The Function of Life

Teaching Hilot online is a new experience to us. Though it is less exciting than the normal face-to-face class but it brought out the creative talent that is within us as a trainer. As we share our knowledge and skills online we also are adding up to our own experience on how to improve our selves in delivering our advocacy message to our students.

On this article we are sharing to you a video clip that is part of our Video lecture that talk about the Concept of Life, Health, Illness and Wellness. You can watch the whole video by enrolling to our Non Contact Healing modality: Mind and Spirit Working Class through our Hilot Online Training. In this short clip video we have talked about the Function of Life to organization. Watch the entire clip to learn on why Life has the Function for Organization?

When we talk about Organization you might think about a structure, group of people gathering together with leadership and membership. Yes it is like that because this social structure that we have is patterned to the Physical structure that is within our Body. In this video we have discussed about that our body being a unified whole that is made up of individual body parts as a member. In this we understand that each body parts from cells, tissues, organs to organismal system works together to make our entire body function well. Even the tiniest pores that can be seen in your skin as an outward appearance has its special function.

This wisdom is a good thing to know so that we could apply it also to our social organization level. Social Organization such as Habi or Luntiang Aghama is made up of people who gather together in one cause. As an organization we work to accomplish certain goal. And this goal is pushed by its leadership and members work together to accomplish these goals. Every part of the group must coordinate and cooperate to one another; and this is done through Communication. Most of the time, the Leader communicates their ideas and so as the members also communicate theirs to the leader. Communication happen when there is an exchange of ideas going on such as the sender and receiver process of communication. When a certain part does not communicate, there might be a barrier that been build up so that communication will not happen. With that happening, to process of cooperation and coordination will also be hindered that will affect the whole. These issues must be addressed by Hilot in order to revive and restore back the process of operation of the group. This is the same thing that we do in our physical body.

Learning the techniques of Hilot will allow us to determine the problem that is happening within the body. By removing the hindering blocks, it will restore back the flow of communication so that each body part may continue to coordinate and cooperate to one another to produce a unified whole. And with this, the principle of Balancing the Faculty of Man may happen which is stated Filipino as:

Sa isip. Sa Salita at Sa Gawa!
In thoughts. In Words. and In Deed!
The three faculties of man

Suob Treatment becomes trending in Cebu City

From the start of this Pandemic of Covid 19, all medical and even the para medical community are working as one in finding cure to stop the spread of covid 19 all over the world. And different countries have their own local version of preventive medicine so that they will not catch the infection of Covid 19. Here in the Philippines as early as March 2020, there is a local Filipino Traditional Medicine that becomes trending on Social Media that been practiced by Filipino to counter act and protect them from the effect of Covid 19 and that is Suob.

Last week I receive a call from the production research team of Kapuso Mo Jessica Soho which is a TV show of GMA 7 asking me some information about the effectiveness of Suob. And the video that you will see below is the full segment that talks about the topic we are sharing now.

Though at the beginning of this video we can see a tragedy has been presented in performing suob as an infant has been accidentally burned by a boiling water in doing suob. Before we discuss here the efficacy and benefits of Suob as a Traditional Filipino Healing modality, i want to give you a heads up in practicing safety as well.

In this traditional method of affecting cure, we are invoking the element of fire to produce heat in our body. So like in how we treat fire, we should handle this element with care as it might burn us and be injured. When we work with Fire, we should observe safety distance to it as it may give benefit to us or the worst is that it can injure us. Fire produces light as well as heat. It can directly affect our sense of sight as well as our sense of touch. When it affect our sense of sight, it provides us light to see the colors and beauty of the world; and as it affect the sense of touch, we can feel its temperature and will give us also a clear sense of identifying what is rough, smooth, soft and hard as it can activates our nerve endings to determine those things.

In performing our Traditional Suob, i have to remind everyone that we have two types. The first one is the Dry Suob and the other one is the Wet Suob. These two types of Suob has its own prescription to it self. This mean that both type of suob has different healing effect depending on the illness that you have. This matter has been discussed when you take our Hilot ng Aghamang Binabaylan Training Course here at Hilot Academy.

So in doing suob, the safe distance that need to observe between the skin and the fire should be 1 meter or 3 feet away. Of course when i say Fire i don’t meant it to be a burning flame. What i only mean is just an ember flame such as putting a charcoal in fire but it is not flaming.

On using wood ember to create a fume or vapor, we put fresh pounded healing herbs on it. Putting dry leaves on the ember will create big fire as it fuels and this will be dangerous as it will burn you. The purpose of our Suob Palina is to employ the fume or vapor to do their job in healing and the burning coal and fire is only an agent so that we may extract the healing properties of herbs that we need in healing. It is not also advised to place on fire medicinal oil such as the one commercially produced as it use Mineral Oil which is highly flammable or even herbal healing oil that is made with natural organic nutritive oil. On stone ember, you sprinkle it with herbal infused water or tea to create vapor. Remember in doing this you have to observe 3 feet distance to the fire as it may burn you. The only thing that you need in this treatment is the vapor or fume and not the fire it self.

