A Didgeridoo Healing Story

The other day I touched on the didgeridoo in a post about the healing properties of Eucalyptus. I would like to share the story of how I was healed of agonizing pain through the didgeridoo.

For those that don't know, the didgeridoo is a musical instrument used by the Australian Aborigines. It is a long hollow tube constructed from branches of the local eucalyptus tree that have been hollowed out by termites. The branch is cut to a suitable length and the ends smoothed over. Beeswax is applied to the mouthpiece end, thick enough to help form a seal with the mouth.

 The instrument is played by pressing the lips together and buzzing with them ( like making a raspberry sound) while making sounds with the throat. A thin stream of air is continiously blown into the pipe by a special method of breathing , called circular breathing. Air is brought in through the nose in short quick bursts, while the cheeks puff with residual air to keep the sound going( kind of like a bagpipe).

The Aborigines used these instruments to make all the sounds of the animals and insects that live within their environment. They can tell stories of what the animals are doing just by replicating their sounds. The dideridoo is considered a sacred instrument by the Aborigines and is used during ceremonies and rituals.

 There is some controversy about whether it is ok for women to play this instrument. Some say is it not allowed and may even have dire consequences such as infertility while others say it is ok but only in informal situations. I'm not sure myself, but I was already infertile before I tried playing one and that didn't change.

 ( As an aside, scientists believe playing the didgeridoo can help snoring and sleep apnea. This appears to work by strengthening muscles in the upper airway, thus reducing their tendency to collapse during sleep.)

If you would like to try and play the didgeridoo yourself, here is a link to a series of videos explaining the technique.

Twenty years ago, I was a passenger in a car accident. We were hit by another car doing about 80 kms an hour, as he T-boned us on the highway. I suffered agonizing back pain for seven years after that. I had a meriad of aches and pains but the worst one by far was a sensation of being stabbed in the back, right between my shoulders with a big knife which was then being twisted inside. This pain was one  hundred percent relentless. It never stopped or lessened for a second. There was NO comfortable position, they all hurt after ten minutes or so. Sitting, standing, lying down, it didn't matter. No drugs could touch it, they made me lethargic and dopy but the pain was still there. I went five days a week for seven years to some kind of therapy. I alternated between;. massage therapy, physiotherapy, chiropracter, acupunture,phsychotherapy, and exercise. They all treated the other symptoms that came about because of the pain( muscle spasm and vertabrae being pulled in different direction, mental anguish, poor posture) but they never touched the pain itself.

I had all but given up on ever being pain free again. I had contemplated suicide, but not knowing for sure how the afterlife might manifest, I was terrified that the pain would follow me through eternity. I could not bear that, so I continued to search and study, looking for answers. Massage Therapy spoke to me and I attended the West Coast College of Massage Therapy.  Shortly after I graduated from Massage Therapy School, I went on a ten day survival course in the Slocan Valley of BC.

The one position that bothered me the most was sitting for any period of time. The trip to get to the course took me two days to get there. I had to stop every three-quarters of an hour or so and get out and walk around and stretch for awhile, before I could continue on. I ended up stopping half way there and spending the night in Kelowna.

On the last day of the course, as we were starting to pack up and say our goodbyes, a fellow came around and asked if anyone wanted to be part of a didgeridoo healing circle. I thought, I will try anything once, so went off to join him. A group of about 20 or so people gathered and lay on the ground, face up, holding hands. Three young men with didgeridoos then commenced walking slowly around the circle and played their instruments over and around our bodies. You could feel the vibrations on your  skin as one passed over you. This went on for quite a long time. The grass below me tickled the back of my neck, various insects came and inspected me, my arms ached, then burned, then went numb from being held out to the side for so long. As much as I wanted to disengage my hand from the person whose hand I was holding, it seemed very important that I did not break the connection of our combined energy field as this was happening. I grit my teeth and bore the pain and torturous feelings.

