Sick Kid Visits the Witch Doctor
Filipino have some beliefs about illness that just baffle me. Tonight our 2 year old return with the yaya (nanny) and he was sick. Jessie gave her some money and I asked if they were going out to get medication. She said yes and then added they are going to the quack doctor. In other cultures they are called shaman or witch doctor!
That was hard enough for me to stomach but she went on to say that he is sick from break dancing. To that I shook my head and said, you think he got sick because he was break dancing. Just to make sure I understood her. I said
no. She followed quickly with “you don’t have that there.” Okay, I’ll give her that, we don’t have people getting sick from break dancing and taking them off to get well at the witch doctors. Well there are some areas where you will find this.
Memphis use to have an area where voodoo was practised I have forgotten what it is called. My friend that grew up there told me all the stories I had heard about it being very dangerous to go there and things were true in his youth but not true any more. So it does happen in the USA too. It happens in many places but it just hasn’t happened to my family before.
Based on the way Jessie was acting I figured it was best to just drop and let them do it their way. She did get some antibiotics too. We may take him to the doctor in the morning as well We have plans for tomorrow. But we’ll likely take him early in the morning and then head on out. I need to go to the immigration office tomorrow to be finger printed. One must do this before they exit the country if they have been in the Philippines for an extended time. I think six months and I’ve been here 15 months. I was going to Bangkok next week but I have changed those plans. I hope I don’t have to go alone. Jessie has spoiled me so bad, I don’t know if I can function alone any more. LOL
I’m not going to make fun of Jessie, I have too much respect for her. I can’t say I have a completely open mind on this new spin on “Break Dance Fever” but I wont make fun of her. I just can’t go along with this quack doctor stuff. What I mean is that I think its dangerous to play with these kinds of things and I by no means would dream of standing in her way in something she believes in, besides, she didn’t ask me. For me, its an invitation to the spirits that I don’t understand and I don’t want to play with anything that powerful! Break dance sickness just ain’t gonna work in my mind. Quack doctors? I wont say that’s a quack. I know people in the Philippines believe it strongly and Jessie is a very smart woman..
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Tagged with: Filipino Culture • Philippine Health • Quack Doctor
Filed under: Living in Cebu
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I should say the picture is not of an actual Philippine Quack doctor, just clip art I found on the web.
Hey Rus, I found this link you might be interested in. It mentioned that place you were talking about.
http://www.hauntedamericatours.com/voodoo/voodoovillage/index.php
very interesting……
Hi Rusty, I’m a little confused–do you mean like a local hilot? Maybe the child dislocated something while dancing and playing and needed to have an adjustment. Hilots have a natural talent for massage and being very intuitive about helping an ailing person. About a year and a half ago, I slipped and fell on some wet tiles outside, and sprained my knee. The neighborhood hilot helped me to feel better very quickly and I was very grateful for the help that I was given. Hilots are often considered an important alternative resource or addition to regular medical help.
Maybe someone could explain what the term “Quack Doctor” really means, and if it’s different from a “hilot”
Hi Rusty and Queenie – In Bisaya, at least in what I’ve learned, a “quack doctor” is usually called an “albularyo” and a “hilot” is more of a massage therapy. It’s two different things. I am not sure which one was used, but it sounds more albularyo to me.
Albularyo is what we call a “quack doctor”. Their function was to heal those who suffer from unexplained illness or the like…the “hilot” were the one who give massage therapy..
How the term is used depends on what part of the Philippines you come from. Some use quack doctor to mean both. Some only apply it toward albularyo.
“Some use quack doctor to mean both” is acceptable
I did mean some Filipino. I don’t put a lot of stock in what kano think they know.
Ok Rusty…so how do you call those weird guys uses voodoo dolls for killings? In my province I saw a man looks like he’s preggy but he is not. His stomach is totally huge and it looks like he is carrying three babies inside..The doctors didn’t find any problems inside him. he is dead now. That guy is said to be a victim by “BARANG”.
Its called many things depending on what part of the world your in. For me it is black ju ju or black magic or voodoo. Some call it witchcraft but shouldn’t be confused with Wiccan though sometimes they too practice black magic.
I thought he’d be called a quack doctor or albularyo here.
I am a bit skeptical, just because the medical doctors couldn’t find something wrong doesn’t mean there was nothing. They often don’t know, trust me, I’m a walking don’t know for doctors.
Okay…
Quack doctors do both. When I first heard of quack doctors all I heard about was the chants and offerings to the god of nature and a dance. Jessie says they only do that when the illness is severe! This I did not know. I thought this is all they did.
