Massage Therapy in Downtown Tampa, South Tampa, Hyde Park 33629 and Macdill AFB is Called Hilot in the Philippines

Yes, what’s called massage therapy in Downtown Tampa, South Tampa, Hyde Park 33629 and Macdill AFB is called “hilot” in the Philippines.

Hilot is the Filipino word meaning to stroke soothingly or to massage. The practitioner is also called a hilot, short for manghihilot. It is interesting to note that traditional midwives are themselves referred to as hilot, proof of how this type of soothing and healing touch is integrated into the traditional Filipino healing system.

Very closely related to the hilot is the arbularyo or practitioner of herbal medicine. The arbularyo is sometimes also a hilot. Most people in the rural areas who cannot afford to consult medical doctors go to the hilot or the arbularyo instead for any ailment. Even in urban areas, many Filipinos still go to a hilot for supportive therapy for women who have just given birth, for example, or for children who have fever, even after medical consultation.

In this ancient art of healing, the hilot is supposed to have the ability to identify illness or energy imbalance by observing the patient as a whole, reading the patient’s pulse, studying the patient’s scalp, observing the patient’s sweat, urine and stool, and sensing the patient’s energy. The hilot also feels the patient’s skin to check temperature. The hilot will want to know the balance of the elements of fire, water, earth and air in the patient’s body. Fire is associated with the body’s electrical impulses, water is associated with blood, earth is associated with flesh and bone, and air is associated with breath.

The manipulations of the hilot are similar to chiropractic manipulations. They are able to treat both musculoskeletal and musculoligamentous conditions, including the resetting of sprained and dislocated joined in the fingers, metacarpal bones, knees and ankles.

The hilot is also being compared to energy manipulation. It adheres to the belief that illnesses are imbalances in the body that can be corrected by neuro-electrical, electro-magnetic, biochemical, and bio-mechanical means.

It does not follow predetermined sequences of strokes but instead relies on the practitioner’s reading of what is needed to create the necessary electrical charges in the body. These electrical charges are supposed to harness bio-energies and create biochemical reactions to restore balance and harmony for health and wellness.

Hilot is an art and a skill that is closely guarded by practitioners and is wrapped in secrecy. Practitioners hand down the knowledge through generations and very rarely disclose techniques to others outside their immediate families. There are families practicing the art for many generations, traceable to their forefathers. Hilot is also often associated with the elderly, with the skill supposedly growing better with age.

Even in these modern times when Filipinos primarily seek modern Western medicine for illnesses, hilot still occupies an esteemed place as a non-invasive supplemental health therapy. Even Filipinos who have lived abroad are known to seek out the hilot when returning home for a visit. The soothing strokes of the hilot provide a balm to the body and soul and reconnect them to their roots.

Hilot has come to the forefront with the recent resurgence of interest in alternative and natural medicine and traditional ways of healing. Hilot has been identified as an ancient Filipino healing art that is based on universal scientific and natural laws. Many non-Filipinos visiting the Philippines have been seeking out the hilot experience.

Instead of traveling to the Philippines in the Far East for hilot, you can get Swedish massage therapy, deep tissue massage therapy, sports massage therapy or pregnancy massage therapy in a professional massage spa in Tampa if you’re from anywhere near Downtown Tampa, South Tampa, Hyde Park 33629 and Macdill AFB.