Julie, a hospital dietician who also teaches yoga, recently brought her son 12-year-old son, Max, to see me, very distressed because Max suffers continuous lung infections, contracting at least two chest infections a year. For years, Julie has fed Max a diet free of diary, wheat, chemicals and preservatives hoping that such clean eating will help prevent these frequent lung infections. After 10 years battling with his condition, Julie finally sought help from a Chinese medical practitioner.

On examining Max, I found he has a weak constitution, looks rather frail and is quietly spoken. TCM regards this condition as weak zhong qi: weak central energy.

In TCM, lungs are the first organ to be affected by pathogens. The main function of the lungs is to govern qi, to make sure that the defensive energy is strong so that it can fight invading pathogens. When the energy of the lung is weakened, the external pathogens easily penetrate into a deeper level and cause disease.

Clinically, the most common lung diseases are acute and chronic cough, asthma, bronchitis, and pneumonia. TCM views these conditions as wind cold, wind heat, wind water or damp phlegm, phlegm heat, phlegm fluid attacking the lung due to lung qi deficiency, and lung yin deficiency.

How does lung qi and lung yin become deficient? Diet is a factor, as good nutrition is the foundation of good health, and eating a balanced, low-reactive, clean diet is definitely beneficial for lung function. So the question is, why do some people still suffer frequent lung disease even when they eat well?

Max’s case is a typical example. When Julie was pregnant with Max, her mother died and she grieved for five months. She passed the energy of this emotion onto her baby. The emotion that affects the lung is grief. Grieving of any type obstructs the flow of lung qi; when lung qi is obstructed, the organ suffers and become diseased.
Max, who was born three weeks prematurely, started his life with weaker lungs. After his immunisation, he began to get one cold after another. When he was six years old, his parents separated, and little Max could not understand why this had to happen. At that time, he suffered a major lung infection, which lasted for three month. Doctors prescribed several courses of antibiotics. Max subsequently developed asthma. Today, he contracts a lung infection whenever he is sad about something.

I also discovered that Max does not like wearing shoes at home. Whenever he walks on the cold tile floor during cold weather, he gets a chest infection or cough. On the soles of the feet is a very important kidney meridian. The kidney is a partner organ of the lungs. When cold penetrates into the kidneys via the feet, it causes kidney qi deficiency. Kidney qi deficiency further causes lung qi deficiency. When lung qi is deficient, the first layer of defence is weakened; this allowing the invasion of pathogens, opening the way for disease to set in.

This condition occurs in adults as well as children. I have patients with coughs that have lasted for 20 years. They have undergone various elimination diets and taken numerous nutritional supplements, all with limited success. Natural therapists often find it frustrating to treat chronic lung problems as many patients do not respond to nutritional treatment in the way they are expected to. In many instances, other aspects of their lives are also contributing to their recurrent lung problems.

Lung weakness and recurrent lung infection are preventable. I’ve spoken of the importance of optimal nutrition; I also need to address the issues of smoking, passive smoking and environmental toxicity. Everyone knows smoking and passive smoking are bad for the lungs. If you smoke and you are not ready to give it up, you need to take high doses of antioxidants such as coenzyme Q10, vitamin E, vitamin C, alpha lipoic acid and green tea. Those who work with chemicals or use a lot of chemical products should detox regularly by taking detoxification nutrients like glutathione, alpha lipoic acid, and milk thistle, or find a clinic that does infrared sauna therapy, which allows you to rapidly sweat out the toxins.

If you are grieving, honour that feeling for a while and then gently let it go. Transform the emotion of grief to an emotion of peace in your heart. Grief is there for us to learn about appreciating someone or something we have lost. It is not there for us to live a miserable life and suffer constant lung infections or asthma.
Here are some very effective traditional drinks that Chinese people use regularly to prevent lung disease and strengthen the lung’s protective function.

1.Steamed pear and rock sugar. Cut a pear in half, remove the core, and place a three-centimetre piece of rock sugar into each pear half. Place the pear in a bowl with 100 ml of purified or spring water and steam on high heat for 10 minutes. Eat while hot.
2.Apricot kernel, mandarin peel and honey drink. Buy 10 grams of apricot kernel herb from a Chinese herb shop. Combine with one whole mandarin peel and 250 ml water in a saucepan. Boil for two minutes. Add one teaspoon honey. Drink while hot.

3.Fresh loquat leaf. Combine four loquat leaves with two three-centimetre pieces of fresh ginger and 500 ml water in a saucepan. Boil for ten minutes. Add one teaspoon of honey. Drink the tea hot. This drink is for winter only.

4.White fungus (white wood-ear) soup. Soak two large white fungus overnight in spring water until puffed up and soft. Boil the white fungus in two litres of water for 15 minutes, then simmer for two hours. Eat the fungus and drink the soup while hot.
This article was first published in the magazine “Nature and Health”

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