She said that he put some oil on Jermain and massaged him.
Yeah she thought maybe he hurt himself break dancing. But I still have major issues with a fever from a sprain.
I keep learning. The do practise voodoo but they don’t call it that. Maybe not all Hilot do that, I don’t know.
Bob the ones Jessie’s familiar with do both. Dang things here get complicated at times.
Bob is right, albularyo and hilots are different…hilots massage “pi-ang” (sprains) and albularyo can do the rituals and give you medicinal herbs to go with your pains and aches or sometimes help people victims of “barang” which is voodoo to you Rusty. “Barang” is something that if you offended someday or your hurt somebody, they resort to voodoo or medicine man/woman who is doing encantations to make you sick.
There are a lot of ways to hurt people that flipinos believe in thru “barang”. There are also “albularyos” that specializes in what we call “engkanto/engkanta”, normally referred to as “not like ours”. Filipinos believe in these supernatural beings who either make you sick, fall in love with you, etc.
Have you seen the movie “The Greek wedding”? did you see how the Greek people spit on your head or face to ward off evils. Most of the times, the albularyo will do that using guava leaves chewed in their mouths and spewed on the person to ward off evils…called “buyag” in Cebuano.
There are a lot of Filipino beliefs practiced in all over the Philippines.
They are different but many do both, at least that is true in Tacloban. I don’t know about the rest of the country. I didn’t know that when I wrote this story as the only term I knew was quack doctor. So I learned something again In any case, I trust in antibiotics.
I call it Voodoo as I think people need to realize what they are doing. If they wish to continue you with black magic, that’s their choice (a very Filipina phrase). That’s exactly what it is just another word.
I don’t know if Jermain was taking to a multipurpose “quack doctor” or just a hilot. To be honest, I don’t want to know. Though I love knowledge, when it comes to the occult, playing around with it can lead people into things they’d rather not be a part of.
Hi Terry, Bob explained it well, but you went even further. Thanks for making it clearer. My knee got help from the hilot the way you mentioned and also the applying of some particular leaves that helped with swelling.
Does “barang” also apply to poisoning someone?
Here if someone gives you a complement, we might say “pero buyag” to ward off any opposite from happening.
We have a relative here that is a well respected hilot, and he does the massage and also blows air on an affected area, but I noticed that he also does that spitting with the guava leaves and that I wasn’t sure about until you explained it. He’s kind of a “jack of all trades” though, because about six months ago I watched him pull my husband’s aunt’s tooth out with a facecloth and some pliers!
Oh geesh, pliers? Making my skin crawl… LOL
Yes, barang also makes you feel like being poisoned…to that effect. Everytime I bring my daughter to the Philippines,I always say..”pwera buyag” that later on my then 8 year old daughter (after we got back to the US) kept on saying “pwera buyag”. I think she learned more Cebuano terms then. She tells anybody here that to speak Cebuano, just add “day uy” to every sentence and there you’re speaking Mom’s language.
yes, and I bet you got plenty of compliments about your daughter, so she must be really pretty.
Rus, I think you were talking about “the French quarters” or New Orleans?
No Christine, I’m not. Jessie has a male friend that kept being a player. He know has some kind of disease and the Filipina he knows are saying someone put a curse on him and that his face is basically falling off. That’s not a hilot. I don’t know if I believe it. It would have been far more convincing had someone said before hand, I put a curse on his face and then something happened. Sounds like the guy has given more than one Filipina motive though.
That’s funny Terry–your daughter must be cute!
Oh don’t forget to say Buyag!
Quenniebee….pwera buyag….LOL
I met a guy in our conference yesterday and I was just talking to him about pwera buyag. They are leaving for the Philippines next month and they have a 16 week baby boy, He called his wife and told her about pwera buyog….I told him buyog is a bee…..he was laughing….
I noticed I said Quack doctors do both, some do. That probably differs from region to region.
In the American doctors oath they must agree not associate with quacks. I once asked what that meant and I was told chiropractor. I don’t remember who told me that, I was young. I was later confused when I found out MDs do work with chiropractor. My guess now is that a hilot is where chiropractic services has its roots. Guessing so I’m probably wrong. LOL
Do you think it is a hilot with a degree…ha..ha..ha..
LOL Terry.
I bet the term quack is related to their oath. If I’m not mistaken, the oath is very old. They mmay have been on equal footing back then. Here? If they are not, they are very close to being on equal footing.
