tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3314416385329918345Tue, 19 May 2026 07:19:37 +0000AANMAasthmaallergic asthmaallergiesrespiratoryExxonMobilH1N1NIHTh2UT Southwestern Medical Centerallergybronchitiscigarette baneNOearthquakeexhaled nitric oxidefdaflavored cigarettesgarlichaitihepaimmunologyinsomniainterferonlaughinglungsmothersmothers of asthmaticsnebulizernighttime symptomsodorpurezonesleepsmokingspirometersurveytobaccovirusvital oxideTake A Weekly Breather (TM)Welcome to Take A Weekly Breather, an official blog of <a href=" & Asthma Network Mothers of Asthmatics (AANMA)</a>. We keep the news here short and pithy, warm and witty (you'll let us know if it's not, I'm sure!)and always practical.noreply@blogger.com (Unknown)Blogger50125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3314416385329918345.post-5107219290934778659Fri, 11 Mar 2011 16:51:00 +00002011-03-11T11:53:33.473-05:00Grandma Diaries: Hawaii They GoWhile my son Dan and daughter-in-law Kristin vacationed in Hawaii for 10 days, I served Grandma Duty to my two youngest grandsons, JD (3 years) and Trey (19 months). It was my first time totally in charge of two little ones since my own were that age. Friends said, “Oh, Nancy, it’ll all come back,” meaning all those instincts and parenting skills. “Just like riding a bike,” said another friend. “Some things you never forget.”<br />
<br />
I found both were right and wrong! Basic principles of parenting remain the same but the tools and tactics are all new and exciting. And my youngest grandson had RSV shortly after he was born and takes asthma medication to keep symptoms under control. I kept track of our adventures and bloopers in what I call the GrandmaDiaries. Here are a few excerpts:<br />
<br />
<strong>Ear Plugs</strong><br />
Ear plugs. How do you get ear plugs to stay in Trey’s ears during bathtime? Kristin showed me how before they left. It looked easy enough. She said we can’t let any water get in his ears because he just had tubes put in. But these little red silicone custom-fit thingie disks just fall out the moment Trey starts wiggling around. After two tries, I gave up. Opted for a quick shallow bath instead. <br />
<br />
Too late. Didn’t realize Trey is a fish. Hope I didn’t wreck his ears. I snatched him out of the tub, dried him off and got him ready for bed. Meanwhile, JD entertained himself in the water park formerly known as a bathroom.<br />
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<strong>Nasal Steroid</strong><br />
How do you get a 19-month-old to sniff nasal corticosteroid spray? Mercy me. They didn’t have nasal sprays for babies when my kids were little. Trey sees the spray coming and turns his grimaced face away. What to do, what to do?<br />
<br />
Trey’s nose is a cruddy mess that backs up into his sinuses and ears if he doesn’t get this medicine. <em>Think, Grandma. Think.</em> I reached back into the cobwebbed, rusted-shut drawers of my mind and remembered babies learn from watching other babies. Mimicking was part of the great success behind “Baby Breaths,” the video that shows babies laughing, playing, sleeping and using holding chambers and nebulizers. Babies watched the video and suddenly cooperated with treatments. Would it work with Trey? <br />
<br />
JD, Trey and I sat at the table with a bedtime snack. Trey eyed the nasal spray in my right hand and shook his head. I slowly lifted the spray bottle to my nose and pretended to spray it. Then I made a silly face. He laughed. So I did it again each time with a sillier expression and had both boys giggling so hard that Trey never balked when I slipped the nasal spray tip into one of his nostrils and sprayed. He laughed! OMG! Will he do it again? YES! YESSS! <br />
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<strong>Trey Hates Bubble Gum</strong><br />
Kristin warned that Trey hates taking his bubble-gum-flavored chewable tiny pill. Before she left, I took on the challenge to get the pill into this kid every single night. <br />
<br />
But it’s not working. I’d rather give him liquid medicine, but there is none. Kristin said he rejects liquid as bad as pills, but with the pill there’s no mess if he spits it out. What am I to know?<br />
But it’s Day 6 and I found the little stinker has been spitting the pills out behind the kitchen garbage pail. Oh no. <br />
<br />
<strong>Bedtime Stories</strong><br />
Both boys love snuggling and reading with me on the couch after bathtime. It’s that magical time when JD chatters about the calendar -- yes, he loves knowing the month, day of the week and date and talking about what he’s going to do tomorrow. Trey’s little toes wiggle as JD jabbers and rotates his hands. I read a page and we talk. I think how fast these moments pass. It’s the little things that light up their eyes. My heart swells; these boys are medicine to my spirit. I’m a lucky Grandma. I’m a lucky mom.2011/03/grandma-diaries-hawaii-they-go.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3314416385329918345.post-5481595808064565155Tue, 22 Feb 2011 16:53:00 +00002011-02-22T11:55:20.983-05:00Grunge eraCall me an indoor air quality freak. I won’t be offended – quite the opposite! I’ve just learned that we are absolutely a product of our environment: the one we breathe, eat and sleep with every single day. Just as I can’t expect my car to run well on dirty sticky gas, I can’t expect my body to perform at its best if I continually expose it to and ingest things I shouldn’t. <br />
<br />
My husband is a heating and air conditioning contractor so our indoor air equipment is finely tuned to provide breathe-healthy air all year round. We maintain biohazard-free indoor air humidity between 37 and 50 percent depending on the outdoor air temperature and other factors. <br />
<br />
So when the ophthalmologist told me I could ease my chronic dry-eye symptoms by raising indoor air humidity higher, I balked. You can’t do that without introducing mold and encouraging a dust-mite population explosion! I walked out of her office with eye-drop prescriptions and a reluctant agreement to at least try using a small humidifier in our bedroom.<br />
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Kicking and screaming, I did it. Okay, so that means we change the sheets twice a week instead of once. No biggie – there are no rugs in there and the room is rather Spartan otherwise. We like the clean, clutter-free look and feel. Everything seemed shipshape at first. So imagine my surprise when we returned from a short vacation to find that our bedroom smelled funky. <br />
<br />
<strong>The nose knows</strong><br />
