Now there’s a simple, non-invasive exhaled breath test to help clarify if respiratory symptoms are due to allergic asthma and require inhaled corticosteroids, or if symptoms are caused by something else.

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AANMA members Caleb and Debbie Lucien of Pignon, Haiti, send the following relief efforts update (click to read the letter from Caleb). Last week, AANMA sent EpiPen auto-injectable epinephrine to Haiti. We’re working with Forest and Monaghan to send AeroChamber holding chambers in every size available, and we’re hoping to secure medications for respiratory patients. You’ll see a list of urgent needs in the letter from Caleb, but remember, he’s only asking for the very basics. Read the rest of this entry »

Within hours of learning about the earthquake in Haiti, we began efforts to reach two of our AANMA members, Caleb and Debbie Lucien, who live in Pignon, Haiti – about 90 miles from Port-au-Prince. Caleb and Debbie know about asthma firsthand from when their children were very young, and still Read the rest of this entry »

The flu is decidedly not the only terrible bug going around this season. Call it the crud if you will, but whatever this unnamed thing is – it’s terrible. Many of us who haven’t so much as wheezed or sneezed in ages are now coughing and hacking or giving breathing Read the rest of this entry »

Garlic recipe: Boil whole heads of garlic for 8-10 minutes until fork tender. Slice in half. With half cloves facing down, fry in cast-iron pan with olive oil, salt and pepper til crisp, about 5 Read the rest of this entry »

The Energizer Bunny can’t compete with Sandra Fusco-Walker, AANMA’s Director of Patient Advocacy. She never stops! For those of you following the story, Sandra’s been working on changing state laws to allow students with asthma and Read the rest of this entry »

Making a list, checking it twice… No, I’m not talking about Santa Claus–I’m writing to YOU! Holidays get so filled with frivolity that we often neglect important routines such as checking expiration dates on medication until Read the rest of this entry »

Read the December 2009 issue of The MA Report – online now! What’s inside: “A Spoonful of Sugar: Giving Medicine to Kids”… Do you know the difference between sulfites (a preservative that some people are allergic to) and sulfates (found in some bronchodilator metered-dose inhalers)? Not a chemist? Read the rest of this entry »

Eosinophilic gastrointestinal disorder (EGID) sounds bad but feels worse. Eosinophils are a type of white blood cell that helps fight off infections. But in some cases, eosinophils outnumber the amount that a body needs, and this leads to digestive tract symptoms. Eosinophilic esophagitis may Read the rest of this entry »

The Organization of Teratology Information Specialists (OTIS) is a nonprofit organization made up of providers of teratology information services throughout the U.S. The group has a number of registries and research programs. OTIS is currently Read the rest of this entry »