Finally after what seemed like hours it was over. We slowly got up, shared hugs and goodbyes and went off to finish packing up. The next morning, I got up early, packed up the tent and set off for the journey home. I expected to have the same experience going as I had coming but as the trip wore on, I realized my back wasn't bothering me and I could keep going. Well I made it home in one thirteen hour burst, stopping only to eat. I couldn't believe it! For seven years I been been unable to sit through a movie, I stood in corners or laid on the floor during classes, now suddenly, I could sit all day! I was estatic to say the least. I had dispaired of this pain ever leaving my body, now it was magically gone.

It did finally come back after about a week, but I didn't hardly care. Now I had hope. If it could go away once, it could go away again. That was all I needed to know. I had good days and bad ones, but the good ones became more frequent and lasted longer until one day the bad pain just never came back.

I will never been completely the same. I have stretched ligaments in my spine that cause too much movement of the vertebrae and ribs. I have postural problems from years of compensating for the pain, but the intense pain between the shoulders is gone and that was the worst one by far.

It's too bad that the healing took place on the last day of the course. I was pretty much home by the time I realized the implications of what had happened. I am not sure how or why I was healed nor what they musicians did specifically to orchestrate it. I have given it much thought over the years and have a few theories about it.

One of my theories, is that all things are made from atomic molecules. Atoms are simply particles rapidly bouncing around in their orbit. The number of particular particles and the speed at which they bounce, determines what a bunch of those atoms will look like, skin, wood, water etc. An opera singer can crack a crystal glass with her voice because she can make her voice vibrate at the same resonance as crystal atoms, thus forming a shock wave that collides with the crystal and shatters it. Maybe the vibrations of the sound waves from the didgeridoo had some kind of effect of my own cellular structure in some way that allowed it to heal.

Another theory is based on Masaru Emoto's studies on the effect of sound, colour, and prayers on the crystaline structure of water. I have written a whole post on this amazing concept, please go here to read more. The fact that the human body is made up of over seventy percent water makes it logical to think that something that can affect all that fluid may have a benificial effect on the human body.

There are many courses and studies about using sound as a healing tool. Everything from chanting and toning, to music therapy. I was shown a technique using a round native hand drum to play over a person body as a healing device. Vibration can definately affect us, just look at all the people complaining about the effect of the vibrations caused by large windmill power plants on their health and well-being

I may never know for sure what happened that day, but the one thing I did learn, is to never give up. Even if you can't seem to find a cure or relief from whatever ails you, do not give up. Some challenges are given to us to learn from. Some change us completely in positive ways. ( I would not want to repeat my painful experience but in retrospect is was the best thing that ever happened to me, and changed my life in all ways postive) Some challenges are possible to overcome , once you sort out the root source of the pain, and work to unblock whatever is holding you back from healing. Search with an open mind to what may be possible and believe in miracles, they can happen!

with loving thoughts towards your healing,

Herb Of the Week - Eucalyptus

Eucalyptus Tree - Alternative names - Australian fever tree; Blue gum; Eucalyptus globulus; Red gum

Plant Description:

There are many species of eucalyptus. Some are the size of an ornamental shrub, and some grow to be giant trees. The type of eucalyptus that is most often used medicinally is called blue gum or Australian fever tree. It can grow as high as 230 feet. Its 4 - 12 inch leaves are dark green and shiny. Its blue-gray bark peels to reveal a cream-colored inner bark.

The eucalyptus tree is a native of Australia. The Aborigines used the leaves as a cough and cold treatment.It is used to treat seasonal rhinitis, hay fever, allergies, coughs, colds, recurrent coughs and colds, chronic respiratory mucous over- production and intermittant fevers. Eucalyptus oil is readily steam distilled from the leaves and can be used for cleaning, deodorising, and in very small quantities in food supplements, especially sweets, cough drops and decongestants. It also has insect repellent properties (Jahn 1991 a, b; 1992), and is an active ingredient in some commercial mosquito repellents

 The Aborigines also used limbs of the tree that had been hollowed out by termites to create a musical instrument known by many names but most commonly as a didgeridoo.