You know what though, a while back I was searching for a chiropractor in Cebu and it seems that there don’t seem to be to many. In Manila there seemed to be a lot, but not so in Cebu. Then I came across an article mentioning that hilots were being invited to train and become certified in some sort of semi-professional way to assist in helping patients. It makes perfect sense to me.
By the way, can any readers reccomend a chiropractor in Cebu City that they have gone to for help? I’m really into chiropractic and other alternative therapies and would really like some advice. Also, how about a good accupuncturist?
Oh so tempting to flirt with you…..
Don’t know of anyone.
Oh what the heck, I’d be willing to try to be your alternative therapist….
Please don’t beat me, I be good now..
I suggest you look for reflexologist. I want to do that myself but don’t really have the P1000 per month for the fee. They say you need to do it weekly. It is massage of the feet but suppose to treat the whole body.
My leg muscle hurt a lot and I’m told it will likely help
I had figured you for a nature tpe girl.
hey! now you’re the one cheating on me….
Awww, so this is what Queenie was talking about.
Crazy jealous Filipina…. Or perhaps Buang jealous Filipina would be a better choice.
Okay, you teach Queenie to belly dance at my place and I’ll try my massage and other therapies only on you, well and Jessie.
well Rus, you got be careful with buang jealous filipina…remember Lorena Bobbit…ha…ha…ha…
yeah Rusty, I’d been telling you for months to hide those knives before you go to sleep- else you might wake up minus an appendage.
Well Christine is too far away still, I’m safe.
Jessie loves me too much.
Good thing, you know they don’t like waray-waray to even carry knifes, in fact in her town they generally don’t allow knifes as they are too good with them. Kind of scary when you think about it. Wonder how good her brother is with them. LOL
Rusty, but Christine is coming…so watch out…
I know Waray people…maopay Rusty. ..
Hmmm, Terry, do you know something I don’t know? Maybe Christine shared a secret with you? I didn’t know she’d be getting that close to my appendages.
I’m very wary of Filipino with sticks are knifes.
Rusty, the word is “selosa Filipina buang”- literally means “jealous Filipina crazy”.
I tend ot think of it more as crazy jealous Filipina.
But thanks… I’ll try to put that word into memory.
I know sometimes the order of the words are a little different here. Sometimes makes for interesting translations.
Haaaaay keep it clean now Rusty, I’m trying to be serious!! You’re too funny! What’s this about the reflexologist–do you know someone in particular? Weekly could be pretty pricey. In Cebu City spas and parlors there a lot of highly trained people who can give all different kinds of theraputic messages. I’m not sure if you know about how in the Philippines many blind people have been trained to have a profession in massage therapy. They even have offices at the airports.
Well you need to be less serious. And that was a clean flirt.
Its not that pricey, it should cost you P200 or less per session. There is group doing reflexology next to the courtyard at Basilica del Santo Nino. Courtyard may not be the right word. Once you enter the walls at one corner of that area there is a group with signs up performing reflexology. They are not on the church grounds, I don’t think but they have signs up and are sitting in an open area next to the courtyard. You’ll probably have to enter from the street but you’ll be able to find them there..
If it is done the Filipino way it is painful the first time or two. Terry and Christine are going to tell you I’m wrong. I’ve seen it twice on TV and it was painful. Jessie also told me it was painful, she told me that long before I saw it on TV.
If it would stop the constant pain in my calves, I would be willing to endure it. What I saw on The Amazing Race was they were digging their finger joints into the persons foot. I do intend to try it, my funds are just limited, probably more than your are.
There is a buy in Bogo that goes door to door. I think I’ll start doing it next month.
BTW Queenie, I have three main nicks I use on the net. My favorite is Flirtilizer.
Queeniebee, stay away from the airport massages, they are pricey. There should be a person around that do hilots or massage for lesser price. I was in Bohol and my nightly massage only cost me 100 pesos a night,,and it was more than 1 hour. When I got back here, I missed it a lot esp. after a very long flight. Check with neighbors who might know somebody who knows somebody…word of mouth is good. goodluck…accupunturist…i have not tried this but my friend told me it feels good with the warm needles go through your body
Thanks Terry for the advice. That 100 pesos a night was a fantastic deal! I’ll still be on the lookout for a chiropractor though, but massage in the states as you know is really expensive, but a good deal in the Philippines, and would probably give much the same benefit. In the sates I go to a chinese accupunturist every so often if I need to, but I’m not sure I’ll find anyone in Cebu. I bet in Binondo or a place that has a larger chinatown would have them. Cebu doesn’t have too much of a chinese population does it?