My husband has learned to trust my sniffer. Walked into a house one time and detected a gas leak that was so dangerous that everyone inside evacuated and a special team had to deal with it. Other people in the house didn’t notice a problem. Another example: I kept smelling moth balls and garbage in one room in our house but only on sunny and windy days. Two home inspectors and 22 cut holes in our drywall later and with still no answers, I stood outside my neighbor’s house and caught wind of the familiar odor. Turns out he’d been throwing mothballs into a utility hole next to his garbage bin in a little hideaway spot that shares a wall with our garage. When we put a light inside, we could see a space from the utility hole leading to the firewall between our homes. Sealed the hole and solved the problem.<br />
<br />
But in the case of the mysterious funky-bedroom smell, I was at a loss. For 24 hours I searched. The laundry room and bathroom drains were clean. And the odor was strongest in our bedroom with no other source of water… than the table-top humidifier. <br />
<br />
<strong>Culprit: the bottom part of the tank</strong><br />
No, I thought. It couldn’t be that – it’s brand new! I retraced our steps – I remembered hearing John fill it with tap water shortly after we got home from our vacation. I had made a mental note to pick up more distilled water at the grocery store, and I did the next day. When I removed the water tank to fill it with fresh water, that’s when I saw it: grunge in the bottom part of the tank. Grunge that collected while we were out of town. Grunge that multiplied happily in the portion of the tank BEFORE it goes through the sanitizer and mist. Grunge in the part of the unit you don’t see unless you go looking for it. GRUNGE that STINKS! AGH!!!<br />
<br />
Worse, that kind of grunge is all too happy to take up residence in my asthma-prone airways. Funky water can cause pneumonia, bronchitis and other respiratory nightmares. It’s not likely we’ll ever forget to empty the water tank <em>and</em> the bottom part of the humidifier when we leave home ever again!2011/02/grunge-era.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3314416385329918345.post-4550088976743093396Fri, 10 Dec 2010 16:56:00 +00002010-12-10T12:36:22.280-05:00Nancy Gets a Flu Shot ...How did it get this late in the year without getting a flu shot? I write about flu shots, read research, ask all my friends if they got their flu shots but here I am on December 10, 2010, finally getting around to mine! Okay, so I have somewhat of an excuse. Because I have asthma, I’m not eligible for those grocery or drug store “drop-by” shot programs. I have to make an appointment with my doc which is no problem except that I haven’t been home much lately…so when there was an opening this morning, I grabbed it! <br />
<br />
<br />
No lines. No fees. No problems. It’s not too late to get your flu shot. Some research suggests that getting a flu shot may just help the immune system fight those bugs that tend to activate asthma symptoms. Shot appointments are pretty easy to get and supplies are plentiful unlike years past. No excuses!<br />
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Read AANMA's latest Flu Tips story: <a href=";2010/12/nancy-gets-flu-shot.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3314416385329918345.post-8951404725587411582Wed, 27 Oct 2010 17:17:00 +00002010-10-27T13:17:44.626-04:00Enter the breathe-easy sleep zoneWe admit it. We were skeptical at first. When we first heard about the <a href=" Personal Air Filtration System</a> , some of us thought it sounded like a gimmick. A machine that blows HEPA filtered air out your pillow case?!!? Wouldn’t it be noisy? Wouldn’t it be cold? Wouldn’t it be WEIRD?<br />
<br />
<br />
But you know what? Some things you just have to experience. First our ad rep, James, put it on his son’s bed – and Trevor, who has asthma and sleeps fitfully every night, slept quietly all night long, <em>without tossing and turning and throwing all his covers off!</em> <br />
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Then Cathy, an AANMA member in Texas, tried it and wrote: <br />
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“I used to never feel rested because I have trouble breathing at night – my husband says I make noises in my sleep that don’t sound human! He has to sleep on the other side of the house to get a good night’s sleep. All of this changed the first night I used my HEPA filter pillow. When I woke up, my nose was clear, and I could take a deep breath with my mouth closed for the first time in years. I felt well-rested – I had forgotten what it feels like to be well-rested! <em>After a month of using my pillow each night, I feel like a new person</em>.” <br />
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Letter after letter of praise came in.<br />
<br />
Will you have the same response? We don’t know, but <a href=" studies</a> show that the PureZone eliminates virtually all airborne particles in your breathing zone all night long. <br />
<br />
We were so impressed we invited them to put the PureZone in our <a href=" store</a>. For a free trial or a $50 discount, enter the code AAT50. And PureZone donates a portion of each sale to AANMA!2010/10/enter-breathe-easy-sleep-zone.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3314416385329918345.post-1600430177920026984Wed, 25 Aug 2010 17:25:00 +00002010-08-26T10:16:42.768-04:00Breathe at School: It’s the Law in 50 States – Almost!First day of school – it’s a rite of passage for kids and their parents. The tearful goodbyes and clawing at the school bus door -- well, it’s not always the children. One mom wrote this morning that she keeps feeling misplaced or like she forgot to pack or do something. “But it’s not Jimmie’s inhaler and auto-injectable epinephrine!” <br />
<br />
Jimmie has asthma and food allergies. This summer, Jimmie's mom taught him how to cross the street safely, what to do if his clothes catch on fire and how to call 911 if he sees an emergency. She also made sure he could use his inhaler and auto-injectable epinephrine correctly if she wasn’t around.<br />
<br />
“He knows the names of his medications and when to take them,” she said, “but do I feel he’s 100 percent ready to make every decision on his own? Not yet but he’s learning. The school nurse and his teachers know that he’s learning, too. They don’t expect him to get it right every time. I’m so fortunate that my kids go to a school where the staff is supportive.” <br />
<br />
<strong>BREATHE: There Ought to Be a Law</strong><br />
