"Bales" (na-bales, na-bati) refers to a condition of headache or stomach cramps attributed to the negative effect of a greeting that contains a positive physical comment (ex: "your hair looks nice," "you look wonderful," etc). An immediate verbal antidote (pang-kontra) is needed to prevent "bales." The common counter-utterance is: "Puwera usog!"

An alternative remedy is to use the salive of the person who did the greeting or comment believed to have caused the "bales." The finger-tip wet with the saliva is crossed on the forehead or abdomen.

A home herbal treatment consists of mashing leaves of atis on salt, crossing it on the abdomen and filling the belly button area with the salted herbal mash.

Failure of the verbal antidote or home herbal remedies to ease the malady might warrant a visit to the albularyo who may suggest a whole body application of "nga-nga" (a chewable mixture of bunga [betel nut], apog, lilit leaves, and tabakong intsik) or "unton" (any of a variety of materials, like: tree bark, sili leaves, Chinese tobacco, carabao horn, etc. that is pinned on the shirt).

In some rural communities, a "mangdudura" , a layperson believed to possess the ability to counter "bales"-induced headaches, may provide his style of remedy by chewing leaves of choice or ginger, spitting the salivated glob on his palm wherein the thumb is placed and then dabbed and crossed on various parts of the body.