Rehabilitating the Lungs from Shock and Trauma

Back in the days when soldiers were exposed on the war field to sudden strong vibrational assault from bombs and the like, they would often lose consciousness. The standard procedure was to resuscitate them, get the heart going and then do other things like clean and stitch up wounds and so on. As the soldier recovered however it was noticed that at at time when it looked he was on the mend, his lungs started giving trouble. Breathing became restricted and made it close to impossible for the healing processes that had to continue for them to recover fully from other wounds.

This backsliding of the lungs into trauma was called ‘Shock Lung’ and the medical establishment, unwilling to accept that nervous shock could cause such a powerful physical threat to life long after the moment, it became classified as ‘Acute Pulmonary Distress’ and other such terms and treated as an independently existing condition.

In reality, it has been known to traditional healers that one of the symptoms of shock or trauma is the clenching or cramping up of the lungs. Asthma, bronchitis, fluid in the lungs and lung cavity, skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis, all are the result of unresolved lung trauma.

There isn’t really anything drastic and sudden than can be done to get the lungs to get back to normal breathing. Full recovery is possible however with gentle consistent re-training to breathe normally and rehabilitating and regenerating the nerves around the lungs and heart.

Re-training the lungs to breathe again

It’s all about just learning to breathe in fully, hold the breath in for a few seconds and then breathe out fully and hold the breath out for a few seconds. It’s just lung stretching really.

It is easy to do actually, but most people find it hard because the nervous system is still in the trauma frequency and the person who has now gotten used to that frenetic pace is nearly always too scared to relax and come back down to a stable not-so-dramatic frequency. The usual feeling is a sense of fear that “If I relax and the shock happens again I will not be able to deal with it.” It’s important to realize that being on edge isn’t going to help if something that needs you to be on the alert happens.

Once you’ve well and truly accepted that it makes more sense and is advantageous to be calm and relaxed instead of tense and on edge, then it becomes easy to re-train your lungs and nervous system to breathe calmly and fully again.

Rehabilitating and regenerating the nerves around the lungs and heart

If the trauma or shock is something that is recent and pin-pointed and described easily there isn’t any special need for anything more than some good sleep, time off sitting near a natural water body, resting with loved ones, coming to terms with life now and food with a decent amount of good fat in it.

If the trauma or shock was repetitive, something that happened a long time ago or too deep for the person to talk or think about without acute distress, there are herbs that will support the body and spirit in coming out of the trauma frequency or the trauma denial frequency.

Some of the herbs I use most often for recovery from trauma to the lungs are:

Papaya Leaf is well known as a cure for the breathlessness experienced with malarial fever and dengue. It relieves lung stress by raising the platelets in the blood, relieving the anemia that often sets in as a result of the shock.

Quebracha Aspidosperma is a tree whose bark has the ability to immediately strengthen the nerve centers on the lungs. Both in the moment and over the long term Quebracha helps the person breathe deeper, stop feeling so claustrophobic and reduces nerve pain while breathing. In doing so, it helps break the habit of shallow breathing.

Passionflower is a nervine – some consider it a sedative. I have found it very useful in treating trauma around the lungs because it helps the body come out of breathing patterns caused by stress and into a much calmer zone where it is easy for the lungs to function. Passionflower actually is good for a good sleep because it keeps the lungs calm through sleep and that’s very important for deep sleep.

Cocculus Indica has a detangling effect on cramped up tense nerves. In large doses it is a poison, but in the the right dose it relieves the tightness caused by traumatized nerve endings and gently wakes up areas of the lungs that have gone into shock caused by sudden change. It is good for emergency treatment as well as over the long term as it helps breaks the habit of reacting to stress by holding the breath tight and shallow. It is especially good for those who also react to trauma with gastric disturbances and have been exposed to a lot of liver stress due to medication and drugs.

Sarsaparilla is a vitalizer of the lungs (and the rest of the body as well). Very often, lungs in trauma maintain a sort of chill in contrast to the rest of the body around them. Sarsaparilla relieves this chill, improves blood circulation around the lungs and does this thoroughly so the lungs are able to expand fully. Sarsaparilla also helps the lungs expel fluid that should not be caught up there, and so addresses all the skin disorders – eczema, psoriasis etc. that are a result of toxins held in lung fluid.

Houseleek or Sempervivum is an amazing tonic for those whose lungs have been weak for a long time, whose trauma was caused in the womb, through a traumatic birth or in their developing years. When the lungs have been under-functioning for a long time, parts of it become used to using very little energy and just never develop. Houseleek helps those under-developed areas begin to develop and grow and expand.

Salix Nigra is the Black Willow tree – an expert at very slow deep complete breathing. It supports the lungs in getting out of erratic breathing patterns that are behind a lot of the disorders of the body that result from trauma. It is vitalizing without being over-stimulating and is good for so many more things than lung function.

Cactus – While we’re on the topic of erratic breathing; one of the main causes of it is an erratic heartbeat which is nearly always caused by trauma. Cactus helps the nerves around the heart and lungs heal and get back to functioning smoothly so the heart and lungs can both calm down and get back into a stable rhythm.

Rumex Crispus or Yellow Dock helps breathing rhythm stabilize by supporting the lungs in efficient passage of air right through to every corner. It strengthens the lungs in general and helps the interaction of the lungs with the heart and the nervous system become stable. It is also excellent emergency aid when a person is not unable to come back to a normal breathing pattern after trauma or shock.

Mistletoe is a balancer of body temperature and energy levels. For those whose body temperature isn’t quite stable, this is a slow working but effective remedy. The lungs play a big role in maintaining body temperature. It is the lungs, along with the skin that first sense changes in the atmosphere around us. People with shock lung or lung trauma inevitably find it hard to adapt the body to the changes in temperature around them and this results in several other imbalances in the body. Mistletoe, a climbing herb, has a powerful internal mechanism to adapt itself to changing environment and conditions beyond it’s own control. It helps us do the same.

Digitalis is for those with weak heart function, who could use some help increasing heart beat vitality while the lungs are healing and recovering. It affects the lungs too, interestingly, by helping the lungs actually process air better. When there is a tendency to catch respiratory tract infections often, Digitalis helps recovery from the infection, keeps the load light on the lungs.

Valerian works as an energizer in small doses. For shock lung, it helps release tension from taut and tired nerves.

Drosera or Pitcher Plant has the nutrition and heat required to help lungs expel residual fluid and get back to strong healthy elasticity.

Saw Palmetto has the nutrition to help the tissue of which the lungs are made of become strong and well-fed.

Convallaria (Lily of the Valley) stimulates the muscle tissue of the body relieving spasms caused by nerve endings on muscle tissue. In big doses it’s a poison, in small doses very good rehabilitation of lung function.

It has been known for a long time now that adding a handful of cherries to your diet – taken an hour or two before you go to bed can do wonders for the lungs.