Students with asthma can carry inhalers in <a href=" 50 states</a>, and 46 have laws protecting students' rights to carry and self-administer auto-injectable epinephrine.<strong><em> </em>Students with anaphylaxis need state laws in: New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Wisconsin -- </strong>contact Sandra Fusco-Walker, AANMA's Director of Advocacy, at <a href="mailto:sfwalker@aanma.org"><strong>sfwalker@aanma.org</strong></a> to get involved today. <br />
<br />
<a href=" more about asthma and anaphylaxis medications at school.</strong></a><strong> </strong><br />
<strong><br />
</strong>Nancy Sander<br />
President and Founder<br />
Allergy & Asthma Network<br />
Mothers of Asthmatics <br />
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<script src="; type="text/javascript">
</script>2010/08/breathe-at-school-its-law-in-50-states.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3314416385329918345.post-4601630564882450180Mon, 23 Aug 2010 14:41:00 +00002010-08-23T10:48:01.929-04:00Jovante Woods made national headlines……but not in a way he and his family would have expected. The 16-year-old football player and son of Ickey Woods, a former Cincinnati Bengals player, died of asthma last week. We posted the story on <a href="; and have been following the many news stories. I as reading one in <a href=" Voices on Sports</em> by Boyce Watkins, PhD</a>. At the end, he added thoughtful commentary: <br />
<br />
<em>"The death of Elbert Jovante Woods makes me wonder just how safe our young men and women are when playing high school sports. I can remember competing in track and field, where it was common for athletes to vomit after practice, become short of breath and even work out to the point of nearly collapsing. Most of us defined this stress to simply be a part of getting into shape, but I've always wondered whether most coaches are equipped to know when a hard workout has become a health hazard.</em><br />
<em><br />
How do we know the difference between a kid who's simply whining about a tough practice vs. one who is actually experiencing serious physical problems? I honestly don't know the answer to this question, but it is certainly something to think about." </em><br />
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<a href=" & Asthma Network Mothers of Asthmatics</a> is concerned, too. It’s not that we think people intend to reject good safety measures (they don’t) but primarily because asthma is an insidious and deceptive disease in which early perception, recognition and response are critically important and easy to miss. <br />
<br />
Most asthma deaths can be traced to preventable causes (yes, causes, plural -- as in, more than one, otherwise known as a perfect storm). For example, was Jovante’s inhaler empty? Few people ask this question and even fewer know that inhalers run out of medication before they run out of the propellant. So the inhaler doesn’t feel empty when, in reality, it is. That's why our organization successfully lobbied the FDA to advise manufacturers to place dose counters on metered-dose inhalers; this technology is currently being phased in. <br />
<br />
Another mistake comes with being young and invincible and thinking that you haven't pushed yourself hard enough unless you're breathless or throwing up on the football practice field. These long-held stoic but faulty beliefs put our young athletes at risk of fatal respiratory, cardiac and neurologic events. <br />
<br />
Each fatal asthma attack can teach all of us something if we pause and honestly explore what went into that perfect storm that brewed silently hours, days and even weeks before. Easily said and terrifying to do -- which is exactly why it doesn’t often happen. While it may have been one event that pushed Jovante over the edge, it was not just one event that got him there. This is true for anyone who dies of asthma.<br />
<br />
AANMA is on a mission to eliminate asthma death and suffering, and to ensure that every child and adult receives asthma care consistent with <a href=" Institutes of Health Asthma Guidelines</a>. AANMA’s <a href=" American Asthma Challenge</a> asks every person to do their part. It’s easier than you think to bring our nation to zero asthma deaths and improve quality of life along the way! All it takes is one person, family and community at a time taking simple steps together. <br />
<br />
AANMA and the newly formed <a href=" Asthma and Allergy Caucus</a> will meet to examine life-and-death asthma issues and ways to ensure that all children and adults with asthma know what to expect and how to obtain appropriate care and written strategies that work for each everyone. <br />
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In addition, we recently developed and conducted <a href=" Seminars on Exercise-Induced Bronchospasm for School Nurses</a> at the National Association of School Nurses annual conference, sponsored by <a href=" Respiratory</a>. In coming weeks, a highlights video and resource materials will be posted on <a href=" YouTube channel</a>. <br />
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We're also forming a coalition of school nurses, coaches, parents, physicians, teachers and school administrators to define evidence-based best practices for recognizing and treating serious respiratory issues relative to sports- and school-based exercise programs. <br />
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Finally, a shout-out to <a href=" Draft</a>, Anthony Armstrong and Adam Carriker of the Washington Redskins! All three have asthma, and Anthony caught and carried the first touchdown of the season! Yes, I know it's "only" the preseason, but for diehard fans like me, the season is ON! Winning over asthma is very much like winning a football game: You have got to know where the goal is and have an executable plan that's going to get you there. No one does it alone - it takes a team. <br />
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Dr. Watkins, thank you for asking the right question. Now let’s look for the right answers. Jovante's death is not in vain if we learn something from it. May God grant peace to those who love Jovante, and may their hearts be filled with fond memories that never fade.<br />
<br />
Nancy Sander<br />
President and Founder<br />
Allergy & Asthma Network<br />
Mothers of Asthmatics <br />
