If you’re you one of those people whose sinuses foretell approaching storms before Doppler Radar picks it up, you are not alone. In fact, there’s plenty of research supporting a link between thunderstorms and increased emergency department visits due to asthma. Read the rest of this entry »

Parents of children with asthma and other respiratory issues are on special alert this flu season with H1N1 on everyone’s radar. AANMA spoke with David Callahan, MD, a flu and asthma specialist with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about how to keep your children healthy and how to treat them most effectively if they get sick. Listen to Dr. Callahan’s answers and more guidance in the new podcast for AANMA’s PRECIOUS Breathers program, developed in partnership with AstraZeneca especially for parents of young children.

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Allergy & Asthma Network Mothers of Asthmatics (AANMA) asked children to tell us—in pictures and in their own words—how they felt during an asthma attack, and how they felt when they could breathe again. What they told us was enlightening—and heart-rending.

We collected their drawings and stories to share in this video Read the rest of this entry »

My neighbor started a baking business recently, so I ordered a Pumpkin Loaf for our family Thanksgiving feast. First thing she asked was, “Nuts or no nuts?” I figured she was asking because she knows I’m president of AANMA and might have allergy-based dietary restrictions… but no! She said people with food allergies generally don’t wait for her to ask, but people who don’t like the taste of texture of the nuts usually forget to mention it until she’s taking the dessert out of the oven. Read the rest of this entry »

To vaccinate or not: This is the question bandied about in news stories, on the Web and on the minds of parents and other adults. It’s good to research and weigh your options before taking action. It’s good to base decisions on credible, rational facts vs. fear or blind trust.  But it’s not always easy to find straight, uncomplicated answers to questions about serious, life-threatening events associated with vaccines—until now. Read the rest of this entry »