ontrary to parents' fears, a pet dog can actually boost a child's immune system and keep away asthma and other allergies, a study by a German scientist has revealed.

Joachim Heinrich of the Institute of Epidemiology at the Heimholtz Centre in Munich, Germany, led the study of over 3,000 children whose health was monitored from birth until they reach the age of six

A British study has found that asthmatic people can be more prone to obesity because of their inability to exercise much.

Scientists at King's College and Imperial College, London, have also discovered a protein which increases appetite in cells closely associated with asthma, explaining why obese people are up to twice as likely to have asthma

Although the use of very hot water (scalding) is recommended as the best way to eliminate dust mites, animal dander, pollen and other allergens in laundering, a second rinse cycle for lower temperature washing has been found to be effective.

Hundreds of loads of laundry were washed at various settings in a research test conducted by Jung-Won Park, M.D., Ph.D., of Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea, and his colleagues. Their results were presented at the latest meeting of the American Thoracic Society

A research by scientists at the Atopy (Allergy) Research Center at the Juntendo University School of Medicine in Tokyo suggests that dust mites and their droppings disrupt immune system in human skin and leave it vulnerable to other irritants.

Although several previous studies have linked house dust mites and their droppings to attacks of eczema and asthma, the current study provides an explanation as to how it happens

European researchers say a pill may soon be able to replace allergy shots.

Their study supports previous research showing the effectiveness of the Grazax allergen tablet. Allergy shots have long been used to treat hay fever and other allergies