Yes there are a lot of Chinese in Cebu,,,there are even chinese schools there, I can inquire for you, I used to work in Cebu City.
Oh Rusty– It’s OK…. it’s just that I know they don’t call you flertilizer for nothing… Really though, I bet reflexology would help you a lot–the pain is probably not that bad, and you might start to get some relief. Maybe you could try it once and see what you think.
Hey Queenie, maybe you and Terry can reflexology my pain away while Christine is giving Jessie belly dancing instructions.
Its a vision that some how doesn’t seem painful to me….
Seriously, I do plan to do it. now that my Visa run is over, hopefully I’ll have a little extra cash.
Next month, I have to repay a loan where someone helped me out to get Juliet a good cage for Juliet. The month after that, I will have a heavy fee for BI. But nothing like the $500 or so it cost me for the trip to Bangkok so things should get better, I hope. Seems like there is always something.
I also want to start my Cebuano lessons! Found a teacher, he just wants me to take him out for dinner.
Terry, that would be so great if you could do that. I would really appreciate anything that you could find out. I wonder if they also sell chinese patent medicine too? I’ve been told that sometimes there are some things sold in Carbon Market, but I’m not sure what they would be. I’ve been given herbal and patent medicine from my accupuncturist in the US, and I’ve purchased my own in Boston’s Chinatown too. I try the best that I can with natural alternatives to western medicine, but. of course nobody can really predict what could happen to them healthwise and if you need medical help you have to get it, Right? Thanks in advance Terry, for anything that you could find out.
Careful, sometimes Chinese like to use illegal animal parts of endangered spieces. For some reason you seem like the green peace type to me. I bet you know all this.
They just found a large stash of elephant tusk in the Philippines. I love ivory as much as anyone but elephants are just awesome.
Some experts are now saying that their abuse has led to post traumatic stress disorder that the once gentle giant is now attacking humans because of their memory. Seems like a stretch to me but I have seen things that leave little doubt that elephants morn their dead for a long time.
A lot of the illegal animal trade goes through the rural areas of Thailand.
Nah, Greenpeace is just a little too far left for me, but I can understand their passion. It’s true I guess that some endangered animals could be harmed, but I think mostly that those would be very expensive items, like for virility, vitality etc. As with any medicines, herbal or not, you have to have some knowledge and research if you want to use them because they could still be toxic if you didn’t know what or how much to take.
Some of the items that have escaped the control of FDEA in the USA has been surprising. I’ve taken DHEA. Took something that really was quite a strong tranquillizer considering it was over the counter. Could be an issue when taken along with Xanax if too much was taken.
I hear you on Greenpeace. I generally support them but sometimes they do go to far, most organizations along these lines do. PETA is way to out there, I don’ t consider them to the left though, once an organization starts to impose its believes on others, especially when they use any means at their disposal that’s the right.
I have a question pointing back to the original post. Are you saying the Philippines has both Catholic beliefs and kind of folk magic as well? I ask because I am Wiccan and generally try to accomplish most healing naturally. In addition, I am considering moving there after a visit to see if it vibes with me. Thanks in advance for anything you can let me know about
hmm, Randy, you are a Wiccan? a good Wiccan presumably? Yes, absolutely, Phil. practices folk magic and Catholism with ease. When I was in PI last year, one of my relatives pointed to a distant town just up in the mountains a bit behind Bogo, where apparently 99% of the population are poisoners. Apparently, in order to maintain this “craft” they have to poison one person in their lifetime, else they lose it. This “skill” is handed from family through generations, and yes, they are diligent church goers.
Generally, the Catholics does not tolerate rival religions (remember Torquemada and his infamous inquisition during the reign of Isabella of Spain during the 1500s?), but I think in PI, the Catholic heirarchy pretty much gave up trying to fight Filipinos combining their Catholicisms and Paganism. Same as in the Caribbean where Voodoo and Christianity are also practiced side by side. But hey, as long as it gets bums on seats at the church every Sunday, nothing wrong with that.
Rusty, the story is, if a hen crows, an unmarried girl is pregnant…and that would be a talk of the town. When somebody said that he will have girlfriends (take note-plural) when he is in the Philippines, he should do it in big cities, not the towns…everybody knows everybody’s business…
There are all kinds of unmarried pregnant girls in Bogo at all different ages.
Things have changed.
But everyone knowing everything about you in Bogo, now that has not changed. That’s still alive and well. But then, when a story gets told from person to person it ALWAYS gets changed. Many times the basic facts are still valid but not always.
