So I was in the Phils a few weeks back and ended up with a dose of the trots and terrible stomach cramps. The trots cleared up but I still had bad cramps, so bad that even I thought about going the clinic. My girl takes off my tee shirt and gives it to her Sister who goes off with the Bro in law on their motorbike ??? I sat there bemused with my Girl saying nothing but giggling away. After about 30 mins the sister returns and tells me to put my tee shirt back on, which I did, but sewn into the tee shirt were various bits n bobs, small things like herbs and what have you. Next thing the sister has this pan off hot coals with a smouldering leaf on top, she takes the by now smoking leaf and puts it under my tee shirt on my stomach and tells me to leave it there as long as possible. Next morning stomach cramps completely gone !!!! I found out that the day before they had been to see the local medicine man, with my tee shirt and he advised them what to do.
Medicine PH style. When we were kids, my mum would bring us to the doctor first and then traditional healer next. She would tell us that it doesnt matter what or who healed us as long as its done. No snakes or dancing or weird stuff just incantation and herbal medicines.
Hmmmm..... A decade or so ago Nanay brought some cooked chicken back from the provinces everyone was fine except me, projectile vomiting, massive diarrhoea, losing fluids like nothing on earth, convulsive pains in my gut. Phoned an ambulance and went to Manila Doctors the local hospital, they checked me over made sure I wasn't going to die and sent me home, not too expensive about 6000 peso which at the time was just under 60 quid, 8 hours later no pains, no vomiting, no diarrhoea Same result, a bit of medical science but with no medicine Although the medical professionals probably made a bit more than your local medicine man
