JustCare

Tag: Asthma

  • In winter, expect more chronic conditions

    In winter, expect more chronic conditions

    We all know there are foods and behaviors we need to avoid in order to feel healthy. We might lose sleep or get stomach upset if we eat foods with gluten or drink wine. We might mess up our backs if we lift items that are heavy. Similarly, if we spend too much time in the cold, we might experience symptoms of psoriasis, asthma, arthritis and raynaud’s disease. Heidi Godman reports for Harvard Health on how winter exacerbates chronic conditions.

    Psoriasis causes your skin to grow quickly, developing red patches as a result of dry skin or excess indoor heat. A virus or strep throat in the winter can also lead to psoriasis.

    What can you do to reduce your risk of psoriasis? Don’t spend a lot of time in the shower and avoid using hot water. Humidifiers help, as does a moisturizer on your skin each day immediately after a shower. It’s also helpful to go out into the sun for at least 10 minutes a day, of course, with sunscreen.

    Asthma is a chronic lung condition that results from breathing in pollen or pollution. Your lungs inflame and your airways narrow. Cold air is a trigger, causing your airways to tighten. (NB: If you use an inhaler and you have Medicare, your out-of-pocket costs should come down soon.)

    What can you do to reduce your risk of asthma? Avoid going outside when it’s super cold. And, before you go out, take a precautionary puff of an inhaler. Wear a mask outside to keep your lungs warm. Avoid being near firepit smoke. And, wash your hands frequently when you are around others.

    Raynaud’s disease constricts your blood vessels in cold weather. As a result, your fingers and toes might turn white from lack of blood flow. It can be painful! Raynaud’s disease is particularly common among thin women.

    What can you do to reduce your risk of Raynaud’s disease? Don’t go outside in the very cold unless necessary and wear lots of warm clothing, including a hat, coat, gloves. If possible, use foot and hand warmers. The symptoms tend to fade once you’re back in a warm environment.

    Arthritis tends to flare up in cold weather, causing joint pain. It’s not clear why, the evidence is scanty.

    What can you do to avoid arthritis? Stay warm! Use a heating pad or take a hot shower. Consider wearing a brace on your joint to lower the risk of inflammation. Exercise also can help a lot, reducing inflammation and getting your blood flowing. That should ease your pain. If not, speak to your physician.

    Here’s more from Just Care:

  • If you use an inhaler, your out-of-pocket costs should come down soon

    If you use an inhaler, your out-of-pocket costs should come down soon

    As of Saturday June 8, many people in the US will pay $35 a month out of pocket for their asthma medications, reports NBC News. AstraZeneca and Boehringer Ingelheim have agreed to limit people’s out-of-pocket costs for inhalers. GlaxoSmithKline says it will also limit people’s out-of-pocket costs but not until next year. The cap does not apply to people with Medicare.

    People in other developed countries pay far less than Americans for their inhalers. Americans have been paying 13 times what Brits pay for AstraZeneca inhalers, $645 as compared to $49. Teva charges Americans $286 for their inhalers and Germans $9.

    And, we’re talking millions of Americans are paying insane costs for inhalers. Twenty-seven million Americans suffer from asthma. Five million of them are children.

    Today, even with insurance, many Americans cannot afford their asthma medicines. Costs for insured people with asthma can easily be $350 a month in the US, when you fold in the cost of additional medications such as albuterol.

    Black Americans are more at risk than white Americans. Black Americans have far worse health outcomes. Black children with asthma are 4.5 times more likely to end up in the hospital and 7.6 times more likely to die because of their asthma.

    If you have insurance: Your pharmacy should adjust the price of your inhalers to $35 a month, if it participates in the pharmaceutical companies’ programs.

    If you don’t have insurance or your pharmacy is not participating in the program: You can visit your drug company’s website online and sign up for a $35 copay card.

    It’s still not clear whether people who use multiple medications for their asthma will have to pay $35 a month for each asthma medicine. Some people need a rescue inhaler in addition to a maintenance inhaler.

    It’s great that some pharmaceutical companies have agreed voluntarily to lower people’s asthma medicine costs. But, it’s terrible policy that pharmaceutical corporations can charge pretty much what they will for their drugs, and we have to rely on their voluntary gestures for our drugs to be affordable. Right now, too many Americans are forced to choose between their child’s inhaler and food or rent.

    Here’s more from Just Care: