Healing Beyond Medicine: Lived Experiences of Individuals Seeking Folk Healing in Kinabuhayan Dolores, Quezon Province
Journal of Medical and Health Studies May 21, 2026 Jerick R. Cruzat, Adelyn R. Arban, Rino S. Gelena Jr et al.
Filipino adults in Kinabuhayan, Dolores, Quezon Province seek folk healing due to family traditions, economic barriers to biomedical care, chronic recurring illnesses, and spiritual beliefs about illness causation. Healing is experienced as holistic, shaped by ritual practices, the sacred landscape of Mt. Banahaw, and trusting relationships with healers. Recovery is interpreted through embodied signs of improvement and strengthened faith rather than biomedical diagnosis. Participants navigate flexibly between folk and biomedical systems. The findings highlight the importance of culturally-sensitive nursing care that bridges traditional and biomedical health systems.