Hilot Philippine Traditional Wellness Massage

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Philippine Hilot: The Hands that Heal
Hilot is an ancient Filipino art of healing, commonly used today to relax stressed muscles. Hilot
employ chiropractic manipulation and massage for the diagnosis and treatment of musculoligamentous
and musculoskeletal ailments. They also have been known to reset dislocated and sprained joints such
as the knee, ankle, fingers and metacarpal bones.
The Philippines own brand of touch therapy, most widely known as hilot, is an old tradition . From its
humble beginning in the countryside, it is earning international fame as the prestigious 2007 Asia Spa
Awards recently recognized Mandala Spa & Villas Boracays Hilot Trilogy as Holistic Treatment of the
Year.
Filipino Healers
A study of alternative medicine in the Philippines is, inevitably, a study of the origins of its people and
the amalgam of cultures and influences: Centuries of Spanish colonial rule and the indelible
consequences of its religion, hundreds of years of trade with China and assimilation of its healing arts,
tribal and provincial diversities with its profusion of folklore and mythologies, all redounding into the
Filipinos easy disposition for superstitions and the allure for the esoteric, mystical, and fringe.
In the hierarchy of healers and specialists in Philippine folk
medicine, the albularyo may be referred to as the general
practitioners, specially versed in the use of medicinal herbs. The
hilot ambiguously refers both to the Manghihilot and Magpapaanak.
A Manghihilot is the term used in the Philippines for a person who
specializes in healing muscular aches and pains by using
massage. The Magpapaanak, besides prenatal visits and
delivering babies, often performs the Suob ritual, (Suob is a ritual of
postpartum care performed two to three weeks after childbirth).
The albularyos and manghihilots are Filipino traditional healers in the communities who deliver health
services. By tradition, they are the primary dispensers of health care. Historians and scholars had
associated the Filipino traditional hilot therapy with the traditional Chinese medicine and the Ayurvedic
traditional medicine.
Some healers limit their practice of folkloric therapies to more specialized
modalities.
The mangluluop specializes in diagnostic techniques, usually referring the
patients after diagnosis to the albularyo, medico, or manghihilot for definitive
treatments. The medico is a further specialization, merging age-old folkloric
modalities with ingredients of western medicine (prescription) medications,
acupuncture, etc.
Most of these healers consider their healing craft as God-given, a calling
from a supernatural being, and consequently, their healing practices are
profusely infused with prayers and religious rituals, performed through
mediation with the Holy Spirit. Usually rural-based, they are also present in the urban and suburban
communities, albeit in small scattered niches, serving alternative needs, the impoverished or the urban-
transplanted rural folk.
Healing modalities used by Native Filipino Healers:
Hilot
Tawas
Sapi
Dwarf Healing (Dwende or Duwende)
Herbal Healing
Iconic
Oracion
Faith Healing
Psychic Surgery
Divine Healing
Hilot Massage
The principles of Hilot have been practiced in the Philippines for centuries, dating back to an era that
predates the countrys written history.
Although hilot is indigenously Filipino, it has traces of influence from the great medical traditions, that
is, traditional Chinese medicine, Indias Ayur-Veda, and the Yunani-Tibb medical traditions of Persia
and Greece.
Hilot, This very old indigenous filipino massage and healing
practice is a combination of different healing modalitites, that
bring about changes in the body.
It is a 3000 years old art of healing, and a part of the filipino
culture and tradition that predates the coming of the spaniards
and handed down from generation to generation. Hilot is a
philosophy and a culture unlike the other types of massages it
not only relieves stress but also has a rejuvenating , healing
effect on the patient or client. a good Hilot practitioner would
know the type of ailments his client is suffering from just by
looking at him and sensing his energy.
Hilot masahe is a common healing tool of Hilot that involves
physical manipulation of skin muscle tissues and nerves that
is healing, initiating, life-changing and operable therapy.
Hilot is not just a simple massage but it is a holistic art and science that heals the person Physically,
Mentally, Emotionally, Socially and Spiritually.
Hilot is a Holistic Arts and Science of Filipino Healing that is not only provides Massage Services but
also of the following:
Banyos is a therapeutic bath that is washing of the body with water or with/through an herbal
solution. The purpose of banyos is to cleanse, wash away dirt and soil (dead skin cells) in the
body, and prevent the spread of bacteria causing diseases.
Herbal Treatments Herbs used by Hilot has been known as the early source of modern
medicine now-a-days, thats why having a Hilot Treatment is just like going back to basics of
healthcare practices.
Dagdagay Traditional Filipino foot massage using two bamboo sticks. Dagdagay foot
massage was usually done after foot banyos treatment.
Bentusa, (cupping) is a healthcare system used to restore balance of the four humors which is
the blood, phlegm, yellow bile and the black bile.
Philippine Traditional Hilot Massage is a holistic primary healthcare treatment modality that would
benefit you in maintaining optimum health and wellness.