A new study has found a link between parental stress and the development of asthma in children.

Published in the online edition of Proceeding of the National Academy of Sciences, the study found that although parental stress alone does not increase the risk of asthma in children, it does increase the risk when children are regularly exposed to air pollution or tobacco smoke.

Children who have been exposed to these factors are more likely to develop asthma "with increasing exposure to stress in the household," notes Dr Ketan Shankardass, the lead researcher of the study.

Dr Clifford Bassett, medical director of Allergy and Asthma Care of New York, supported the findings, stating that "stress does have an impact on the immune system. Clearly, the relationship between stress, tobacco and air pollution are all bad guys."

Coping with parental stress can be an effective way of mitigating the potential for the development of asthma in children who are at risk. Various forms of meditation have been proven effective as ways to reduce stress. Herbal supplements like St. John’s Wort are also effective, and they do not pose the risk of dependency found with antidepressants or mood elevators like Zoloft or Paxil.