I’ve been outsourcing to the Philippines for many years and have seen much of their culture change. But they still cling to some traditions.
One of these traditions, hilot, is a folk medicine tradition that is still practiced all over the Philippines.
I give my OFS team benefits like PhilHealth and health insurance, but my team also tells me that on top of that, they still go to a “manghihilot” (hilot practitioner) because they feel like ‘hilot’ is helpful. That it makes them feel better and recover faster.
I got curious about it, so I asked Julia to explain.
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“Hilot” is a folk medicine tradition that has existed since pre-colonial times. Indigenous Filipinos created it as a form of treatment.
Despite the prevalence of modern medicine, many Filipinos still believe in ‘hilot’ because it’s very accessible and effective for treating common ailments, especially in far-flung areas without doctors or medical support.
How does hilot work?
The easiest way to explain it is that the manghihilot mainly uses touch and deep tissue massage to detect imbalances in the body.
They feel that imbalance as changes in muscle and skin temperature or texture (cold spots or muscle knots). They sense the connections that cause the symptoms and look for the source of the imbalance. Once they find that imbalance, they push it out with targeted massage to help the body heal.
That’s the oversimplified explanation. It sounds like a massage, but it’s more than that. Massage (masahe) is different from hilot.
Hilot is therapeutic. The manghihilot can also “diagnose” your ailment and prescribe the appropriate oils, salves, herbs, or incense to help with the treatment.
That’s my husband with a manghihilot. She is treating him for back and shoulder pain.
Another difference is that massages are usually relaxing. Hilot can be painful. Depending on your ailment, the manghihilot will warn you that after the hilot, you might feel worse before you get better. Some conditions even require multiple visits to the manghihilot.
I’ve had hilot ever since I was young. When I got a cough or cold, my mom would take me to a pediatrician for a prescription and a manghihilot to help me recover.
I still go to a manghihilot whenever I can find one. I feel like with hilot; I heal from infections faster. It usually takes me a week to recover, but with hilot, I can recover in a few days.
I also went to a hilot years ago when I was trying to have a baby. I traveled hours to see her. This manghihilot pushed her hand deep against my abdomen. It was uncomfortable, almost to the point of being painful. She explained that doing this would “adjust” the position of my uterus and help me conceive. I don’t know if it was effective, but I did conceive a few months after that.
I don’t know exactly how it works, but I believe it works because of the targeted massage. For example, if you have a cramped muscle, massaging the affected area helps. When you have a cold or fever, pressing on the lymph nodes can help stimulate the immune system.
There’s no school where you can learn how to Hilot. You have to be mentored by a manghihilot to learn the craft. Massage therapists in the Philippines who are also manghihilots tend to earn more and have more clients. Going to a manghihilot is one of the things Filipinos abroad look forward to doing when they return to the Philippines.
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I think there’s more science to this and Julia knows.
Either way, it’s good to know more about the culture of those you’re working with.
John