Asthma is a lung disease in which the airway becomes inflamed and results in wheezing, shortness of breath, chest pain, chest tightness, and coughing. The airway becomes contracted and leads to breathing difficulty. Symptom intensity is different in different people. Some may have severe symptoms and some may have very mild symptoms. The triggering factors also vary from person to person.
Asthma can be treated differently and there are many different ways for treating asthma. It can be treated through medications, inhalers, anti-inflammatories, herbal medications, homeopathy, and even yoga. These different methods can be helpful to one or the other person depending on the intensity.
Vitamin supplements also help in treating asthma. Vitamins are essentially in day-to-day life. If vitamins are not taken in appropriate quantities it can lead to one or the other deficiency. Vitamin supplements are available in many different forms, for example tablets, capsules, chewable, and even liquid form.
Lycopene is an antioxidant related to beta-carotene. It is found mostly in tomatoes. The asthma symptom that has occurred due to vigorous exercises is relieved by Lycopene. One can say that exercise-induced asthma attack is controlled by this vitamin supplement. One of the reasons for asthma is deficiency of vitamin B6. Some asthma medications like theophylline and aminophylline reduce this deficiency and control the symptoms of asthma. Even vitamin B6 tablets are helpful for asthma patients.
Vitamin supplements containing vitamin B12 is helpful in reducing wheezing and it improves the breathing rate. Some people also take supplements containing vitamin C as research shows that it has the ability to fight against virus. There are proofs of people benefit from cold symptoms by taking vitamin C supplements and which indirectly is beneficial to asthma patients.
Magnesium is a vital mineral that helps to reduce swelling and inflammation of the cell. This mineral also helps to normalize muscle contraction and relaxation. Grape seed extract is also used as a supplement which contains bioflavonoid-like ingredients to reduce the release of antihistamines. One such product is cordyceps also used for asthma symptoms. It improves the breathing rate and also increases oxygen intake.
There are many ways of controlling asthma amongst them is vitamin supplement. These should be taken only under the direction of the physician. Asthma is a disease which can be taken care of by our own lifestyle and way of living. One should take proper body hygiene and also the diet should be taken balanced which helps our immunity system leading to better life.
Archive
Posts Tagged ‘Asthma Medications’
Jan
10
Sep
11
Treating your allergies or asthma properly can be expensive. Statistics from the American Academy of Allergy have estimated the cost of treating allergic rhinitis (seasonal allergies or hayfever) and asthma is on the order of many billions of dollars per year in the U.S. The costs that patients face are both direct (medications, doctor visits, hospital stays etc…) and indirect (missed work or school, decreased productivity on the job etc…). Both add up rapidly to become a big part of health care costs for patients and insurance companies. As a practicing allergist, I have put together some suggestions for patients who are interested in saving money on their prescription medications. Working with your doctor is the best way to find ways to control spiraling prescription medication costs.
5 Ways to Save on Allergy and Asthma Medications
1. Take the medications as directed by your doctor. This may seem obvious, but it is probably the best long term way to save money. Many medications such as nasal steroid sprays (Flonase, Nasonex, Veramyst, Rhinocort AQ, Nasacort AQ) and inhaled steroids (Flovent, Asmanex, Qvar, Azmacort, Advair, Symbicort) and Leukotriene blockers (Singulair or Accolate) work best as “Controller Medications”. Controller means that taking the medicine daily prevents symptoms and illness. If you can prevent allergy symptoms, or a flare of asthma, you save health care dollars and money out of your pocket by not needing additional medications such as antibiotics, or incurring co-pays for sick visits. You and your kids will also miss less work and school, which makes you more productive in the long run.
2. Check with your insurance plan to see if ordering medication in bulk will be cheaper. Many insurance plans come with pharmacy benefits that offer discounts if you order ninety day supplies of medications. Since many allergy and asthma medications need to be taken on a preventative basis (“controller”), having several months supply of medication on hand makes sense, may allow for discounts, and will save you several trips to the pharmacy.
3. Research which medications are covered best by your insurance plan. Physicians have a difficult time keeping up with which medications are covered best by your insurance plan. Do your homework to see if your insurance plan has a list of medications, or formulary, which outlines which medications they cover at lower, or generic, co-pays and discuss this with your physician during a visit. Often times, physicians are happy to switch a patient to a medication that is covered well by their plan as long as it is safe and provides equal benefits.
4. Don’t just ask for samples. Ask your doctor if his office has any coupons for you medications. There is a trend now for pharmaceutical companies to provide fewer samples and more coupons or discount cards for their medications. Often these coupons will lower or totally eliminate the entire co-pay. Many coupon offers provide you a month’s free supply of medications and enroll you in future discount programs.
5. Research on the internet discount offers for medications. The website www.allergymedsites.com compiles many allergy and asthma medication coupon offers to help patients. Google coupons or discount offers for your allergy or asthma medications. A good place to start is the website of the pharmaceutical company that makes your medication or try typing in nameofyourmedication.com (e.g. advair.com). Often these coupons are not quite as good as what you can find at your doctor’s office, but they can save you a great deal of money and are easy to use.