HEALING, THE FILIPINO WAY
MANILA, MARCH 2, 2011 (MANILA TIMES) By Euden Valdez, Staff Writer - Reflexology expert talks about the power of 'hilot', coconut shells, Sampaguita and banana leaves in restoring the body
UNTIL recently, the Filipino tradition of "hilot" was only used to remedy minor sprains and injuries, and more often than not, in provinces, with an elder member of the community taking charge.
These days, the hilot has taken on a more sophisticated form in spas everywhere. And happily, it has also become a popular choice of treatment nowadays, almost up there with Swedish and Shiatsu.
Mercy Ong, chairman of Mass Therapeutic Optimum (MTO) Body and Foot Spa, remembers when there was no formal knowledge in the traditional hilot back in the 1990s.
"Before, there were no modules, sequences, identification and proper techniques when it came to performing the hilot," she shares. Eager to develop a Filipino kind of massage, the idea occurred to her to develop the hilot as a form of reflexology and thereafter, educated her therapists at MTO's wellknown branch along Mabinin Street Manila.
Eventually, Ong also established the MTO Research and Training Center on Timog Avenue in Quezon City to give other spas the opportunity to learn about the proudly Filipino massage technique, and was delightfully surprised that foreign students also took the course.
'Vitamin hilot' Devoting years of research on the hilot, MTO has made it their mission to promote the health benefits of the massage to its customers. According to Ong, having hilot done on your body by a certified therapist regularly is equivalent to taking multivitamins everyday.
Elaborating, she says, "When taking vitamins, you won't see the effects immediately; but in alternative massage such as the hilot, your body will feel it right away."
The hilot, just like vitamins, boosts the immune system and a person's energy soon after the procedure. It is carried out using only the hands, which, according to Ong, is MTO's way of keeping the technique traditionally Filipino.
"We don't use many tools," she shared. "We really use the hands because it is our hands that deliver the love and care."
La vida local If therapists at MTO have to use a single tool, it is the coconut shell in a specialized massage called the MTO FBM (Filipino Body Massage). A local product, Ong explained, "The coconut shell can give off high heat when used, thereby contributing to the positive body heat and replacing the negative heat." The shell, when rolled and pressed over aching muscles, apparently cures arthritis and rheumatism.
Ong also developed oil and cream from Sampaguita extracts, combined with banana leaves. "The Sampaguita is ours so why use other expensive oils like chestnut, almond and olive oils?" she countered.
These Sampaguita products are used in MTO's range of treatments because they soothe and relieve muscle fatigue by stimulating blood circulation. Meanwhile, the banana leaves absorb dirty toxins in the body.
Proof that all of these Filipino techniques and mixes restore the tired body is evident in MTO's huge number of patrons, which is still growing after 10 years.
As Ong proudly says, "We are the first alternative spa that patronized the Filipino hilot and we will keep at it."
----------------------------------------------------------
Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi
© Copyright, 2011 by PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE
All rights reserved
----------------------------------------------------------
PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE [PHNO] WEBSITE
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/phnotweet
This is the PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE (PHNO) Mailing List.
To stop receiving our news items, please send a blank e-mail addressed to: phno-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
Please visit our homepage at: http://www.newsflash.org/
(c) Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
-------------------------------------------------------------
