Answer
Neither your mother's hiatus hernia nor her medication could have brought on the problems with her lungs. Emphysema is a progressive disease cause d by damage to the small air sacs in the lungs, which causes them to lose their elasticity.  As a result, air gets trapped in the sacs making it difficult to exhale and leading to shortness of breath.   Cigarette smoking is the most common cause, but exposure to secondhand smoke, chemical fumes, indoor and outdoor pollution can also be to blame.  Sometimes a rare genetic enzyme deficiency is responsible, but this usually is associated with cases diagnosed before age 50 (and earlier for smokers).

Emphysema typically is treated with bronchodilators and corticosteroids to improve breathing.  Physicians may also recommend using low-flow oxygen during exercise or for those who have night-time breathing problems.  Beyond that, treatment options are few. Here are some suggestions to protect the lungs from further damage:

*Increase your dietary sources of carotenes, such as carrots, sweet potatoes, yellow squash and leafy green vegetables.
*Exercise to build stamina, but get your doctor's approval first.
*Maintain normal weight. If you're overweight, your heart has to work harder, and you're more likely to experience shortness of breath.  If you're underweight, you will have lower energy stores to draw from.
*Try to avoid exposure to air pollution, which can worsen emphysema symptoms. Stay indoors if pollution levels are high.
*See your doctor promptly if you develop a cold or the flu, both of which can worsen symptoms. Be sure to get flu shots annually and ask your physician about being vaccinated against pneumococcal pneumonia.
*Practice deep abdominal breathing exercises.  It can improve efficiency of breathing and allay anxiety associated with "air hunger" that is a common symptom of emphysema.
Feeling bloated?  What are some of the best natural diuretics for getting rid of fluid?

Answer
Diuretics, whether natural or synthetic, increase the amount of urine you would normally excrete.
Ordinarily, the kidneys make urine by filtering out water and sodium and potassium ions from the blood. Through a complex process, the kidneys return an exact amount of sodium and potassium ions and some water to the blood stream so these levels will remain constant. 

The rest of the water goes into the bladder as urine. When blood flow to the kidneys declines due to illness, they respond by retaining water, which is why diuretics are prescribed. As you probably know, doctors also prescribe diuretics to treat high blood pressure, congestive heart failure, and liver disease, all of which cause water retention.

You don't say why you are interested in natural diuretics. However, this question often comes up when people are trying to lose weight.If that's your intent, you should know that any weight loss you see as a result of diuretic use will only be temporary. 

Prolonged use or abuse of any diuretics without medical supervision can lead to dehydration, which can cause kidney damage and an imbalance in normal levels of electrolytes (e.g., sodium and potassium), which are vital to heart, kidney and liver function. When electrolytes are out of balance, you're at high risk for heart failure and sudden death.

On that cautionary note, I can tell you that if you're seeking to eliminate excess fluid due to pre-menstrual bloating, your best bet is to avoid foods high in sodium.

Beverages containing caffeine and alcohol have a diuretic effect, and several other foods including celery, onion, eggplant, asparagus and watermelon are said to have a diuretic effect. In addition, the herbs hawthorn and parsley are used as diuretics in natural medicine.

Of these, hawthorn, (crataegus oxycanthus) is the most powerful. If youhave a medical condition for which diuretics are prescribed, you would be much better off following your physician's recommendation than trying to treat yourself with alternative remedies.