A nebulizer is a small machine that turns liquid medicine into a mist that can be easily inhaled. You sit with the machine and breathe in the medicine through a connected mouthpiece or facemask. This allows the medicine to enter the lungs directly.
How does the Flutter® work? When you breathe out through the Flutter® pressure builds up in your lungs. This helps to keep the airways open wide and also allows air to get behind sputum and help move it upwards.
Chest congestion is often treatable at home using over-the-counter medications like cough medicines. You can also try phlegm and mucus remedies like using a humidifier, steam from the shower or gargling salt water.
When doctors prescribe nebulizers to treat a cough, the medications can provide relief in the following ways: breaking up mucus. reducing inflammation. reducing chest tightness or constriction.
Guaifenesin is an expectorant medication that thins mucus so it's easier to clear out of your body. It won't stop you from coughing, but it'll make your cough more productive (the mucus can come out). Your provider may recommend this medication if you have a cold, flu or bronchitis. Mucinex® is a common brand name.
Water is necessary to thin the mucus and make it easier to cough up. Also, fighting an infection consumes energy, which increases your requirements for water. Fluids like hot tea and broth-y soups will provide the extra hydration your body needs. These hot beverages can also help soothe irritated airways.
Certain essential oils, such as eucalyptus, peppermint, and tea tree oil, are known for their decongestant properties. Otolaryngologists often suggest inhaling these oils through a diffuser or steam inhalation to alleviate nasal congestion naturally.
A positive expiratory pressure (PEP) device helps to loosen and remove mucus buildup in your lungs. It's a type of therapy that helps you clear your airways. There are different kinds of PEP devices. When you exhale into the device, it creates resistance, or pressure, against your breath.
A vest machine is used to loosen mucus from the airways by vibrating the chest. This helps move the mucus so you can cough or suction it out easier. The machine connects to the vest with a hose. The vest is worn over the chest.
Portable suction machines generate negative pressure, which is channeled through a special type of plastic connecting tube called a single-use catheter. The negative pressure creates a vacuum effect that pulls any blood, mucus, or similar secretions out of the throat.
After your nebulization session, don't sterilize the ampoules using heat, as they're made with polycarbonate or plastic. They're materials that are sensitive to heat and you could damage them if you immerse them in boiling water. They would certainly be immaculately clean, but you would have to replace them.
Wheezing stems from the child's lungs (the lower airway). "To tell if the sound you're hearing is a wheeze or not, you have to listen to the lungs," Walsh says. "In general, a wheeze is a higher-pitched sound that happens on the exhale, though it can occasionally happen on the inhale."
The most common side effects of nebulizer treatment are rapid heartbeat, jitteriness and anxiety. Less frequent side effects may include headache, nausea, vomiting or throat irritation. Serious reactions to nebulizer treatment are also possible and should be immediately reported to the prescribing physician.
All day, you inhale bacteria into your body, which gets trapped in the mucus that lines the lungs. Then, little hairs that line your lungs—called cilia—push the mucus out of the lungs. It'll come up your throat, and you'll swallow it back down, usually without noticing it.
An over-the-counter vapor rub such as Vicks can provide immediate relief when massaged onto your chest.
Guaifenesin is used to help clear mucus or phlegm (pronounced flem) from the chest when you have congestion from a cold or flu. It works by thinning the mucus or phlegm in the lungs. This medicine is available both over-the-counter (OTC) and with your doctor's prescription.
Drain the sides of your lungs by lying on your side.
Make sure your chest is lower than your hips. Place two or three pillows under your hips. Use a small pillow under your head if it helps you feel more comfortable. While you rest in this position, do belly breathing.
If you prefer to take a decongestant in pill form, Dr. Daiza recommends looking for ones that contain pseudoephedrine. “That active ingredient is still considered effective and is in many cold remedies,” she says. For congestion related to allergies (instead of a cold), look for antihistamine ingredients.
Take a breath that is slightly deeper than normal. Use your stomach muscles to make a series of three rapid exhalations with the airway open, making a "ha, ha, ha" sound. Follow this by controlled diaphragmatic breathing and a deep cough if you feel mucus moving.
Vicks VapoRub doesn't clear up congestion in the nose. But its strong menthol odor may trick your brain. So you might feel like you're breathing through an unclogged nose. Vicks VapoRub is an ointment that's rubbed on the throat and chest to relieve a cough.