Can Filipinos be Superstitious AND Scientific?

WRITTEN BY MIGUEL BAGSIT, KATRINA SONGCO, ELLE LAVIN AND FRANCESA JANA SANTIAGO

Is it ironic that many of us who are medical professionals also come from superstitious households? Not exactly. When you’re a Filipino, your family probably has an unconventional solution to every health problem. Remember when you’d have the slightest of coughs or even just a second of dizziness and your lola would already be at your side with a warm cup of ginger tea? Or how you’d get reprimanded that showering immediately after a long day would give you spasms? Well these tactics aren’t as unfounded as they may seem. While jumping at new year’s eve to grow taller or eating Pancit for longer life have no scientific basis—at least not directly—our elderly relatives’ approaches to taking care of your health are actually practices passed down for generations which have come to be known as “folk healing”.

When the Spanish colonized the Philippines, they labeled the beliefs of our ancestral tribes as “superstitions'' in an attempt to establish Christianity. But these beliefs aren’t the same as breaking a mirror or avoiding cracks on the sidewalks—they are methods for treatment. Thanks to the shamans of different ethno-linguistic groups of the Philippines, herbal medicine became a part of our culture. Even Vicks Vapor Rub includes herbs in its ingredients.

And while vaccines and pharmaceutical pills are still very important in today’s approach to modern treatment, we need to admit that western medicine isn’t always accessible, especially in the U.S. Aside from it being costly and complex, people of color also have a long history of distrust on western healthcare. According to a study done in 2010, Filipino immigrants in the U.S. prefer to seek help from faith healers instead of doctors as they experience more comfort, more familiarity, more affordability and of course, share the same language.

Our folk beliefs serve a greater purpose than just being labeled as superstitions. They are living proof of our history and a bridge that connects us to other Filipino communities. But most importantly in cases like these, they are our alternative remedies in taking care of our health (Speaking of which, is Filipino food even healthy?”). Which is why we must always remember to honor them as part of our culture, there really isn’t anything to be ashamed of. Embrace the idea that natural and modern medicine can coexist in the same world. 

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