Take Care This Christmas! It’s easy to chill out and relax at Christmas and be a little less careful about your allergies. So remember these simple steps to help keep you safe. Tell those around you of your allergies, which is especially important if you are with new friends or family that may not be aware. Remember to keep your medications, such as adrenaline, antihistamines or inhalers, with you at all times. Don’t tempt fate – check all food labels and ask in restaurants if the meals they are preparing are safe for you; for more information, check out Allergy UK’s factsheet on Living with Food Allergy. Forget about the scented candles The Finnish Allergy and Asthma Federation wants scented candles out of the market. They cause nausea, headache and asthma symptoms to those who are hypersensitive to scents and for people with asthma. The Federation says that we should avoid the unnecessary amalgamation of scents because it causes real physical symptoms to some. The Federation has launched 5 step advice for people who are hypersensitive to scents. What to do when it gets cold? The Finnish Pulmonary Association gives advice to people with respiratory diseases on how to prepare for the cold season and minus degrees. Respiratory and heart diseases affect the ability to tolerate cold weather, 70% of people with asthma have more symptoms and it is common also for people with COPD. Fuel exhaust and other air pollution aggravate the situation. Being outdoors, the protection of the respiratory tract is important so that the cold air cannot enter the lungs directly. It is particularly important to ensure that the mouth, nose, cheeks and neck don’t get cold. Children’s Hospital in Málaga, Spain achieves desensitization of 68 children to milk and egg allergy across two years of activity EFA member FENAER forwarded a press release to EFA, which David Brennan then translated into English, concerning a children’s hospital in Málaga, which successfully desensitized 68 children to egg and milk allergy. Only children with high grades of sensitization to either egg or milk allergy were included in the programme. Of these children, all have managed to sensitize to either and successfully resume a normal diet. For more details, download the press release here. For any further questions, direct them to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Health 2.0 Educational Programme on Food Allergy (Proyecto CESA) FENAER forwarded to EFA news of an online project starting in January 2013. It has been conceived, developed and carried out under the Participatory Medicine model. Everything has been agreed upon by the Spanish patient associations on food allergy (AEPNAA, Immunitas Vera and Elikalte), and by health professionals and researchers. Several types of media were created, including educational videos, games, testimonials as well as stories to improve knowledge of food allergy, how to avoid allergens, treat allergic reactions and how to use the Epinephrine Auto-Injector. For more information, please visit http://alergiayalimentos.com as well as the websites of the Spanish patient associations on food allergy listed prior. Invitation to nominate delegation for the first GAAPP Sport Games for children with asthma You might remember a time when kids with asthma were discouraged from playing sports and told to take it easy. That's no longer the case. Being active, working out and playing sports not only help kids with asthma to stay fit, maintain a healthy weight and have fun, but can also strengthen their breathing muscles and help the lungs work better. The Global Allergy and Asthma Patent Platform, of which EFA is a member, is organising ‘Sport Games for Children with Asthma’ in Krimml, Austria June 13-20 2013, and invites its members to join! GAAPP has the opportunity to accept 8 delegations. GAAPP covers the costs from arrival in Salzburg airport until departure from the same airport. This means that delegates need only find local funding partners for the flight tickets from their country to Salzburg. The games are held in Krimml, a small town in Salzburg County with the highest waterfalls in Europe. These have, according to GAAPP, shown positive results for people with asthma. Click here for the invitation letter and rules of the games. Results of AUDIPOC Study Available to Public EFA member FENAER has previously prevented AUDIPOC, a clinical audit of COPD exacerbations in Spain, to the COPD Working Group. The study addressed hospitalized patients with a COPD diagnosis over a period of 8 weeks between the 1st of November through the 31st of December 2008. The preliminary study focused upon 4 hospitals and 213 cases, while the pilot study was widened to 30 hospitals across 6 regions of Spain to include 1,207 cases. The study provided observations and recommendations on various subjects ranging from resource management and organisation of the hospitals to practical guides for dealing with COPD patients. The results of the study are available for download, albeit only in Spanish, at the website of CIBERES: http://www.ciberes.org/audipoc/