Natural asthma treatment project wins SciFest

Caolann Brady, a sixth year student from St. Wolstan’s Community Schoo, Celbridge, Kildare was named the overall winner of SciFest 2016, for her project ‘Hum your way to better health’ – a project which focussed on the natural treatment of asthma through humming and breathing techniques as opposed to using inhalers and nebulisers.
She is the first female student to take the overall prize at the SciFest national final. Of the 58 students who exhibited their 31 Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) projects at the national final 65% (35) were female. SciFest is an all-island STEM initiative which fosters active, collaborative and inquiry-based learning among second level students. This year saw a record number of over 8,000 students exhibiting their projects in local and regional science fairs across the country.....

Read more here: schooldays.ie

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Teens with asthma almost twice as likely to smoke as their healthy counterparts

Curiosity is a driving factor in why most kids start smoking, and the same is true for kids with asthma. A study presented at the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) Annual Scientific Meeting found adolescents with asthma were twice as likely to smoke as kids without asthma.
And they continue to smoke well into their teen years, even though they know smoking is particularly bad for their lungs.....

Read more here: medica-tradefair.com

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Can Bloodsucking Parasites Cure Asthma?

Generally, any mention of bloodsucking parasites conjures up an instant ‘yuk’ factor. But according to a team of scientists, a certain species of hookworm could be on-track to shun its stigma, and emerge as the next big thing in asthma treatment.
Commonly penetrating the skin on the soles of the feet and making their way up to the small intestine, hookworms are parasites that suck blood from the lining of the gut. In the process, they secrete proteins that boost the immune system and help keep their host healthy. It’s this all-important gesture that captured the attention of scientists, and led them to investigate hookworms as a possible treatment for asthma.....

Read more here: labmate-online.com