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<a href=";2010/08/jovante-woods-made-national-headlines.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3314416385329918345.post-7669885300558964438Mon, 16 Aug 2010 18:32:00 +00002010-08-16T16:18:13.266-04:00Get out of his way! (... and meet 3 Redskins with asthma!)Anthony Armstrong went over the line this time -- and scored the first winning touchdown for the Washington Redskins this season. Yes, I know it was “only” a preseason game, but it was awesome! <br />
OK, I’m a diehard Washington Redskins fan from way back before Joe Theisman broke his leg on live television. But few fans know that awesome Anthony has asthma! In fact, three Redskins have asthma and aren’t afraid to admit it. <br />
<br />
Like Anthony, Chris Draft (linebacker) and Adam Carriker (defensive end) think it’s better to get tough with asthma than to try to tough it out. They each have their own treatment plan. <br />
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“It’s not about what you have (asthma), but what you do about it," Chris said in a recent interview with AANMA. "On the football field, performance is all that matters. Nothing else. There are no excuses. You have to take care of your body so it will take care of you out there.” Chris established <strong><a href=" Chris Draft Family Foundation</a></strong> and <strong><a href=" Asthma Team (TM)</a></strong> to encourage young people with asthma to get an asthma action plan that works for them and then to live by it.<br />
<br />
There are times when all three players have been caught short of breath on the football field. They tell their stories in an exclusive interview with AANMA in <em><a href=" & Asthma Today</strong></a></em> magazine, due in mailboxes next week! <br />
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What? You don’t get <em>Allergy & Asthma Today</em> magazine? You must not be a member of Allergy & Asthma Network Mothers of Asthmatics! Joining is easy <strong><a href="; (or by phone, 800.878.4403) and supports AANMA’s mission to eliminate asthma and allergy death and suffering through education, advocacy and outreach. <br />
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Once you join AANMA, you’ll never be alone. There’s tens of thousands of us dealing with asthma and allergies! You’ll get our e-mail news updates, notices of events and new services, <em><a href=" MA Report</strong></a></em> e-newsletter, and of course, <em>Allergy & Asthma Today</em> magazine for one year! You can pick up the phone and call <strong><a href=" Carol Jones</a></strong> or send her an <a href="mailto:cjones@aanma.org"><strong>e-mail</strong></a>. You can join the conversation on <strong><a href=";</strong> and <strong><a href=" />
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Don’t waste another moment. Join AANMA today! And as soon as you get the fall <em>Allergy & Asthma Today</em> in the mail, open it to page , and read "Get Tough on Asthma." Once you're finished, make three copies. Give one to the local high school or college football coach. Give another to the school nurse and the third to the principle at your child’s school.<br />
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Now, where did I put those Washington Redskins M&M’s? <br />
<strong><br />
Would you like to meet Chris, Anthony and Adam? Here’s your chance:</strong><br />
Chris Draft has teamed up with Allergy & Asthma Network Mothers of Asthmatics to invite kids with asthma (and their families) to visit Redskins Park this Wednesday or Thursday morning, August 18 and 19, and find out how the pros Tackle Asthma! <br />
<strong><br />
To sign up, <span style="color: red;">contact AANMA before 4 p.m.Tuesday, August 17</span>. Space is limited; selected families will be notified by 6 p.m. Tuesday. </strong><br />
<strong><span style="color: red;"><span style="color: black;"><br />
Send your name, address, phone number and how many family members will be with you to</span> <a href="mailto:lross@aanma.org">lross@aanma.org</a> <span style="color: black;">or call</span> 800.878.4403 (8 a.m.-4 p.m. ET).</span> Visitors will be invited to watch the Redskins practice from the VIP tent, then talk afterward with Chris Draft and teammates Anthony Armstrong (wide receiver) and Adam Carriker (defensive end), who also have asthma.</strong>2010/08/get-out-of-his-way-and-meet-3-redskins.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3314416385329918345.post-5518099301614064055Tue, 10 Aug 2010 21:01:00 +00002010-08-11T13:40:01.257-04:00On a Clean Streak!If it’s too good to be true, it usually isn’t, right? Like every other good cliché, I’ll follow with a few more: “This one is an exception to the rule” and “Try it -- you’ll like it.” <br />
<br />
Look, when <strong><a href="; sent us an Ionator to try prior to accepting their ad in <em><a href=" & Asthma Today</a></em> magazine, Allergy & Asthma Network Mothers of Asthmatics staffers didn’t raise an eyebrow or volunteer to do the testing. We get our fair share of kooky products that never merit ad space, and quite frankly, we thought the ionator was going to be another one of them. I mean, what’s exciting about using an energized water sprayer to clean your kitchen, bathroom and everything in between, and to kill germs? It’s just water, for goodness' sake!<br />
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So I took the ionator home to get the testing behind me. <br />
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I opened the box, removed the unit (looks cool, sturdy, space-agey) pushed a button to release the plastic water chamber and filled it with tap water. No soap, detergent, bleach, scents, alcohol, fumes or chemicals the names of which I can’t pronounce. Just water.<br />
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I snapped the chamber back into place, pointed the nozzle at my clean granite kitchen counters and pulled the trigger. A green light glowed through the water as a fine mist spritzed across the counter. Without fanfare, the water’s molecular structure was changed so that it could adhere to dirt and germs long enough to be wiped away – which I did with my well-worn kitchen dish towel. <br />
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Hmm, that was easy enough -- but wait a minute. My kitchen counter was already clean, right? So why wasn’t it as shiny and smooth and soft as the spot I just cleaned? I cleaned another section – same thing! The ionator-cleaned surfaces reflected a perfect mirror image of the overhead kitchen lights, whereas the surfaces cleaned earlier that day reflected the light like the moon on a cloudy night! <br />