In addition to being prominent culturally to the aboriginal Australian, didgeridoos may also have been good for their health. A 2005 study in the British Medical Journal found that learning and practicing the didgeridoo helped reduce snoring and sleep apnea, as well as daytime sleepiness. This appears to work by strengthening muscles in the upper airway, thus reducing their tendency to collapse during sleep.There is some controversy about whether it is ok for women to play the didgeridoo as it is viewed by Aborigines as a male ceremonial instrument. Not only are women forbidden from playing it, but doing so could cause grave consequences, even infertility. Other sources say it was ok for women to play it but only in informal situations.

Another use of the eucalyptus tree is to drain marshy areas. Eucalypts draw a tremendous amount of water from the soil through the process of transpiration. They have been planted  in some places to lower the water table and reduce mosquito breeding grounds, thus preventing the spread of malaria.

Eucalyptus Oil - Eucalyptus oil consists of the volatile oil distilled from the fresh leaves and branch tops of the eucalyptus plant.

Available Forms:

Eucalyptus oil is available in many products, including liquids and ointments.Like eucalyptus oil, the leaves of the eucalyptus plant contain substances that have expectorant, antibacterial, and antiseptic properties, but the leaves are also believed to help reduce inflammation and reduce fevers The leaves of the eucalyptus plant are available fresh, dried (to be used in teas), and in liquid extracts (solution made from herb and alcohol or herb, alcohol, and water). Commercial cough drops, syrups, vaporizer fluids, liniments, toothpastes, and mouthwashes may contain eucalyptus oil or its active ingredient, cineole. Some of the familiar over-the-counter remedies that contain eucalyptus oil include Listerine, Mentholatum Cherry Chest Rub, and Vicks VapoRub.

Topical ointments containing eucalyptus oil have been used in traditional Aboriginal medicines to heal wounds and fungal infections. Herbalists recommend the use of fresh leaves in teas and gargles to soothe sore throats and treat bronchitis and sinusitis.Ointments containing eucalyptus leaves are also applied to the nose and chest to relieve congestion. Eucalyptus oil helps loosen phlegm, so many health care providers recommend inhaling eucalyptus vapors to help treat bronchitis, coughs, and the flu.On the skin, eucalyptus oil has been used to treat arthritis, boils, sores and wounds. The oil can also be rubbed on the skin as an insect repellent.Eucalyptus oil is also rich in cineole (a potent antiseptic that kills bacteria responsible for bad breath), so some professional herbalists may also recommend diluted eucalyptus tinctures to treat bad breath.


Eucalyptus Steam - I find when I am congested, that nothing relieves me faster than a eucalyptus steam. Add boiling water to a bowl and put in one or two drops of eucalyptus oil. Lean your head over the bowl and cover your head with a towel to trap in the steam vapours. Take slow deep breathes through your nose. You will be breathing fine in just a few minutes.


Side Effects and Cautions
Individuals with inflammation of the kidneys or gastrointestinal tract, bile duct inflammatory disease, liver disease, or low or high blood pressure should not use eucalyptus leaf extract. Tannins in the leaves may cause stomach upset or kidney and liver damage if leaf preparations are ingested in large amounts.

Children should not ingest eucalyptus leaves or oil. Only children older than 6 years of age should take cough drops containing eucalyptus.Use of eucalyptus as steam, salve, or chest rub may be appropriate for children. The doses for these uses are similar to those for adults. Eucalyptus oil should not be applied to the face or nose of children under age 2.

General Safety Advisory

The information in these documents do not replace medical advice.
Before taking an herb or a botanical, consult a doctor or other health care provider -- especially if you have a disease or medical condition, take any medications, are pregnant or nursing, or are planning to have an operation.
Before treating a child with an herb or a botanical, consult with a doctor or other health care provider.
Like drugs, herbal or botanical preparations have chemical and biological activity. They may have side effects. They may interact with certain medications. These interactions can cause problems and can even be dangerous.
If you have any unexpected reactions to an herbal or a botanical preparation, inform your doctor or other health care provider.