"folk illness" unique to the Filipino culture. 

2.  it refers to "folk illness" unique to
the Filipino culture.
 Spanish word “espasmo”, which means
"spasm."
 commonly brought about by exposure
of "cold" and water in many forms.

3.  attributed to an interaction of "init" (heat)
and "lamig" (cold). Under certain
conditions, the body's muscles
(kalamnan) are said to be "hot" and
should not be too quickly brought into
contact with "cold,"
 most common symptoms of pasma are
hand tremors, sweaty palms, numbness
and pains.

4.  Tremors or shakiness (pangangatal), especially of
the hand, in traditional rural notion of health and
disease, is almost always initially attributed to
pasma.
 • Numbness (pagmamanhid) and swelling
(pamamaga) and pain (kirot) of the hands and
feet, and sometimes of the knees, commonly
blamed on too frequent washing, invariably pass
through the "pasma" diagnosis.
 • Abdominal pains for those who take baths during
their menstrual periods or wash after sexual
intercourse.

5.  • Unsightly veins in the hands and legs, are
attributed to the too frequent exposure of the
body to cold water after hot or washing when
tired or physically exhausted.
 • Pasmang-bituka, abdominal pains and
flatulence attributed to drinking cold water
when tired and coming from the heat.
 • Pasmang-sapatos, sweating of the feet from
tired and shod feet getting wet in the rain.

6.  • Pasmang-matanda, a common arthritic
affliction of the hands, feet and knees in
older patients, is often attributed to
frequent practice of the tired-cold bathing.
 • Pasmang-mata, the frequent blinking and
visual blurring in someone who spends the
good part of the day inside a hot and
sweaty environment, and washing the face
at day's end with cold water.

7.  symptoms of pasma are similar to those
found in people with diabetes mellitus
and thyroid dysfunction.
 neurological in nature and may be
linked to some kind of nervous
dysfunction

8.  mythologies and superstitions enter into
the mechanisms of causation. Local
healers, through diagnostic "tawas," may
attribute "pasma" to vengeful earth folks
– duwende or nuno-sa-punso

9.  avoiding tiresome, repetitive movements
of the upper extremities, showering and
bathing in the morning, and avoiding
washing clothes after ironing.
 massages using ginger, coconut oil,
alcohol, garlic, and camphor oil.

10. Massage
• Ginger, coconut oil and alcohol: A
concoction of ground or mashed ginger (luya)
is mixed with a little alcohol and coconut oil,
for massage to the tremulous, painful or swollen
extremities.
• Ginger, garlic, camphor, onions, etc: Another
preparation used for massage therapy is a
concoction of ginger, coconut oil, onions,
garlic, camphor, wintergreen and a small
amount of scrapings from naphthalene balls.
s.

11.  • Ginger, litlit or ikmo, and coconut oil:
Another herbal preparation used for
massage therapy is a concoction of
juice from pounded ginger and litlit or
ikmo to which is added coconut oil.
 • Hugas-Bigas: More easily accessible is
the use of hugas-bigas (water from the
washing of uncooked rice) for use in
massage treatment

12. Wash and soaks
 • Salt soaks: For sweating of the hands or feet,
soaking into lukewarm decoctions of salted water for
one-half to one hour.
 • Salt and Bayabas Leaves The salt residue from
home ice-cream makers is mixed with water and
bayabas leaves, boiled and used as a healing wash
to the extremities.
 • Salt and Gas: The ice-cream maker salt residue is
mixed with "gas" (used for rural lighting) and used for
washing the extremities.

13.  • Hugas Bigas (rice-water) is saved and
used for washing or sponge-baths.
 • Tawas: Bath water is prepared with
tawas boiled and dissolved in it.
 • Urine: In some provinces, the warm first
morning urine, is used as a soak-and-wash
for tremors, numbness and
excessive sweating.

14.  Sand-and-Sweat Therapy: Seaside
treatment – digging and lying covered
with sand for 3-5 hours.
 • Herbal-Steam Therapy: Steam from
boiling decoction of lagundi leaves (with
or without kalamansi leaves) is funneled
toward the body, like a modified steam
bath, for a half hour, daily as needed.

15.  • Pasmang-bituka: Daily salted
decoctions of solasi (Holy basil).
 • Tawas: In regions where pasma is
sometimes attributed to vengeful earth
folks, tawas is the folkhealer's favorite
modality, not uncommonly
supplemented with a bulong or orasyon.