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OK, game on. If the ionator will do this to the granite, what will it do to my stainless-steel refrigerator – the fingerprint bane of my existence? Spritz, wipe and sparkle. No smears to polish. I took aim at the kitchen sink. I was blinded by the light (couldn’t resist yet another cliché) bouncing off the faucet and how brand new the sink looked -- mind you, without any effort. <br />
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Room by room, I put the ionator to the challenge. I was sold. Completely.<br />
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Then, last night we had a few neighbors over for dinner. Oh, you should have seen the hubbub in my kitchen last night! It looked like an Activeion ionator infomercial, starting when one of the guests asked what that spray thing was sitting on the counter. I picked it up and said, “My secret weapon. Don’t anyone move.” All eyes turned as I removed and then filled the water reservoir with tap water (I had to prove I was only using tap water), popped it back in the sprayer and pulled the trigger.<br />
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I shot a fine spray of ionized water onto the granite countertop, wiped it dry and invited (with flair) my guests to compare the ionator-cleaned spot to an untreated spot. One said, “It’s shinier” and another agreed that light reflecting on the ionator-cleaned spot was sharp and clear but the same light cast a halo on the uncleaned section. Another touched the surface and remarked how smooth it was before picking the ionator up and using it on another section of the countertop.<br />
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“Oh! Look, a green light comes on!” someone remarked as she sprayed. By now you’ve probably guessed we're either a very rowdy bunch or in need of a little more excitement in our lives, but the green light gave me a chance to explain that Activeion’s ionator HOM is the greenest way to clean. Not only was my kitchen getting cleaned by the neighbors at the end of our party, but it was getting clean and sterile with just purely ionized WATER from my tap!<br />
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It’s easy to store, hold, carry, use. No mess. No drips. No fragrance. No dangerous ozone. No dirty sponges. <br />
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Just spray and the stainless-steel sink is spotless. Spray, the refrigerator gook is gone. Spray, stovetop and back wall are grease-free. Spray and wipe away all germs on doorknobs, the phone, the bathroom and and car! The highchair, car seat, crib rails at day care. Every classroom should have one of these! <br />
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Best of all, after all that cleaning – my hands were smooth! No irritation from cleaners or from wearing gloves – both of which are a problem for me. I could have sold six ionator HOM units last night! I got up this morning to find my ionator went missing. My husband said a neighbor borrowed it. "What?!" I exclaimed and then went online to buy myself a second one. Technically, the first one was free, and it’s easy to say good things about free products. It’s quite another to... (OK, one more) put your money where your mouth is.<br />
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Remember, you are buying the ionizing technology – the active ingredient, water, comes out of your tap. What if you could get rid of the annoying child safety latches and nearly every smelly cleaner under your sink? How much money would you save? Plenty! Try adding it up!<br />
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I tend to use vinegar and water, lemon and salt, and vinegar and baking soda to clean most of my house because cleaners choke my airways and eat away at my hands. But compared to the ionator, they're time-consuming.<br />
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Just to be very clear, this was my experience not a paid endorsement or “certification” (be wary of these) by any measure. Activeion’s ionator doesn’t need to buy anyone’s seal of approval but yours. It works as advertised or you get your money back. And yes, they pay to advertise in <em><a href=" & Asthma Today</a></em> magazine! Thank you!2010/08/putting-our-money-where-our-mouth-is.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3314416385329918345.post-264671048024033465Mon, 02 Aug 2010 20:53:00 +00002010-08-02T16:54:33.516-04:00Shopping for School Supplies with AsthmaI was searching Aisle 3A for plastic pellets to recharge the ongoing rock-tumbler summer science project at our house when I heard it. <br />
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My radar zeroed in on a sound coming from Aisle 2B: a wheezing child “chop-talking” to his dad. You know, “chop-talking” – that staccato sharp sentence phrasig where you get out a few words, take a shallow breath and speed through the next couple of words in the hopes that you can get it all out before being whisked away to another aisle – which is exactly what happened. They rounded the corner of 3A and my heart sank. <br />
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The boy was all of probably 5 years old, purple shadows half mooned under his eyes. Face dusky white, his mouth curled into an “o” before heaving a single sharp cough. “You OK, buddy?” his dad asked as they continued on to Aisle 4 looking for items on the “back-to-school” list he carried in his hand. “Yeah,” the boy coughed. <br />
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I wanted to say, “No, Dad, he’s not OK -- he’s only one or two triggering events away from death’s door!”<br />
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But I didn’t. It would have come out all wrong, and why should he listen to me anyway? I could be some crazy woman for all he knows. What if his son has never been diagnosed with asthma? What if he was afraid to leave his son with a sitter while he did the shopping? I thought of the phone call we’d just received from a mom whose 11-year-old son recently died of an asthma attack, and of the words of so many who've lost loved ones to asthma: <strong>by the time it looks serious, it’s too late</strong>. I started to speak and stopped. I left the store.<br />
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I have more than 30 years of experience with asthma. I’m not a doctor or nurse, but I can pick out a child or baby with asthma symptoms a mile away. But this dad only had the experience of his son and whatever the medical care provider had time to impart. He doesn’t know any better. As I unlocked the car door and slid into the driver’s seat, I thought, "Maybe he would appreciate my help."<br />
