Pasma refers to a "folk illness" unique to the Filipino culture. As such, it has distinct signs, symptoms, perceived causes and treatments which are recognized in the folk medicine

Folk medicine

-Description:Refers to healing practices and ideas of body physiology and health preservation known to a limited segment of the population in a culture, transmitted informally as general knowledge, and practiced or applied by anyone in the culture having prior experience.All cultures and societies...

 of the Philippines, but these are not described in medical textbooks, discussed in medical schools, or generally recognized by contemporary medical science.

Other Philippine folk illnesses include bangungot and usog

Usog

"Usog" or balis is a topic in psycho-medicine in Filipino Psychology where an affliction or psychological disorder is attributed to a greeting by a stranger, or an evil eye hex...

.

University of the Philippines

University of the Philippines

The ' is the national university of the Philippines. Founded in 1908 through Act No...

 anthropologist Michael Tan

Michael Tan

Michael L. Tan, PhD is a medical anthropologist and writer best known for his work among Non-governmental organizations in the Philippines, and for his column Pinoy Kasi, which appears twice a week in the Philippine Daily Inquirer....

 points out:

I've been lecturing in several medical schools for several years now and I keep urging health professionals to be more inquisitive about these illnesses because even if these are not recognized by mainstream medicine, the ailments are very real as far as people are concerned, causing suffering and may even be cited as the cause of death, as in the case of "bangungot."

Alongside numerous diseases recognized by Filipino folk medicine, pasma is attributed to an interaction of "init" (heat) and "lamig" (cold).