13 Filipino Health Beliefs That Are So Weird They'll Make You Say, "Really?"

We Filipinos have a lot of ridiculous beliefs about sickness and germs. Good thing Safeguard is always here to set the record straight.

1. Sinok.

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Weird belief: Cure a hiccup by affixing a thread wet with saliva to your forehead.

Truth: That won't do anything but make you look foolish. Instead, try to hold your breath or drink a glass of water as quickly as you can.

2. Bati and usog.

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Weird belief: If you are not feeling well and you make bati with, or greet, a baby, that baby will get usog, meaning you will pass the negative energy to the infant so it will get sick. To resolve this, you have to rub your saliva on the baby's forehead.

Truth: There's no scientific evidence for this. Plus, the baby may get even sicker if you touch it with your saliva. Ick.

3. Pasma.

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Weird belief: It's common advice from the elderly to avoid washing hands that just got sweaty because they will became pasmado, or spasmodic. They say those with pasma will have shaky hands. Nanginginig ka kahit hindi naman malamig.

Truth: There is no scientific proof related to this, so feel free to wash your hands quickly after they get dirty. Use Safeguard na rin para makaiwas sa sakit.

4. Taking a bath after exercise.

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Weird belief: Similarly, you shouldn't take a bath immediately after exercise or you will get sick.

Truth: Take a bath immediately after exercise, so you can feel refreshed. Moreover, taking a bath using cold water will help your muscles recover faster.

5. Sleeping with wet hair.

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Weird belief: If you take a bath at night, you should wait until your hair is dry before your head hits the pillow. If you dose off, you could wake up blind or insane.

Truth: Wet hair does not result in blindness or insanity. It only leads to wet pillows (gross). So, yes, dry your hair.

6. Nuno sa punso.

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Weird belief: You shouldn't play with punso, or small mounds of land commonly found near trees, because dwarves live there and they will make you sick.

Truth: The punso is actually the dwelling of hundreds of termites, and what you'll get are insect bites. Still painful, so stay away.

7. Ugly nicknames.

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Weird belief: You should give your child an ugly nickname so that dwarves won't be interested in bringing them to their kingdom.

Truth: Dwarves are not interested in your kid. Also, maawa ka naman sa anak mo!

8. Suklay at night.

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Weird belief: You will lose all your hair if you comb it at night.

Truth: Hair loss is more scientifically known as alopecia, which has other possible causes, including severe stress or genetics. So comb away!

9. Sitting on a pillow.

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Weird belief: Anyone who regularly sits on pillows will have a slow recovery process when they get sick.

Truth: Putting your butt on a pillow obviously cannot affect your health.

10. Spreading salt.

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Weird belief: Spreading salt on the entrance of a new home will prevent its occupant from getting sick in the future.

Truth: Nagsasayang ka lang ng asin.

11. Having a kuliti.

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Weird belief: Having a kuliti, or a sty, on your eye is proof that nanilip ka to someone who's taking a bath.

Truth: Styes are caused by bacterial infections. Wash your hands with antibacterial soap before touching your eye to avoid being infected.

12. Dry sweat causes pneumonia.

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Weird belief: You should always wipe off sweat because you will get pneumonia if it dries on your body.

Truth: Pneumonia is caused by viruses, bacteria, or fungi in the air, not by dry sweat.

13. You can only get germs by touching dirty things.

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Weird belief: You can stay away from germs if you avoid touching dirty objects.

Truth: Germs can also spread in the air, and they can land on your skin. You don’t have to touch the germs; the germs can touch you.

Still don’t believe in #HANGINfection? Let Alden Richards help you combat that weird health belief with this new video.

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