Gossiping is fun, else we wouldn’t do it. LOL
Rusty us former Military folks call it the BAMBOO Telegraph! It is truly a marvel of low tech communication. Tell ONE person one thing in the states or back in PI and it goes out on the Bamboo Telegraph to all family and neighbors wether you want it to or not!
Or more simply put: it is the TP! Tsimis (Gossip) Patrol!)
That term has spread out of the military now. Probably because many came back. Yes tsismis is a common system of information though very inaccurate in most cases.
Usually there is some truth lying at the bottom of it.
The term boondocks also came from the military but is based on a tagalog word that is spelled differently.
Terry, this hen (chicken) story reminded me when I was a little girl in Mactan. During the new years eve celebrations, close to midnight, the older (elders) would gather in the middle of a cleared farmland, i.e. the farmland has no crops. I can’t remember all of it, that was a long time ago and I was very young, but I think there was some sort of ceremony, and the elder (may even have been an Albularyo?) would do some chanting very close to midnght, and they don’t have watches (beats me how they can tell the time!
and the Elder will require everyone to be absolutely quiet and he would listen which animal sound he will hear first, dog or the crow of a rooster. Apparently, if it is the barking of the dog, the New Year will be hard for the people, with misfortunes and hardships, while on the other hand if the rooster would crow first, the year will be prosperous for the people.
Howzat for Folk Medicine/Wicca huh?
Christine, it is still happening in my hometown…elders check what animal is making a noise at midnight.
My mother had (she passed away 2005 at age 80 and my dad is 89 this year…long life genes huh,,,i hope I will get it)…a tradition of opening all windows and doors at midnight and lights a lot of candles to welcome the new year. We will have a potful of rice to last for 2 days, round fruits, polka dots clothes or shirts, coins on our pockets and make noise when the chruch bell rings for new year, not spending a dime on new year, saving the first money earned in our store, an a lot of superstitious beliefs which I still carry with me in the US, except the opening of doors…too cold in winter time and with 5 feet of snow outside….LOL
What I do now in the US are the 13 round fruits (1 for each month and 1 extra for goodluck), money (dollar bills) in every doorway, not spending a dime on new year, and having coins in my pocket. I used to put grapes on my doorway and the fruit flies went crazy so I gave it up.
Hey Rusty, I know that this is after the fact, but I was doing some surfing for some of my own interests, and I came upon this website that you or others might be interested in looking at. It’s: http://www.stuartxchange.org/albularyo.html
No that, a fantastic link Queenie. I wish it was written in English.
Well English that most people could read. Great stuff, I book marked it.
Queenniebee, I tried the website but it will not let me…it says URL is not found…so you are in Boston. I have been to Gloucester, Mass and I love the fresh lobster and scallops. My friend and classmate in college works as an asst director of library in Ipswich but live in gloucester. I have seen Harvard – I have been wanting to go to Harvard to study but I am too old now, hopefully my daughter will but she wants to go to North Carolina for college. She wants to be a marine biologist. We were in Portland, Maine for regional soccer tourney 2 years in a row. I will be going to Boston again next year to visit my friend and for our daughter to go to soccer camp at harvard. I love that area esp for fresh food but the Atlantic sea water is too cold to swim even in July.
Yeah, there are a lot of old churches in Bohol and the oldest is Baclayon, then there is Loboc and the townspeople are scared of other people stealing the antique statues and be sold either in Cebu or Manila for the collectors. Isn’t that sad? Our church used to be open all day long for people to pray but the bishop decided to close during weekdays because they already lost a lot of antique statues of saints. When are you going back?
Try this Terry:
http://www.stuartxchange.org/
Then click on Philippine Alternative Medicine. There are some other interesting links on that site so I’m sending you to the front page. I enjoyed his article on the Jeepney, nothing new there but he has a nice humerus style you might enjoy.
Thanks Rusty, it is a wonderful site and now I can jsut send to friends who are curious about the Philippines esp re: balut, jeepneys, etc. Once again, thanks,
Well now I have to delete it as they should come here instead.
There is a lot of detail on medicine there.
The owner is a doctor, I suppose an MD.
Wow, my attitude has changed. Now I want to go to a quack doctor. I don’t know which is what, guy that chants and does stuff to my my rash go away.
Some girl in Bogo told Jessie she was going to curse me. Maybe she did. haha I want to go for the experience. I certainly feel poisoned lately.
The other day a girl told me if a HEN crows someone nearby is pregnant.
I told her if I hear a hen crow, I’m gonna kill it.’
If has more of an occult feel to me than Wicca does..