Exposure to Bacteria, Fungi, and Viruses Could Influence Childhood Asthma Risk

Mounting evidence suggests that the trillions of bacteria, fungi, and viruses that line our skin and digestive tracts—called the microbiome—may be key to a healthier immune system. In particular, being exposed to the right bacteria at an early age may reduce a child's asthma risk, says B. Brett Finlay Ph.D., a microbiologist at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver.
“Asthma is a very prevalent disease in our society now, which wasn’t the case 50 years ago,” Finlay says, who spoke on the topic at the recent meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). “We now realize that the microbes [you’re exposed to early in life] seem to set you up—or not—for asthma”.....

Read more here: consumerreports.org

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Fighting asthma with data

Year after year, Chattanooga, Tenn., ranks as one of the most challenging cities to live in for people who suffer from asthma and seasonal allergies, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. It was eighth on the list for 2015, sixth the year before.
To help the city better target its air quality efforts and give asthma sufferers more information on which areas they should avoid, a team of researchers from the University of Texas at Dallas are working to install highly sensitive sensors to map in real time the areas with the most particulate matter in the air.....

Read more here: gcn.com

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Jayne Torvill on coping with terrifying asthma attacks brought on by ice skating

I never suffered from asthma as a child – it was something that suddenly started in my late 20s. I will never forget my first attack.
I was suffering badly with hayfever and the pollen count was particularly high when I suddenly began to wheeze. I had shortness of breath, a tightness in my chest and I was gasping for air.
It was very frightening and I went straight to the GP, who diagnosed asthma and prescribed an inhaler. In the years that followed I started to have sporadic attacks and found skating brought it on.....

Read more here: mirror.co.uk