enlarge the opening of the wound, in the manner of physicians when they attempt to facilitate healing by enlarging the opening of the wound,²⁰ is guilty of a Shabbos violation,²¹—מַכֶּה בְּפַּטִישׁ (lit. hammer—blow) i.e. the final act of a craftsman’s work, since this requires a degree of skill. [Shulchan Aruch 328: 28] Others hold him liable for the melachah—בּוֹנֶה (building). The creation of the opening is somewhat akin to building. [Rashi] for this requires a doctor's skill. If his [purpose in] opening it the abscess is only to drain the pus, which is causing him pain, and he is unconcerned if the [opening] closes up again immediately, this is permitted due to his pain.²² of this paragraph (be it makeh bepatish or boneh, see footnote 21) requires that the wound be opened and remain open. Where the opening is not made for its own sake but only temporarily to drain the wound then it is “not a melachah for its own sake” i.e. a מְלָאכָה שֶׁאֵינָה צְרִיכָה לְגוּפָה, which according to all poskim except the Rambam is only d’rabanan and where pain is involved such an act is permitted. The Rambam rules that מְלָאכָה שֶׁאֵינָה צְרִיכָה לְגוּפָה is d’oraisa. Nevertheless, he allows the temporary opening of a wound because in his opinion this cannot be construed as a melachah in any manner whatsoever. [Shaar Hatziyun 328: 65] [This is permitted] only when he punctures it with a needle or something similar.²³ 328: 89] But, [he may not do so] with his nails because he then tears some of the skin of the abscess, which makes him liable [for doing a melachah].²⁴ 328: 23 and Magein Avraham 301: 7) disagree and prefer using a fingernail to a needle in order to avoid the usual method of puncturing a wound provided care is taken not to tear any of the skin. [Biur Halachah] Even by means of a needle or something similar, there is concern that he may want the wound to remain open, so that the pus will continue to drain, therefore, wherever possible this should be done by a non-Jew.²⁵, ibid.

footnotes: ²⁰ This allows the abscess to drain and the wound to be exposed to the air which quickens the healing process. ²¹ He is liable for the melachah ²² This requires some clarification. The melachah ²³ Squeezing the wound is not permitted lest you cause bleeding. However, the blood already accumulated in the abscess may be cleaned out. [Mishnah Berurah ²⁴ Others (Taz ²⁵ Mishnah Berurah

If you have an incision on the arm, commonly referred to as "aftora" aperture²⁶ and the opening has closed slightly, you may not insert a legume [for the purpose] of reopening it, because it is your intention that it remain open.²⁷ A dressing (that was prepared yesterday) may be applied to the incision, because it is only to protect [the wound].²⁸ disallows applying any dressing. See Aruch Hashulchan 328: 37. However, if you know that the dressing draws pus or blood, it is forbidden. Similarly, if you intend to wipe it [and] you know that [as a result] of wiping, blood or pus will be drawn out it is forbidden to wipe it. (This is not comparable to puncturing an abscess, because where the abscess is concerned, the pus and blood have accumulated in one spot and exist separately, and draining them is not considered making a wound, whereas in this situation where the pus and blood are still absorbed throughout the flesh, if you drain them you are [in effect] making a wound.)²⁹.

footnotes: ²⁶ Fistula. ²⁷ Which has a curative effect. ²⁸ Shulchan Aruch Harav ²⁹ Magein Avraham

If the wound has healed you may apply a dressing that you prepared yesterday, since it is only for protection. It is permitted to remove the crust around the wound.³⁰ 328: 22.

footnotes: ³⁰ Shulchan Aruch

If you were stuck by a splinter, you may remove it with a needle, provided you take care not to extract blood, for that would be making a wound.³¹ 328: 88; Shaar Hatziyun 328: 63]

footnotes: ³¹ If you cannot avoid causing it to bleed but are in pain you may go ahead and remove it. [Mishnah Berurah

A sick person who is confined to bed, but is not critical, or he has an ailment which causes his entire body to feel pain, whereby, although he gets around, is considered as someone who is bed-ridden; you may tell a non-Jew to do [anything required] for his cure,³² 328: 17. and to cook food for him.³³. He may, eat on Shabbos that which the non-Jew cooked,³⁴ since, today [Shabbos], cooking for him is permitted through a non-Jew.

footnotes: ³² Shulchan Aruch, Rema ³³ Rambam ³⁴ See Chapter 38, paragraph 9.

He may also take any medications or do anything necessary for his cure, whether by himself or through someone else, provided that it does not involve any forbidden melachah, even if only a d'rabanan prohibition. But, if it involves even a d'rabanan prohibition, it must be done only by a non-Jew. If a non-Jew is unavailable, a Jew may do a d'rabanan prohibition by altering [the usual manner of doing it].³⁵ prefer a Jew doing a d’rabanan in an altered manner rather than a non-Jew doing it in the usual way. [Mishnah Berurah from Taz; Magein Avraham; Gra; 328: 17] Some go so far as to permit a Jew to do a d’oraisa in an altered manner for a sick person. [Shulchan Aruch Harav 328: 19; Eglei Tal; Tehilla Ledavid 328: 22] Where danger of a loss of a limb is involved one may rely on this last opinion. [R’ S. Z. Auerbach, zatzal] Mishnah Berurah (328: 85) implies that a d’rabanan in an altered manner may be done even for one who is only slightly ill.

footnotes: ³⁵ Other poskim

When a non-Jewish doctor comes to vaccinate children against smallpox, if the Jew can offer him compensation to postpone the vaccination till after Shabbos, he should do so. If not [i.e. the doctor adamantly refuses] and it must be done on Shabbos, in that case, the Jew should not hold the child, but let a non-Jew hold him.³⁶ 134–135. He adds that if a non-Jew is unavailable, a Jew may hold the child.

footnotes: ³⁶ Teshuva Mei’ahava