COVID-19

This is my first and hopefully last pandemic, but I know that sharing information and working together is the only way through this. Below are a few links to help you get through these difficult times.

NOTE: it is important to focus on facts and always defer to a medical professional or the CDC for updated information and facts.

Centers for Disease Control (CDC)

• Main page – includes links to How to Protect Yourself and If you Think You’re Sick – a must read
• People with Asthma and COVID-19 – note: anxiety is an asthma trigger make self-care a priority – another must read
• Prepare Your Family – this link also includes information on managing stress and anxiety
• CDC home page is constantly updated with new information

John Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center

• How long can COVID-19 live on surfaces? – a must read
• Learn more about social distancing. – another must read
• Coronavirus at a Glance: Inforgraphic – some good basics
• Preparedness Pulse Points – A weekly update featuring US Government action on readiness and response (I found this newsletter uplifting and comforting)

Center for Food Allergy and Asthma Research – Northwestern University Medicine Feinberg School of Medicine

• SOAAR – Coronavirus 2019 – Resources – a must read, packed with facts, mental health resources and things to do at home with your kids

Food Allergy Research and Education (FARE)

• COVID-19 Resources – Video, links, Q& A with Dr. Tom Casale, including links to programs for those may be food insecure at this time

Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America (AAFA)

• Coronavirus (COVID-19): What People with Asthma Need to Know – a must read article from AAFA
• Coronavirus (COVID-19) Crisis: Some States Open Enrollment for HealthCare – due the Coronavirus, some states are opening up healthcare insurance for the uninsured. BIG thank you to AAFA for sourcing this data!!
• Asthma and Health Insurance Chat Box – available 24/7 to “help people get answers to questions about asthma and health insurance
• Please Don’t Stop Your Asthma Medicines – an Editorial from Dr. Mitchell Grayson on the Coronavirus – a must read, if you are currently taking asthma medications, please check this out.
• Eczema, Hand-washing, the new coronovirus (COVID-19): Protecting Yourself and Your Skin – a must read for anyone with eczema or their care giver.

American Lung Association

• Update: Protecting Yourself During the Spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19) – bookmark this page to keep updated, especially if you have asthma or lung related issues.
• COVID-19 Webinars & FAQ – every Wednesday at 1pm CT, Dr. Al Rizzo, Chief Medical Officer for the American Lung Association, will be offering 30 minute webinars. You can watch and ask questions about COVID-19 as Dr. Rizzo reviews key updates. Webinars focus on people living with lung disease and is for everyone – including care givers!

Allergic Living Articles- information, lifestyle and inspiration

• Cornoavirus and Asthma: How to Cut Risks and Keep Control – Allergic Living – medical doctor’s weigh in
• Empty Shelves: How Food Allergy Families are Coping with COVID-19 – Allergic Living – some heartwarming moments of food allergy families supporting each other
• Allergy Shopping , Cooking Tips For Coronavirus Times – Allergic Living – strategic cooking tips to stretch recipes, plus a emergency planning tips too (like pick up your child’s rescue meds after spring break).
• Food Allergy Anxiety Guide – solid tips on managing food allergy anxiety which can be applied to our current times.

Blogs – medical and personal

• Pandemic Pondering – uplifting and factual blog posts from a familiar doctor in our food allergy world: Jim Baker, who is the founder of the Mary H. Weiser Food Allergy Center and the Ruth Dow Doan Professor at Michigan Medicine and former Chief Executive Officer and Chief Medical Officer at FARE.

Self-Care – it’s important to your family that you stay mentally and physically healthy

Meditation, Yoga and Exercise and more

• “That Discomfort You’re Feeling is Grief” – powerful must read article from Harvard Business Review.
• Calm App – test for free, give a gift certificate, very popular, includes sleep, medication, music, mindful lessons for movement and gentle stretching, classes and nature sounds and images
• Headspace – hip, fun animations, affordable pricing for students with .edu email, family, plans, meditation, sleep & wake-up, stress & anxiety, movement and healthy living. My family uses this app and I like the super short “emergency” meditations when I need just a quick slow, or check in.
• Tapping Solution App – using EFT (Emotional Freedoom Technique), which is tapping on specific points during a mediation based on releasing negative thoughts. For me, this app has dropped my blood pressure and keeps me calm. Many professional athletes use this technique. Free Coronavirus meditations.
• Insight Timer – free meditation app for sleep, anxiety, stress, kids and music. I have this on my phone too.
• Gaia – Meditation, yoga, documentaries films, videos, series. Some of the website gets a little “wooey, wooey” but the yoga is spectacular for someone like me.
• One Peleton App – yoga, mediation, strength, cardio, stretching, running, cycling, walking, bootcamp an outdoor. Just started using this myself. No bike or treadmill needed!
• The Five Minute Journal – only five minutes a day – max, but this has changed my life by helping keeping me grounded.
• Stay Woke – A Meditation Guide for the Rest of Us – a practical inclusive guide for young people and those who seek a fresh approach.

Stress, Anxiety and Kids

• The Food Allergy Counselor Directory and Website – Tamara Hubbard, LCPC – search by state for counselors who understand food allergies.
• Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Connection Team (FAACT) Behavorial Health Resource Center – information and links, including managing stress post anaphylactic reaction
• Protecting Your Mental Health During the Coronavirus Outbreak – American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (Thanks SOAAR for this link)
• Talking to Kids About Coronavirus – Kids Worry More When They’re Left In the Dark– Child Mind Institute –
• Aleasa Word Life Coaching – Food Allergy Parent and Founder of Compassion for Anaphylaxis offers private coaching to help manage stress and anxiety.