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If only I'd known where he was parked -- I could have slid my business card under the windshield wiper. Instead, I turned the key and backed out of my space, still unable to clear the stoic face of this boy from my mind. <br />
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Children who wheeze from the time they're infants or toddlers tend to become that way -- stoic -- as they grow older. They have to be; otherwise, they miss out on too much in life. While parents are trying to discern what’s normal and not (we get this question every day), they're also deciding whether the symptoms warrant another day off from work, another visit to the doctor or paying a babysitter to come to the house. It’s not as if they can keep their children tied down. Families have no idea that they're becoming conditioned to accept a certain degree of asthma symptoms as acceptable or tolerable even when they're dangerously not!<br />
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It happens so innocently. We hear it all the time: "Well, he’s just a happy wheezer. Always has been.” “He gets a cold if the wind blows the wrong way.” “She’s been worse. She’ll be OK.” “She’s a tough one, that’s for sure.” <br />
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By the time a child is ready for school, they’ve become accustomed to asthma, too! They’ve never known another way. Just like kids who don’t know there are leaves on a tree until they get glasses, kids with asthma often have no idea what it means to take a full deep breath until they’ve done it. Repeatedly. For long periods of time.<br />
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Part of preparing kids for school is making certain they start out the year healthy and armed with a written <strong><a href=" action plan</a></strong>. Teach them when and how to ask for help. They need to know the names of the medications they use and when to use them. This is not optional.<br />
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Asthma is serious stuff: 10 children and adults die of asthma every single day! Many more miss school and sit on the sidelines, get picked last for team sports and bullied when they can’t keep up. This is the real world, folks. The stuff we as parents and grandparents don’t see. <br />
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And it’s also the stuff we can do something about -- just like teaching them not to take candy from strangers or showing them repeatedly how to cross the street safely until they can do it on their own. When our kids have asthma, our job is to help them breathe well and be all that they were born to be. No child was born to feel breathless, cough, wheeze, be congested, any more than they were born to play in traffic every day. <br />
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<strong>Check out these back-to-school resources for parents and kids:</strong> <br />
-Is your child ready to self-administer asthma or anaphylaxis medication at school, if you live in a state that allows it? <strong><a href=" your child these questions</a></strong> for starters. <br />
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-<strong><a href=" is it OK for your child to go to school</a></strong> -- and when is it time to stay home? <br />
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-Some children have life-threatening food allergies. As a parent, how can you <strong><a href=" sure that your child is safe during lunchtime</a></strong> at school? <br />
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-<strong><a href=" with asthma can thrive on the playing field</a></strong> as long as they're careful. Here are some tips. <br />
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<em>Back-to-school tips to share or questions about your student with asthma or allergies? E-mail us at </em><a href="mailto:editor@aanma.org"><strong><em>editor@aanma.org</em></strong></a><em>! </em>2010/08/shopping-for-school-supplies-with.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3314416385329918345.post-1202683145514943331Wed, 21 Jul 2010 13:17:00 +00002010-07-21T09:17:38.156-04:00It’s a Gas: Study Links Exhaled Nitric Oxide with Increased Risk of Childhood AsthmaStudies suggest that elevated FeNO (exhaled nitric oxide) is a reliable biomarker to identify children at increased risk for developing asthma. FeNo testing is non-invasive -- it's measured in exhaled air. Nitric oxide is a gas given off by inflammatory cells in the airways. The painless test may become standard for annual school physicals someday…we can only hope. <br />
<strong><a href=" here</a></strong> to read about a study by U.S. researchers at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California (USC).2010/07/its-gas-study-links-exhaled-nitric.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3314416385329918345.post-8309678666265650650Tue, 20 Jul 2010 18:23:00 +00002010-07-20T14:32:38.798-04:00AANMAallergic asthmaallergiesExxonMobilinterferonNIHTh2UT Southwestern Medical CenterInterferon: Asthma’s Holy Grail?Could there be a cure for asthma on the horizon? Depends on whom you ask and what they know. I’ve sat on both sides of the answer, but now investigators at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center seem to be onto something highly intriguing. <br />
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They’ve determined that <strong>interferon</strong> -- a protein used in the treatment of multiple sclerosis, hepatitis C and a variety of cancers -- blocks the production of <strong>Th2</strong>, cells known to cause inflammation leading to asthma and atopic dermatitis. <br />
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Normally, Th2 cells help protect against infections by secreting chemicals that bring on inflammation. However, Th2 cells tend to get carried away in some people -- causing them to over-react when exposed to otherwise harmless substances such as animal dander, pollens and pollutants. Like tapping the first in a long chain of dominoes -- once Th2 cells become reactive, a whole set of inflammatory chain reactions take place, causing common allergic diseases such as asthma and atopic dermatitis.<br />
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“This finding is incredibly important because humans are being treated with interferon for a variety of diseases, yet no one has tried treating asthma patients with interferon,” said J. David Farrar, MD, assistant professor of immunology and molecular biology at UT Southwestern and senior author of the study. “<strong>The current therapies for asthma are inhalers and steroids, both of which offer only temporary relief</strong>.” <br />
