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Selected Highlighted News in the field of Autoimmune Encephalitis~ December 2022 Stocking Stuffer Special Edition

• *Announcements:   AE Awareness Month Speakers Series, #BrainonFire Merchandise, The Well-Being Gratitude Journal AE Awareness Month Speakers Series, #BrainonFire Merchandise
• *Children’s Corner (for all ages): Christmas Dot to Dot Games, Jigsaw Puzzles
• *Featured Article: The Ultimate Chronic Illness Holiday Survival Guide
• *ABI Rehabilitation: Hope Adult Coloring Page 
• *Helpful Tips for the AE Warrior:  Create Personal Stocking Stuffers for Family & Friends, Will Santa Bring You a Medical I.D. Bracelet or Free Emergency Medical Alert Card?, Create an AE Warrior Survival Kit
• *Holiday Visuals: Heart & Soul Pudding Recipe, Hotline Letter to Santa
• *Holiday Musical Videos:  The Most Common Antibody of Them All, Deck My IV Poles
• *Elf’s Research Workshop: Why Rudolph’s nose is red: an observational study
  
• *Claus Research: The Occupational Health of Santa Claus
• *AE Trivia Cards:  The single most important educational/rehabilitation tool for AE
• *Shop & Support IAES: Sign up for PayPal’s #GiveAtCheckOut and Amazon Smiles

Annoucements

AE Awareness Month Speakers Series 

Throughout February 2023, IAES will be hosting free webinars open to the public. Experts from around the globe will be speaking on key topics of the highest interest to our community. There will be a Q & A period after each presentation where attendees can ask questions. Register today to ensure your place. All presentations will be recorded and available on our YouTube channel within a few days of the presentations. 

AE Awareness Month Merchandise

#BrainOnFire is the 2023 theme for Autoimmune Encephalitis Awareness Month, February 2023. The Brain on Fire design names many of the most common symptoms experienced in Autoimmune Encephalitis and where in the brain that symptom is controlled.

T-shirts have a 2-sided design and may be ordered in a variety of styles. The design on the back of the shirt reads: Autoimmune Encephalitis (AE): is a type of brain inflammation where the body’s immune system attacks healthy brain cells.

Spread awareness for Autoimmune Encephalitis. These products may begin a conversation that could lead to saving a life. The proceeds of your purchase will immediately support autoimmune encephalitis patients, caregivers, and families who are walking this difficult journey, and research that may one day lead to a cure.

The Well-Being Gratitude Journal

Utilize the journal by challenging yourself to a 21-day commitment described. Spend two minutes a day scanning the world for three new things you’re grateful for over a 21-day period.  We instinctively scan our environment for threats. This powerful exercise trains your brain to scan the world in a new pattern of scanning for positives. It’s the fastest way to teach optimism.

 We are all capable of learning new behaviors and changing our brain patterns. Research has shown that a person with a low-level of pessimism on day 1 of this 21-day exercise will admit to feeling a low-level of optimism by day 21. When dealing with a life challenge as overwhelming as AE, it is important to take care of your mental health, feel supported in your ability to manage the crisis and feel empowered and truly resilient.   

The Journal has a left-hand margin width for a 3-hole punch, so it can be inserted into a notebook. Coloring has been shown through research to mitigate symptoms of physical and emotional distress and is a recommended rehabilitation activity for AE patients. Color in the cover design to personalize your journal while relaxing into a pleasant past time. 

Children’s Corner

Christmas Dot to Dot Games

Featured Article

It may be the happiest time of the year, but for those of us with AE, we also need to take care of ourselves and be mindful of how we use our time. To enjoy the holidays we also need to take care of ourselves as well as celebrate.

Jigsaw Puzzles Original Art by AE Warriors

Original art by autoimmune encephalitis patients makes these puzzles a unique gift, challenge & collectors item. Puzzles are a long-time group or individual past time. They are a highly recommended cognitive exercise for anyone with a brain injury or in recovery from illness. Puzzles assist with comprehension, organization, memory, hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills and provide goal setting, patience, and a sense of achievement.

ABI Rehabilitation From AE

Hope Adult Coloring Page

Adult coloring alleviates signs of stress and depression. Coloring reduces stress by activating the brain’s right hemisphere. When we are stressed or worried, we activate the left side of our brain, which is responsible for analytical and cognitive processes, but when we color, we switch gears and access the right side of the brain, the creative, artistic region, which quiets the left part, allows creativity to take over and blocks out worries.

Like meditation, coloring promotes relaxation by focusing the brain on the present moment. When patients color, they engage in the ‘here and now’ and practice mindfulness, which can be a very meditative and relaxing process.  Because they’re occupied with thoughts such as ‘what color do I use?’ and ‘how should I color this part?,’ their right brain can relax and give them a break from difficult thoughts about procedures, their diagnosis, pain and the like. Art is a nonverbal way of processing all of these difficult feelings.

Helpful Tips for Patients & Families

Create Personalized Stocking Stuffers For Family and Friends

#AEWarrior chocolate bar wrappers with inspirational messages your friends, family, co-workers, and fellow students will love.

