It's a respiratory illness that affects more than 14 million Americans and kills thousands each year: asthma. But there are ways sufferers can control the effects of asthma.

Dr. Nick Hanania from Baylor College of Medicine says there is no cure of asthma because it's a chronic disease, but there is good news.

"We can control it, and there are several things that control asthma," said Hanania on FOX 26 Morning News.

It's a respiratory illness that affects more than 14 million Americans and kills thousands each year: asthma. But there are ways sufferers can control the effects of asthma.

Dr. Nick Hanania from Baylor College of Medicine says there is no cure of asthma because it's a chronic disease, but there is good news.

"We can control it, and there are several things that control asthma," said Hanania on FOX 26 Morning News.

Questions Arise About Drugs Which FDA Waved Through Despite Falsified Trials.

A major allergy and respiratory management company knowingly produced flawed clinical trials of FDA approved drugs currently on the market a Texas physician is charging.

Trials of Singular, Serevent, Foradil, Flovent, Xolair, Accolate and Xopenex conducted at the Tucson, AZ facility of Vivra Asthma & Allergy were corrupted by protocol violations and outright falsifications says Robert Davidson, MD, a former clinical research sub investigator at the facility.

A high rate of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infections among Inuit babies in Nunavut could be curbed if health officials give a costly but proven vaccine to them, according to a new study.

The report by Dr. Anna Banerji of St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto, published Thursday on the website of the Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal, suggests that Nunavut health authorities rethink how RSV cases are handled in the territory.

Based on research conducted in 2002 on Baffin Island, Banerji's study found almost one-third of infants are hospitalized with lower respiratory tract infections, which are most often caused by RSV.

What is swine flu?

Swine Influenza (swine flu) is a respiratory disease of pigs caused by type A influenza viruses. Outbreaks of swine flu happen regularly in pigs. People do not normally get swine flu, but human infections can and do happen. Most commonly, human cases of swine flu happen in people who are around pigs but it's possible for swine flu viruses to spread from person to person also.

Are there human infections with swine flu in the U.S.?

In late March and early April 2009, cases of human infection with swine influenza A (H1N1) viruses were first reported in Southern California and near San Antonio, Texas. CDC and local and state health agencies are working together to investigate this situation. As of April 25, 11 cases have been reported in California (7), Texas (2) and Kansas (2).

A lifestyle intervention program that promoted exercise, healthy eating and quitting smoking improved the health of people with mild to moderate chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and was cost-effective, a new study shows.

The patients in the study were randomly assigned to receive usual care or to participate in an interdisciplinary, community-based program (INTERCOM). The first four months of the intervention program featured intensive lifestyle moderation. That was followed by 20 months of less intensive maintenance in which the patients were offered guidance but not rigorous intervention.

The Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis announced Thursday that it has a new a drug which will offer better help to sufferers of chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases, such as chronic bronchitis and emphysema.

The QAB149 drug, after phase III trials, showed it could deliver improved lung function within five minutes of the first dose, lasting for 24 hours. This would mean suffers would only need one dose a day.

Scientists believe they have found what triggers many children with eczema to go on to develop asthma.

The Public Library of Science Biology study points to a way to stop what is known as the "atopic march".

The US team at the Washington University School of Medicine showed that a substance made by the damaged skin triggered asthma symptoms in mice.

If you are a woman over the age of 40, you probably know that you should be taking Vitamin D. Unfortunately, many women don't get enough. But did you know that not getting enough Vitamin D might be affecting your asthma?

According to researchers from the University of Pennsylvania, vitamin D may slow the progressive decline in lung function resulting from airway remodeling over time. In airway remodeling certain types of smooth muscle grow more prominent, cause inflammation, and can cause damage to the lungs. The researchers believe that the remodeling can possibly be prevented or slowed down if adequate amounts of vitamin D are consumed.

Improving communications skills and the use of a simple blood test could help cut the growing number of inappropriate prescriptions of antibiotics, a joint Cardiff University trial has discovered.