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Dr. Farrar says that in isolated human immune cells, interferon targets and blocks Th2 cells before and after they form. In effect, interferon removes the key domino from the lineup.<br />
But at what doses, and which patients are candidates for therapy, and when will a therapy be ready for use in what ages of patients and… ? So many questions, so little time! That’s why we’re writing about this topic in the Winter 2010 issue of <em><strong><a href=" & Asthma Today</a></strong></em>. Do you have questions you’d like to ask Dr. Farrar about this study? Send them to <a href="mailto:editor@aanma.org"><strong>editor@aanma.org</strong></a>. <br />
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The <strong><a href="; was funded by the <strong><a href=" Institutes of Health (NIH)</a></strong> and <a href=" Mobil</strong></a>.2010/07/interferon-asthmas-holy-grail.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3314416385329918345.post-6341475608877404826Tue, 06 Jul 2010 17:45:00 +00002010-07-06T13:46:45.677-04:00As seen in AAT: Take the sting out of dry, red eyesMost give it little thought, but we give it a lot! <em><a href=" & Asthma Today</strong></a></em> advertisers are the best! They help us provide free news, reports, firsthand stories, practical tips, feature articles and other services provided by AANMA. <br />
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Advertisers don’t buy their way in; they earn it. They submit an ad for which every claim must be substantiated in writing and on file at AANMA. If we’re not familiar with the product from personal experience, we take it for a test drive – with the exception of prescription medications, of course. <br />
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For example, Laurie Ross, <em>AAT</em> Managing Editor, and I both tried OcuFresh eye drops and found them to be soothing. I suffer (ugh) from dry eye and am constantly using one eyedrop brand or another. What I liked about OcuFresh, besides the important fact it's preservative-free, is that each sterile vial contains more than enough liquid to flush both eyes. Laurie is a swimmer who's constantly fighting the chlorine red-eye. She said using OcuFresh took the sting out right away. She also took some of the sting out of the price by printing a coupon at the OcuFresh website: <a href=";. <br />
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We know that each person will come to their own conclusions about any of the products advertised in our magazine, but we hope you know that we give them an honest twice-over before including them in our advertising line-up and before we can blog about them. Of course, our “try it” approach isn't scientific and we don’t rely on or acknowledge any self-ordained or paid-for certification programs -- these may give the appearance of being unbiased and/or scientific, but they simply aren’t. <br />
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Do you know of a product or company or service that warrants inclusion in <em>Allergy & Asthma Today</em> magazine? Tell us at <a href="mailto:editor@aanma.org"><strong>editor@aanma.org</strong></a>.2010/07/as-seen-in-aat-magazine-take-sting-out.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3314416385329918345.post-608438661234524374Thu, 01 Jul 2010 18:05:00 +00002010-07-01T14:05:09.118-04:00NASN conference was a success -- and "Fit to Breathe" kit coming soon!At Chicago O'Hare Airport and anxious to get home after hosting "<a href=" to Breathe</strong></a> Express Seminars on Exercise-Induced Bronchospasm (EIB) for School Nurses at the <a href=" Association of School Nurses (NASN) 42nd annual conference</strong></a>.<br />
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AANMA loves school nurses -- and according to their exit surveys, they appreciate us, too. "This was the best session I have attended so far at this meeting!" "Thank you for the AeroChamber holding chambers and TruZone peak flow meters and MDI training." "I could have spent the entire day learning from Dr. Michael Foggs and sports nutritionist Lisa Dorfman, and the workshops were great!"<br />
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So glad our friends at MBM Productions recorded the program. Soon you'll be able to watch a short segment and order the "Fit to Breathe" kit for use in your school. E-mail <a href="mailto:editor@aanma.org"><strong>editor@aanma.org</strong></a> and we'll notify you in a couple of weeks when it's ready. Thank you to <a href=" Respiratory</strong></a> for sponsoring the "Fit to Breathe" seminars!2010/07/nasn-conference-was-success-and-fit-to.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3314416385329918345.post-5882130935824421685Wed, 30 Jun 2010 18:23:00 +00002010-06-30T14:23:14.570-04:00New app for iPhone points you to the nearest ERA new application for the iPhone -- <a href=" EMNet findER</strong></a> -- locates the nearest ER in the U.S., and gives you directions and other information you may need in an emergency. Our friends at the Emergency Medicine Network (EMNet) at Massachusetts General Hospital launched the free app this week. <br />
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<a href=" A. Camargo Jr., MD, MPH, PhD</strong></a>, a prominent ER physician, asthma expert and director of EMNet, has worked closely with AANMA on a number of projects through the years. In an interview with <a href=";, he said: <br />
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<strong>"In talking with parents of children with asthma and allergies, it's clear that travel is a particularly stressful time for these families. One of the reasons is the uncertainty about how/where to get emergency care should they need it. It occurred to our team that we could use our research database to create a simple application that would quickly connect families with the nearest ER -- wherever they were in the United States." </strong><br />
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The app pulls all of this information from a database of 5,000 ERs. It also makes it easy for users to dial 911 or the local ER. <br />
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<a href=" here</strong></a> to download the app!2010/06/new-app-for-iphone-points-you-to.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3314416385329918345.post-1786803056493853837Tue, 29 Jun 2010 20:05:00 +00002010-06-29T16:59:27.137-04:00Greetings from the NASN conference in Chicago!Just checked into my hotel on Miracle Mile in bustling Chicago. Walked through the lobby to the elevator amongst a sea swimming with school nurses attending the <strong><a href=" Association of School Nurses conference</a></strong>. So energized, happy. Their laughter was contagious. <br />
