Respiratory Treatments

💡TL;DR: Black throat mucus is not normal and usually means soot, smoke, or old blood is mixing into your phlegm. It most often follows heavy exposure to smoke or dust; less often it signals infection (for example, TB) or bleeding from a lung condition. See a clinician if black

💡TL;DR: Budesonide inhalation suspension is a daily controller medicine nebulized to prevent asthma symptoms; each treatment takes about 5–10 minutes and full benefit may take 1–2 weeks. Do not use it for sudden breathing problems; keep a rescue inhaler for attacks. Jet nebulizers are effective and affordable

💡TL;DR: No, do not give albuterol nebulizer treatments every 2 hours on a routine basis. The usual home interval is every 4–6 hours as needed because the effect lasts about 4 hours; giving it sooner adds side effects (tremor, fast heartbeat) with little extra benefit (source: Mayo Clinic)

💡TL;DR: Humans breathe with negative pressure: your chest expands, pressure inside drops, and air is pulled in. When you need support, positive pressure devices like ventilators or CPAP/BiPAP push air in at a higher pressure than the air around you. In hospitals, positive pressure is standard for surgery

💡TL;DR: A nebulizer helps when allergies trigger chest symptoms like wheeze or tightness, but it will not unclog a stuffy nose. Inhalers work in seconds but need good technique; nebulizers take about 5–10 minutes and are easier during flares or for kids and older adults. Expect typical costs

💡TL;DR: Hypertonic saline, dornase alfa (Pulmozyme), and inhaled mannitol thin CF mucus so you can clear it. Saline is widely used and relatively low cost, Pulmozyme has strong evidence but higher cost and device requirements, and mannitol is for adults only after a clinic tolerance test. In a 48-week

💡TL;DR: Most children 2 years and older use 2.5 mg per nebulizer treatment; infants under 2 need a doctor-determined, weight-based dose. Typical frequency is every 4–6 hours as needed (up to 3–4 treatments per day) per your child's written plan. Jet and portable mesh

💡TL;DR: Mucomyst is acetylcysteine, a prescription mucolytic you inhale with a nebulizer to thin stubborn lung mucus in conditions like cystic fibrosis, COPD, and bronchiectasis. Most people use 10% or 20% solution in short sessions that last about 10–15 minutes, typically 3–4 times per day as directed.

💡TL;DR: High altitude lowers oxygen pressure; people with COPD often feel breathless sooner, especially above about 5,000 ft (1,500 m) and on flights pressurized to ~6,000–8,000 ft. Many can travel safely with planning: see your clinician for a pre‑trip check, consider a hypoxia