A father of two boys with food allergies has launched a website listing restaurants across the US where visitors can leave a star rating and a comment about the "allergy-friendliness" of restaurants they have visited so others can use this information to make choices about where to eat.

Finding a restaurant that clearly displays major problem ingredients each dish on the menu contains and also provides an adequate selection of allergy-free foods is a major hassle for those who themselves, or whose family members, have food allergies or intolerances.

Paul Antico of Cohasset, Massachusetts, a former financial analyst and portfolio manager, decided these people needed a comprehensive and easy to use reference at their fingertips to take the pain out of choosing where to eat - putting the enjoyment back into dining out. Antico's website, AllergyEats (www.allergyeats.com), lists more than 600,000 restaurants in the United States.

A new study indicates that women who use hormone replacement therapy (HRT) that contains only oestrogen are at 50 per cent higher risk of developing asthma post-menopause compared to those who do not.

The results of the study show that women who have a history of allergies are at even greater risk but the researchers say the total number of women developing asthma post-menopause is very small. The findings also showed the more common combined oestrogen and progesterone form of HRT had no effect on asthma risk.

The study was carried out by Dr Isabelle Romieu from the National Institute of Public Health, Mexico, in partnership with colleagues from the University of South Paris, France, and published in the journal Thorax.

The Foundation for Allergy Information and Research has announced it is launching its training program for practice and community nurses who will then deliver Food Clinics in primary care settings in the UK.

It is hoped the clinics will help the significant minority of patients who suffer from undiagnosed food allergies and intolerances or who feel chronically unwell and that their diet or specific foods may be the cause of their symptoms. 

The Foundation for Food Allergy Information and Research (FAIR) was established in 2002 in response to the lack of adequate care for people suffering unnecessarily from food and environmental allergies and intolerances. Both the Royal College of Physicians and the UK government recognised that these conditions placed a serious annual burden on the National Health Service (NHS) but funding for research and action to address the situation was not forthcoming.

There is an increasing understanding that items traditionally associated with Christmas can result in allergies and misery for a significant number of people.

The main area of concern is the focal point of an living room at this time of year - the Christmas tree. Studies have established that a major cause of allergies to Christmas trees are caused by mold and the mold spores released into the indoor air when the tree is brought into the home.

One study found that after having a Christmas tree in the home for two weeks, certainly a typical amount of time, the mold spore count in the air had shot up to 10 times what it was prior to moving the tree in.