• Download: paper wrapper
• Wrapper: 5 9/16” x 5 3/8”
• Fits 1.55oz Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Bar, 1.45oz Hershey’s Dark Chocolate Bar, & 1.6oz Belgian Milk Chocolate Embossed Bar
• Candy not included

Purchase the candy bars. Download, print (for best results center image) and cut out the wrapper.

*Additional free gifts are offered on the AE Warrior Gifts page. Get inspired and start creating gifts for people on your holiday gift list.

All AE patients should wear a medical I.D. Bracelet. This will prevent anyone from misunderstanding symptoms as psychiatric or behavioral problems.

There are a variety of Medical alert bands you can order, here is a simple example of an inexpensive one that will last years. 

Next: We all need to carry a Medical Alert Card. Download your free AE Warrior Medical Alert Cards here.

IAES also offers a free AE Identification Card which you can download here.

See the “Apps and Tools for AE Warriors” page of our website for more medical I.D. recommendations and other supportive tools that will assist you on your AE journey. 

Create An AE Warrior Survival Kit

Holiday Visuals

Heart & Soul Pudding Recipe

Hotline Letter to Santa

Holiday Musical Videos

The Most Common AE Antibody of All 

Deck My IV Poles ~An AE Warrior Holiday Song 

A Fun Holiday song. We hope it brings a smile and conveys the love we have for all of you in the Autoimmune Encephalitis community.

Although IAES President and Co-founder, Tabitha Orth, is not a singer, she willingly gave this project a go in the spirit of the season. Happy Holidays and may the New Year bring better Health and Recovery to us all.

Elf’s Research Workshop

Why Rudolph’s nose is red: observational study

Objective To characterize the functional morphology of the nasal microcirculation in humans in comparison with reindeer as a means of testing the hypothesis that the luminous red nose of Rudolph, one of the most well-known reindeer pulling Santa Claus’s sleigh, is due to the presence of a highly dense and rich nasal microcirculation.

Conclusions

Using hand-held vital video microscopy for imaging the human nasal microcirculation in health, interventions, and disease, we were able to solve an age old mystery. Rudolph’s nose is red because it is richly supplied with red blood cells, comprises a highly dense microcirculation, and is anatomically and physiologically adapted for reindeer to carry out their flying duties for Santa Claus. 

Claus Research

The Occupational Health of Santa Claus 

The health of Santa Claus has been discussed in the medical literature before and it was concluded that “Santa studies is a developing field in public health, and currently there is a disappointing lack of rigorous research…” In particular, there is a lack of research on the occupational health of Santa Claus. Close examination of the working conditions of Santa Claus highlights a number of pertinent occupational health issues; we have attempted to outline the major points below.

• Safety of equipment operation
• Work scheduling, cardiovascular  health and travel related issues
• Heat stress
• The older worker and succession planning
• Mental health
• Workshop ergonomics

Conclusion:

It has previously been reported that there is no standardized requirement for Santa to have a medical check-up, other than pre-employment drug screening. Given the above-mentioned concerns from an occupational health perspective, we feel that it is time to adopt an evidence-based approach to develop, firstly, a comprehensive workplace occupational health program for Santa, and, secondly, a standardized and reproducible protocol for assessment of Santa’s fitness for work. However, we are sensitive to recent trends emphasizing workplace inclusiveness, and would not want to single out Santa for special treatment, thereby possibly contributing to workplace stigma. We therefore additionally suggest that future research directions include efforts to similarly explore and develop recommendations concerning the occupational health of reindeer and elves.

AE Trivia Playing Cards

The perfect companion  for patients, caregivers & therapists

Doctor Recommended

We appreciate the National Organization of Rare Diseases’ (NORD) enthusiastic support in recommending this groundbreaking product. 

Shop & Support IAES Through PayPal’s 

#GiveATCheckOut

Are YOU an IAES angel? Do you love someone with AE? Do you want to raise AE awareness to not just support AE Warriors but lead researchers to finding a cure?  The IAES Angel is someone who lifted IAES upward by ensuring that comfort, guidance and improved health is brought into an AE patient’s life.

IAES Angels are motivated by their Spirit of giving.  They are Champions in raising AE awareness. Your devotion to supporting our mission and improving the lives of those who suffer from AE is felt mightily and immediately put to use. 

When you become an #IAESANGEL, International Autoimmune Encephalitis Society will send you this badge and profile frame to place on your Facebook page or Website.  As badges ‘take flight’ heralding IAES has been ‘touched by an angel’, others will take notice and they too may find their wings. Together, we will create a future where AE is eradicated from this world and only referenced in medical history books.

Donations raised are greatly appreciated and directly support research, patients, caregivers, and families through their journey so the best outcomes can be reached.   Your contribution to our mission will help save a life and improve the quality of lives for others.  Be a part of the solution by supporting IAES.

Driven by the knowledge that “Education is Power”, Int’l AE Society manages an educational support group for patients diagnosed with Autoimmune Encephalitis and their loved ones on Face Book, empowering them to be strong self-advocates and advocates that will lead them to best outcomes and recovery. We are the premiere organization leading in these vital roles.