What's New with AAFA

The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) cautions parents raising children with food allergies that some scenes in the newly-released “Peter Rabbit” film may be disturbing for young viewers with food allergies. In the film, a character with a known food allergy to blackberries is attacked with them. This leads to a severe allergic reaction known as anaphylaxis and the need to use a lifesaving injection of the drug epinephrine.

January flew by and February is already here! It's time to put some of these asthma and allergy tasks on your to-do list for this month.

If you are on a treatment plan for asthma but the treatment doesn’t seem to be working, you might not have asthma. Or you may need a different type of asthma medicine. If you’ve been misdiagnosed, you might be trying to treat a condition you don’t have – and at the same time possibly ignoring a condition you really have.

The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) has appointed Kenneth Mendez as its president and chief executive officer, effective January 22, 2018. Mendez has built his career in senior leadership by successfully growing the reach of numerous non-profit organizations, a track record he now brings to AAFA in support of its mission to improve the health and quality of life for more than 60 million Americans with asthma and allergies.

Valentine's Day is the time of year when you show your loved ones how much they mean to you. However, many typical gifts and activities can be asthma or allergy triggers. #TealLove means choosing gifts that are allergy and asthma friendly.

On Oct. 14, 2017, I began my travel across the world to compete at the 13th International Dragon Boat Federation’s Nations World Championships on Dianchi Lake in Kunming, China, after a long and unlikely journey to overcome asthma symptoms that nearly prevented me from competing at all.

Reilly Price takes both high school and community college classes. She is working on a senior research project. She serves as captain of her cross-country team, and dances for a pre-professional ballet company. She participates in student government and other campus clubs. On top of all this, Reilly also found time to raise money to help support Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America (AAFA).

On behalf of all of us at the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America and those we serve, thank you. Your gifts in 2017 will have a far-reaching impact in the coming year. We are grateful to work with you to make a difference in the lives of the millions living with asthma and allergies. You make all of this possible.

For Andrew, breathing is a daily, ongoing struggle. Andrew was first diagnosed with moderate asthma when he was 10 years old. His first trip to the emergency room due to an asthma attack would be the first of many all-too-familiar trips. Through high school, asthma didn’t just affect him physically, but emotionally and academically, too. In addition to working hard to keep up with classwork from missed days, he also had to face relentless bullying – so severe that he had to change schools to...

In 2017, the asthma & allergy friendly® Certification Program tested and certified many new products to give you more options. When you’re shopping, look for the Certification Program Mark on these new products, as well as our many other products. The mark lets you know you are getting products scientifically proven to be suitable for those with asthma and allergies. You can shop for Certified products by visiting aafa.org/certified or by using our app. Our app is available for both iOS...

Asthma research methods have been changing during the past several years. Research is more effective when researchers and patients work together to better understand asthma and find new treatments. At the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA), we feel your voice is valuable in asthma research. We support efforts to help you be an active part of the future of asthma management and treatments.

Some people are hesitant to participate in research. This may be because of fear of the unknown or from past stories. But today, patients have rights to protect them during research studies. Before you join a study, you will asked to sign an informed consent document.