This is the same when you apply Wet suob. You boil water with incorporating healing herbs. Turn off the fire and place the cauldron of boiled herbs under the chair and sit down cover your self with a blanket as the vapor rise to your body and make you sweat. In doing steam inhalation, you place the basin of boiled healing herbs on a table, open an umbrella and place a blanket over it so that you may inhale safely the vapor. With this i will make a video on how to do this steam inhalation suob for proper guidance of the Public.

Going Online Class

Yesterday we start to migrate our training materials to our Online Platform which is the Google Classroom. This training requires the student to have either laptop, desktop, Ipod/Tablet or smart phone. It is advised that your device must have a built in Camera and Microphone. Or When using Laptop or Desktop, we will ask you to secure a Camera so you can you can upload your work to our Classroom. When you use Tablet or Smart Phone, you will be asked to download a web browser either Google Chrome, Mozila Firefox or Microsoft Edge. As a teacher, I am using Laptop and Android Phone that has a Google Chrome Browser. Aside from this if you are using mobile phone, we ask you to also download the following Apps:

Google Classroom
Google Drive
Google Meet

And the activities we could do within the classroom are the following:

Read the uploaded Learning Material using Google Document. (Since you have downloaded the Google Drive you can access the Reading Materials to it posted inside the Google Classroom.)
Watch the Video Presentation/ Lecture (as you watch, you are asked to take down notes on the subject presented and ask it out during the Video Call Conferencing through Google Meet.)
Video Call Conferencing using Google Meet ( this will be real time conversation/ discussion of the things you have noted during the Video Presentation that you have watched through Google Drive/ Youtube.)
Answer the Self Assessment/ Evaluation Quiz through Google Form posted in Google Classroom. (With this we could assess and evaluate your learning process)
Filming or video recording ( The student will be asked to video record to capture the process on how they will perform the activity task. This will be a form of grading or evaluating your learning capacity as we present the skills through Video Demonstration. In our Live and In person Learning Session we call that as Return Demonstration.)

As its System Administrator and Training Director for this Online Training, it make me feel excited in doing this as it makes us to explore many potential possibilities on how we can promote our Traditional Healing Methodologies using Modern Technology. Indeed, we become the Doorway of Time as we use this modern method in teaching the the old ways of healing arts and sciences.

With these, i want to share to everyone a 6 minutes video that is part of our 60 minutes video lecture presentation on the Non Contact Hilot Healing Modality which is the Mind and Spirit Working.

If you find this post interesting and want to learn more, consider enrolling to our Hilot Online Training. Click here so that we could help you process your enrollment.

Healing with Plant Medicine: Makabuhay (Tinospora Crispa)

I start to cultivate Makabuhay Vine way back 2013 as i need it to make a charm to improve health and long life. Though this herb was commonly known to have an abortive properties, I still hold on to the meaning of it’s name which is makabuhay or the one that promotes life. As Manghihilot or Traditional Healer, we do not just work on manipulating the Physical Body of the person to treat them but we also make medicine that could restore and maintain good health. A person Health for us as we see it does not limit to the Physical Movement of the person but we see also his/her emotional, mental, social and spiritual health as a basis for Holistic Wellness. And the medicine we provide is not also limited on Physical Manipulation of the Body but also we do preparation of Medicine for internal consumption, topical application or to carry it in their person such as in the use of Amulets, Talismans or Charms.

On my personal practice and use of Makabuhay, i mix the dried herbs and vines to alcoholic drink such as rum in a tincture and add few drops to a glass of water before i sleep. The vines can also be added to make a docoction of coconut oil to be applied on the part of the body that is affected by rheumatism and arthritis.

Studies suggest that Makabuhay has cardiotonic, antioxidant, antidiarheal, antimicrobial, antidiabetic, antiproliferative, hypolipidemic, antimalarial, and antinociceptive properties. According to Medical Health Guide, the list are the Traditional Medicinal Uses of Makabuhay vine:

Makabuhay roots, stems and leaves are used as herbal treatment for fevers, malaria. Makabuhay leaves and roots are pounded then dissolved in cold water. Applied with a soft cloth over the nape, forehead, underarms and other body parts to bring down the body temperature.
Makabuhay poultice is used to treat gout, arthritis, and rheumatism by reducing pain and edema.
Makabuhay is used to treat skin diseases (athlete’s foot, scabies, etc.), promotes wound healing and alleviate skin itching. Makabuhay tonic is believed to promote overall good health and longevity, improves memory, improves skin tone and texture, and provides energy.
Makabuhay tonic is also used to treat fever and malaria. Makabuhay tonic is used to treat gastrointestinal and digestive problems, which includes diarrhea, hyperacidity, abdominal pains, gas pains (kabag), vomiting, dyspepsia, dysentery, colitis, constipation, loss of appetite and even worm infestation.
Makabuhay is also used in the treatment of diabetes, heart problems, hepatitis, anemia, impotence, tuberculosis, jaundice,