The Traditional Igorot Way of Curing

Each race has their own practices, traditions and beliefs.  My home town is still rich with old traditions; from the way a family should build a home, the best day to celebrate a wedding to the traditional way of curing.

 The old men and women of Tadian, Mt. Province have their own way of curing the sick.  With rituals and other practices, the Igorot men and women could cure just like the certified doctors.  The last time we had our family reunion, my brother was having an uncontrollable itchiness around his eyes.  He kept scratching and the hard part is he could not apply ointment because he feared hurting his eyes.  After a few hours, it was all over his face.

Our elder brother told him to try consulting one of the old women who knows something about removing unseen organisms that is causing itchiness in any part of the body.  I guess her eyes are like the microscope because she could see things that an ordinary person could not see. 

I was amazed when she took some rice straw and started picking slowly on my brother’s face.  She said she could see a lot of the organisms crawling around my brother’s face.  Every time she finished picking, she crushed the straw with her nails to kill the tiny organisms.  It was unbelievable but my sister and I watched it and we nodded our heads.

My brother said he felt so relieved after that.   The old woman does not accept payment for her services.  The old men and women in my home town do not accept payment for their services rendered.  They just love helping and serving other people without the thought of the money they could earn.  So, if you want to give money or anything, just give it as some sort of gift when you visit them next time. 

It is amazing how the old men and women do things in my home town. Would you believe, the old woman said she could see winged organisms that have already aged when she did the picking too in my nephew's foot?  My sister has been having problems with her younger son's foot that didn't heal for a long time even while giving him different types of medicine prescribed by doctors.  When the old woman picked on his feet with the rice straw, it healed after a few days. The old woman said it is the organisms that are causing the skin to itch and become raw.  Once the organisms are gotten rid, the skin disease will heal.