Contact: Kelli Hagen

Cover Letter: Allergy and Asthma Tips Mailing

March 9, 2001

Dear Editor,

March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb, right? Not always. For allergy and asthma sufferers springtime comes in like a lion and stays like one.

With allergy season upon us, the American Association for Respiratory Care encourages you to give your readers some helpful tips on how to cope with allergies and asthma and the irritants that can trigger respiratory distress. Enclosed you will find a series of five health tips (electronic files available):

• "Quick Tips on Dealing with Allergies," ten easy safeguards for allergy sufferers
• "Quick Tips on Living with Asthma," steps every asthmatic should take year round
• "Quick Tips to Help Your Child Breathe Easier," how to care for a sick child
• "Quick Tips to Reduce the Effects of Outdoor Air Pollution" and
• "Quick Tips to Reduce the Effects of Indoor Air Pollution," practical measures that ease the harsh effects pollutants can have on the respiratory system

I encourage you to use these health tips as the basis for a health "spotlight" series in your publication by running one each in five consecutive issues. Each list has a brief introduction to the subject in question; they can easily stand alone. However, they would also serve well as side bars to support relevant editorial content. Articles about asthma and allergies would be especially appropriate as many people are concerned about these issues this time of year. And, of course, stories on air pollution are always timely.

I know your readers would benefit from these health tips, and I'd love to hear about how you use them. When you run any of these tips, please send me a copy for my files. It is always nice to know when material we have sent makes a hit!

Please feel free to contact me by phone (ext. 686) or e-mail (hagen@aarc.org) if you have questions or would like more assistance from the AARC. And remember, if you want electronic files please e-mail your request, and I'll send them right away.

Best Regards,

Kelli Hagen AARC Communications Coordinator