I  agree with you Patricia that lack of breastfeeding,
has contributed to the rise in  childrens asthma and wish that we
had the studies to prove it.  I am basing this on observations in my
own family. 3 out of 4 of my siblings had asthma as children. My
older sister did not. (Are first borns mostly healthier than later
children, just wondering..? ) We were raised in the NW of England
where the climate is wet and rainy.
My own 4   were all breastfed for more than a year and I have one
child with mild asthma which began at about age 15. She was my
colicky baby.   I understand that there is a relationship sometimes
between infant colic and allergies (correct me if I'm wrong)
Anyway my husband and I both came from families with histories
of allergies and I  know  that breastfeeding helped my children !
I am still very grateful to LLL Leaders who helped me stick with it(24 y ago)
after I was told  with my first baby that  my nipples were no good for
breastfeeding and that I had no milk.!  Ahh the good old days.

Ruth  Bacon    Thornhill Ontario