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Mucus thinners, such as mucolytics, are inhaled medications that help thin the mucus in the airways so you can cough it out of your lungs more easily. The three main types of mucus thinners are hypertonic saline, mannitol (Bronchitol^®), and dornase alfa (Pulmozyme^®).

It can be difficult to find time for daily CF treatments in your already jam-packed lives, but your respiratory therapist can help.

Our daughter's airway clearance treatment with the vest went more smoothly after we learned a few tricks.

We asked -- and hundreds of you answered -- how you pass the time during long treatments. Check out what the CF community told us when we asked what makes you #morethanCF.

I went through my first surgery recently. I want to share what I learned during my recovery.

When our daughter was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, all I could think about was walking into that first CF clinic appointment and walking out with “the vest.” Although transitioning to the vest was the change I feared the most, it's been a welcome change to our once-difficult routine.

Active cycle of breathing technique (ACBT) combines different breathing techniques that help clear mucus from the lungs in three phases. The first phase helps you relax your airways. The second phase helps you to get air behind mucus and clears mucus. The third phase helps force the mucus out of your lungs.

There are different ways to clear your airways. Most are easy to do. Infants and toddlers will need help from a parent or caregiver. Older kids and adults can choose airway clearance techniques (ACTs) that they can do on their own.

Although cystic fibrosis affects many parts of the body, the focus is often on the lungs because of the disease's effect on breathing. 

Autogenic drainage (AD) means “self-drainage” and uses different speeds of breathing to move mucus. To do it, your respiratory therapist can teach you how to control your breaths. You will learn how fast and deeply to breathe to fill certain parts of your lungs with air. AD can take some practice and is usually recommended for people age 8 and older.