Kerry Pearl remembers the pharmacist holding up the medicine her 4-year-old son needed to help him breathe. “He was literally holding it, looking at me like: ‘I can’t give you this,’ ” she recalls.

During an asthma check-up at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Joel Rubinstein gets a surprising pitch — for the planet, as well as his health. His pulmonologist, Dr. Miguel Divo, explains that ...

What starts as breathlessness can turn fatal within minutes, doctors warn that quick action, correct inhaler use and timely medical help are the only lifesavers during a severe asthma attack.