Respiratory Treatments

💡TL;DR: Most MDIs keep spraying propellant even when the medicine is gone, so you can’t tell by sight, sound, taste, or shaking. Check a built‑in dose counter (zero means empty) or track your puffs: many rescue inhalers have 200 doses and many controllers have 120. Replace before

💡TL;DR: Yes, you can use a nebulizer with oxygen; they do different jobs and are often used together. If you already use oxygen, keep your nasal cannula on during treatment or use oxygen to power the nebulizer at 6–8 L/min for a proper mist. Exception: some people

💡TL;DR: Yes — you can do most pulmonary rehab at home with daily breathing practice, regular walking, and simple strength exercises; evidence shows home programs can achieve similar benefits (Cochrane) to center-based rehab when done consistently. Build toward 20–30 minutes of moderate aerobic activity most days plus strength training

💡TL;DR: Fastest relief: combine postural drainage, gentle clapping, and huff coughing to move mucus now. Add warm steam and steady fluids to thin mucus; you can often feel movement within minutes when you hold positions for 5–10 minutes per side and do 2–3 huffs before a cough.

💡TL;DR: Nebulizers can relieve wheezing and chest tightness during wildfire smoke by delivering bronchodilators, but they do not remove smoke particles or clean the air. Your best defense is exposure reduction: stay indoors with a HEPA purifier and wear a well-fitted N95 outdoors. For many, a quick-relief inhaler with

💡TL;DR: Never put essential oils in a medical nebulizer. A nebulizer is for sterile, water-based medicines and saline; oils can damage the device and irritate or inflame your lungs. Strong fragrances and VOCs can trigger symptoms in sensitive people, and rare oil exposure has been linked to lipoid pneumonia;

💡TL;DR: Cystic lung disease is a pattern, not one disease; the most common causes are LAM, PLCH, and Birt–Hogg–Dubé. HRCT is the key test to sort causes, with targeted labs like VEGF-D (LAM) or FLCN genetics (BHD) when needed. Treatment depends on the cause: quitting smoking often

💡TL;DR: Nebulizers help croup only when used with epinephrine in a medical setting; relief starts within minutes but typically wears off in about 2 hours, so observation is needed. Dexamethasone is the gold‑standard treatment and usually improves breathing in 2–3 hours, with effects lasting 24–72 hours.

💡TL;DR: Nebulizers (like albuterol) usually do not help typical RSV bronchiolitis in infants, and major guidelines advise against routine use (AAP via AAFP). Supportive care—cool‑mist humidifier, nasal saline with gentle suction, and fluids—is the mainstay (Mayo Clinic). A brief, monitored bronchodilator trial may be considered only