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I’m the last to get off the elevator. As the doors parted, I was hit with that fragrance some hotels use to cover up musty odors. It was worse in my room. My eyes are burning and my lungs ache. Already puffed my inhaler and threw open the window to let the less polluted air in. Someday soon, I hope hotels get the message that travelers would rather have clean rooms than rooms that smell like there’s something bad to hide.<br />
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I have to go to the registration desk to pick up my badge now; we’re hosting <strong>Fit to Breathe Express Seminars on Exercise-Induced Bronchospasm for School Nurses</strong>. (<strong><a href=" here</a></strong> for great free resources related to asthma & exercise.) Thankful to partner with <strong><a href=" Respiratory</a></strong>!2010/06/greetings-from-nasn-conference-in.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3314416385329918345.post-5897890380240297730Mon, 28 Jun 2010 18:46:00 +00002010-06-28T14:46:55.860-04:00Thomas Platts-Mills, MD, PhD, AANMA medical advisor -- elected to the UK's Royal Society!Hooray for <strong>Thomas Platts-Mills, MD, PhD</strong>! Dr. Platts-Mills, a member of AANMA's Medical Editorial Board and a professor at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, has achieved the rare honor of being elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society for his research into the causes of asthma and allergies. He's the first allergist to ever be elected into the Society!<br />
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Read more here: <br />
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<a href="; <br />
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From the article: <br />
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"University of Virginia Professor of Medicine Thomas Platts-Mills, MD, PhD, has achieved the rare distinction of being elected a Fellow of the Royal Society for his research into the causes of asthma and allergic disease. The Royal Society is the United Kingdom’s National Academy of Science and the oldest scientific academy in the world. <br />
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Only a small number of Fellows are physicians, and <strong>Dr. Platts-Mills is the first-ever allergist to be elected</strong>. His election was based on more than 30 years of research on the role that dust mite, cat and cockroach allergens play in the development of allergic disease and asthma. His recent work, published in the <em>New England Journal of Medicine</em> in 2008, looked at patients who developed a life threatening allergic reaction, called anaphylaxis, during treatment for cancer. In February 2009, he led a study on anaphylactic reactions that occurred several hours after eating beef, pork or lamb. Both of these discoveries are related to IgE antibodies to a complex mammalian sugar which appear to be induced by tick bites. This represents a paradigm shift in the understanding of allergic reactions, including those to food. (More information about this study is available at <a href=";.)"2010/06/thomas-platts-mills-md-phd-aanma.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3314416385329918345.post-1452720530261519685Fri, 11 Jun 2010 16:06:00 +00002010-06-11T12:06:27.133-04:00Cottonique: Love at first sightCottonique. It was love at first sight, but would it last a lifetime? As I slid the chemise over my head, I noticed its softness and sturdy construction. It made me feel cozy all under. But would it be the same after the spin cycle in my washing machine? Would it stand up to the heat of my dryer? <br />
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I plucked it out of the pile of freshly laundered clothes and folded it. It felt softer and kinder. So I wore it again, this time as a tank top underneath a lightweight jacket. Just a simple little thing, but it looked great. <br />
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Next time I took it out of the dryer, I wore it as a pajama top. Yes, spending this much time together means this love has lasting power. I’m about to go to <a href="; and order some more great cotton apparel.<br />
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I should mention that I have latex allergies and have seen my share of unmentionables that remain unmentioned because although they were latex-free, they also didn’t fit well or feel anything like Cottonique’s latex-free, formaldehyde-free, dye-free, chemical-free, Spandex-free, pH-balanced, 100 percent natural cotton apparel with inverted seams technology.<br />
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So yes, I’m in love and hope you’ll feel the same whether you have latex allergies or not. <br />
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<em>Disclosure: Cottonique did not ask for or pay for this blog posting. Have you tried a product you simply love? Share it with me at </em><a href="mailto:editor@aanma.org"><em>editor@aanma.org</em></a><em>.</em>2010/06/cottonique-love-at-first-sight.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Unknown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3314416385329918345.post-3836045633203677486Fri, 04 Jun 2010 15:49:00 +00002010-09-20T11:56:00.251-04:00Wheezing Babies: Is it Asthma or Something Else?Not even the doctor knows the answer to this question until time, trial and error reveal the truth. But the secret to preventing severe symptoms is never allowing them to become severe in the first place. Alas, how do you know if you should treat the symptoms as if they're caused by asthma? Are you over- or under-medicating your baby? At what point do you say the treatment plan is or isn’t working?<br />
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Figuring out why a baby is wheezing is a little like trying to tango to a waltz. That’s why we were most interested to see new research published in the June 2010 issue of the <em><a href=" of Allergy and Clinical Immunology</strong></a></em> (JACI) demonstrating the virtues of measuring exhaled nitric oxide, a non-invasive marker of airway inflammation in babies. I thought you might want to share the article with your pediatrician or asthma specialist, so I’ve posted it below. We’re also posting it on the new website for AANMA’s <a href="