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Bais, Negros Oriental - Miguel del Prado isn't a miracle healer. Neither is
he an “ambularyo.” He specializes in relieving pain or discomfort that is traced
to a nerve or soft tissue problem. His method is strictly by touch with a
scientific basis.
At the Hacienda Florentina in this sugar heartland, Del Prado yesterday said
he doesn't compete with orthopaedic surgeons, physical therapists or
chiropractors. His line of work is an alternative option, which is loosely
promoted as “hilot,” a somewhat indigenous Filipino approach of treating muscle
pain, in the increasingly popular field of medical tourism.
“I don't align or fix bones,” said Del Prado whose father Nonoy manages the
family-owned hacienda. “I focus on soft tissues. I don't use instruments and I
don't employ assistants. I work with my hands on my own. I don't advertise. People
come to see me by word of mouth. My gratification is when I'm able to relieve
people of their pain. It's a career that I've been encouraged to develop by
doctors who believe in the option of alternative medicine.”
Del Prado, 26, was born with the gift of “touch,” something the local
hacienda “hilot” Fely Aguilar saw when he was just two months old. He discovered
his “gift” at eight and never held back sharing it. Del Prado earned a pre-med
biology degree at La Salle in 2005 and seriously thought of taking up medicine. He
toured Europe alone for three months after graduation, went into deep soul-
searching and came back home ready to embark on his chosen profession.
“I call it myovaso therapy as I deal with the muscles and the vascular
system,” said Del Prado, the second of five children. “For instance, I treat
tendonitis which involves an accumulation of fluid. By feel, I trace the source of
the problem, checking the muscles and finding the pressure points to open up the
channels to drain the fluid. Once, a lady visited complaining of radiating pain
from the shoulder to the hand. For three years, she couldn't be relieved because
the focus of her treatment was in the hand and arm. I traced the source of the
problem to a pinched nerve in the neck and after unlocking the nerve, the pain was
gone.”
Last week, Del Prado arrived from Soto Grande, Spain, where he was invited
to treat the world's top polo players for 23 days. He attended to the crack polo
stars in the same resort last year and because of his success, was asked to come
back, this time with more athletes seeking his expertise.
Del Prado's work has been cited in “Silvia's Book,” a directory of referrals
for expatriates in the Philippines, and in “Town and Country” which featured four
practitioners in an article on wellness.
Del Prado was recently invited to teach at a well-known Manila medical
School but declined. “I don't know if this is something you can teach,” he said.
“I can share my knowledge and experiences with others but I don't think myovaso
therapy can be taught.”
When his reputation spread, Del Prado's mother Wing said they had to screen
callers.
“We got calls from stroke victims who, of course, Miguel doesn't treat,” she
said. “We got calls from people asking his healing hours like he was a healing
priest. So we had to explain that his work has to do only with the use of his
hands in treating pain or discomfort traced to soft tissues, muscles and nerves.”
Del Prado's work isn't confined in this town. Beyond Bais, he attends to
patients in Metro Manila, Cebu and Dumaguete. “If there's something I can do for
those who still can't find relief for their pain after seeing doctors, therapists
and chiropractors, I'm more than willing to do what I can,” he said. “I offer an
alternative. My whole purpose is to be of service.”