Gee I am not very sure but I know that swimming is good for asthma. Some of the best swimmers in the world started swimming to combat asthma. Maybe she could take up swimming if she reduces the figure skating commitments as it sounds like she doesn't have a lot of spare time.

I would suggest taking her to some natural therapists, a naturopath for example as they may be able to suggest things that directly deal with the underlying cause of her lung difficulties rather than band aid solutions such as asthma medication, these are strong medicines which won't do her any good in the long run. Asthma medication is only dealing with the surface symptoms. It may help her breathing in the short term but thats not going to fix the problem. It sounds like you really need to get to the root of what is causing her lung difficulties and it sounds as though conventional medicine is not doing this which is why i suggest natural therapies. she may also benefit from doing some meditation or yoga as it sounds as though she is quite hard on herself and maybe she needs to relax a bit! good luck, hope this helps!

You have an obligation to your grand-daughter to recognize that she IS NOT PUSHING HERSELF. If a child CAN NOT BREATHE as a result of athletic activity it is nothing short of ABUSE to encourage said child to continue to participate in said activity. Stop the cycle you created with your child by intervening on behalf of your grandchild. At least the dysfunction won't last another generation.