In a major new clinical trial, published in the British Medical Journal, a team of researchers from Cardiff University's School of Medicine together with researchers from the Maastricht University Medical Centre in the Netherlands found those GPs in primary care who underwent training in advanced communications skills and those who made use of a simple blood test prescribed fewer antibiotics for lower respiratory tract infections, which generally do not respond to antibiotics.

Via Christi Regional Medical Center's Respiratory Care department has received the Quality Respiratory Care Recognition award from the American Association for Respiratory Care.

The award goes to hospitals agreeing to a strict set of criteria governing respiratory care services. The standards include having respiratory care therapists available 24 hours a day, having a physician as medical director of respiratory care services and having credentialed respiratory therapists.

WOMEN may be especially susceptible to the toxic effects of cigarette smoking, US researchers said on Monday.

They said women who smoke develop lung damage earlier in life than men, and it takes less cigarette exposure to cause damage in women compared with men.

'Overall our analysis indicated that women may be more vulnerable to the effects of smoking,' said Dr Inga-Cecilie Soerheim of Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston and the University of Bergen in Norway.

Cigarette smoking is more riskier on the lungs today than it was a few decades ago due to changes in cigarette design, suggests a new study.

Up to one-half of U.S. lung cancer cases may be due to those changes, Dr. David Burns of the University of California, San Diego, told a recent meeting of tobacco researchers.

The study found the increase in a kind of lung tumor called adenocarcinoma was higher in the United States than in Australia, even though both countries switched to so-called milder cigarettes at the same time.

Are you concerned about your indoor air quality? You should be. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has listed the number one pollution problem in America is indoor air pollution.

Controlling the air quality in your home, office and car can reduce allergy and asthma symptoms. Many people with allergies stay indoors when outdoor air is full of pollen and spores. But dust mites, animal dander and even cockroaches can cause problems indoors.

Eight out of 10 people in the U.S. are exposed to house dust mites, and six out of 10 are exposed to cat or dog dander.

Powerful software which mimics the evolution of super bugs could help scientists tackle them more effectively, researchers hope.

Edinburgh University scientists have been working with computer models which could help develop more effective antibiotic treatments.

The study also encourages experts to pool their findings for a more reliable approach to bacteria growth.

Babies born to obese mothers may have an increased risk of asthma, according to data from a new study to be presented on May 19 at the 105th International Conference of the American Thoracic Society in San Diego.

"Obesity is not a neutral state; adipose tissue is an active producer of pro-inflammatory cytokines, while it also suppresses the action of anti-inflammatory cytokines," said Jet Smit, Ph.D., of the National Institute of Public Health and the Environment in the Netherlands. "Therefore, when you have an obese person, you are not just looking at a problem of excess fat, but a problem of systemic inflammation. This may affect the immunological and pulmonary development in the fetus and possibly result in a higher risk of asthma symptoms after birth."

An experimental asthma treatment that uses heat to reduce airway constriction provided some relief from severe asthma that is poorly controlled with medications, U.S. researchers said on Monday.

They said the Alair device, made by privately held Asthmatx Inc of Sunnyvale, California, cut the rates of extreme asthma attacks by 32 percent and reduced trips to the emergency room by 84 percent in patients with severe asthma.

Starting rehabilitation early in the ICU during periods when sedation is interrupted may help prevent loss of independence in daily living after discharge, researchers reported.

Exercise and mobilization with physical and occupational therapy within 72 hours of the start of mechanical ventilation more than doubled the rate of independent functional status at discharge, compared with standard care (P=0.02), according to John P. Kress, M.D., of the University of Chicago, and colleagues.

A quick breath check in the palm of your hand can never give accurate results. Whether you're about to lean in for a smooch or start a job interview, you're better off asking a trusted friend if your breath is sweet. But what if a friend isn't around when you need one?

Tel Aviv University researchers have come up with the ultimate solution - a pocket-size breath test which lets you know if malodorous bacteria are brewing in your mouth. A blue result suggests you need a toothbrush. But if it's clear, you're "okay to kiss."