Most asthma peak week coverage focuses on kids heading back to school. But adults with asthma are just as much at risk, and often don't realize it until they're already in trouble. 

Kortney and Dr. Payel Gupta are joined by allergist Dr. Ashwin Shankar to talk about why asthma peak week hits adults hard, how normalizing symptoms can quietly put you at risk, and what steps to take before the season catches up with you.

What we cover in this episode about adult asthma peak week

Resources

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Made in partnership with The Allergy & Asthma Network.

Thanks to AstraZeneca and Amgen for sponsoring today’s episode. 

This podcast is for informational purposes only and does not substitute for professional medical advice. Always consult with your healthcare provider for any medical concerns.

Every September, doctors see a jump in asthma attacks and ER visits. It's called Asthma Peak Week, and it usually hits the third week of September, right when families are settling into their school routines. 

Kortney and Dr. Payel Gupta are joined again by Liz Elliott, a nurse administrator in school health services for Montgomery County, Maryland, and a returning guest from our food allergy episode. This time, Liz answers the questions parents ask most about asthma at school, from what actually happens during a flare to whether their child's inhaler needs to be with them or in the health room.

What we cover in this episode about Asthma Peak Week from the school nurse perspective

More resources

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Made in partnership with The Allergy & Asthma Network.

Thanks to AstraZeneca and Amgen for sponsoring today’s episode. 

This podcast is for informational purposes only and does not substitute for professional medical advice. Always consult with your healthcare provider for any medical concerns.

Wildfire smoke used to feel like someone else's problem. Now it can show up on air quality alerts hundreds of miles from any actual fire, and for anyone with asthma, that hazy sky can mean real trouble breathing.

In this episode, Kortney and Dr. Gupta are joined by Dr. Neelu Tummala, an ENT physician and climate health expert, to talk about why wildfires are getting more frequent and intense, what is actually in wildfire smoke, and the everyday steps that can protect your lungs, your family, and even your pets.

What we cover in this episode about wildfire smoke and asthma

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This podcast is made in partnership with Allergy & Asthma Network

Chronic rhinosinusitis without nasal polyps (CRSsNP) is the type that makes up most chronic sinusitis cases. It's often mistaken for allergies, a lingering cold, or migraines, which can delay a proper diagnosis for years.

Dr. Gupta and Kortney sit down with Dr. Anju Peters, an allergist at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine, to unpack how this condition is actually diagnosed, why it can take patients years to get an answer, and which treatments have real evidence behind them.

What we cover in this episode about chronic sinusitis without nasal polyps

Resources:

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Made in partnership with The Allergy & Asthma Network.

Thanks to Insmed for sponsoring today’s episode. 

This podcast is for informational purposes only and does not substitute for professional medical advice. Always consult with your healthcare provider for any medical concerns.

Food allergy prevention is something most families think about once a baby starts eating. But the gut microbiome begins developing before birth, and what happens during pregnancy matters for the development of food allergies.

This is a bonus episode from our conversation with Dr. Carina Venter. The clip did not make it into Episode 165, but it was too good not to share. Dr. Payel Gupta and Kortney dig into what Dr. Venter shared about pregnancy, the gut microbiome, and what families can do in that critical first year of life.

What we cover in this episode about pregnancy and food allergy prevention

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Dr. Venter’s Studies:

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This podcast is made in partnership with the Allergy & Asthma Network 

You have probably heard the word "microbiome", but what does it actually mean for someone living with a food allergy?

Dr. Carina Venter, a registered dietitian, joins us to break down the gut’s role in food allergies. She explains what the microbiome is, how it connects to the immune system, and what families can realistically do right now to support a healthier gut.

What we cover in this episode about gut health and food allergies

About our guest, Dr. Carian Venter: https://www.carinaventer.com/

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This podcast is made in partnership with the Allergy & Asthma Network

In this journal club episode, we break down the draft of the Chronic Urticaria Guidelines: 2026 AAAAI/ACAAI Joint Task Force (JTF) on Practice Parameters GRADE- and Institute of Medicine-based recommendations. We explain what counts as chronic hives, why the guideline leans on second-generation non-drowsy antihistamines, what to do when those are not enough, and what is new for both adults and kids.

At the time of recording, the draft was open for comments; it closed for comments on June 30, 2026.

What we cover in our episode about the new chronic hives guidelines

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The Itch Review, hosted by Dr. Gupta, Kortney, and Dr. Blaiss, explores allergy and immunology studies, breaking down complex research in conversations accessible to clinicians, patients, and caregivers. Each episode provides key insights from journal articles and includes a one-page infographic in the show notes for easy reference.

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Made in partnership with The Allergy & Asthma Network.

Thanks to Opella for sponsoring today’s episode. 

This podcast is for informational purposes only and does not substitute professional medical advice. Always consult with your healthcare provider for any medical concerns.

Join Kortney and Dr. Payel Gupta as they unpack chronic spontaneous urticaria. Together, they define what hives actually are, explain how CSU is different from an allergic reaction and other types of hives, and walk through what is happening under your skin to cause all that itching.

This episode was originally published June 6, 2024. We re-released it on June 25, 2026 with a new intro as the perfect foundation before our episode on the new chronic urticaria guidelines.

Do you get hives and have no idea why? Then this episode is for you.

Explore our full catalog of hives episodes

Diagnosis and the basics

Treatment

Living with chronic hives

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This podcast is made in partnership with Allergy and Asthma Network. 

We thank Novartis for originally sponsoring this episode.

This podcast is for informational purposes only and does not substitute professional medical advice. Any mention of brands is also informational and not an endorsement. Always consult with your healthcare provider for any medical questions or concerns.

Treatment options for eczema have come a long way, with many new non-steroidal choices. One type is the JAK inhibitor, which offers two things people have long wanted: a non-steroidal option and a more advanced option that, unlike a biologic, does not require injection.

Kortney and Dr. Payel Gupta sit down with returning guest Dr. Nicole Chase, to break down what a JAK inhibitor actually is, how the pill and cream versions differ, how JAK inhibitors compare to biologics, and what to know about safety. They also cover what is new, including a topical JAK now approved for children as young as two.

What we cover in this episode about JAK inhibitors for eczema

Made in partnership with The Allergy & Asthma Network.

Thanks to Incyte for sponsoring today’s episode. 

This podcast is for informational purposes only and does not substitute professional medical advice. Always consult with your healthcare provider for any medical concerns.

Most adults with asthma never receive education about managing their condition, even though it is proven to help with better asthma control. The reason comes down to access. In this episode, we explore a digital platform called BREATHE, built from the ground up to change that.

Dr. Payel Gupta and Kortney sit down with the two lead authors behind “Development and Usability of a Digital Asthma Self-management Education Platform: BRinging Exercise, Asthma Assessments, and TeacHing to Everyone (BREATHE)” published in JACI: In Practice, March 2026. De De Gardner and Sheryl Flynn, CEO, talk about how BREATHE was developed, what the app includes, and what the data showed after patients and providers put it to the test.

What we cover in this episode about asthma self-management

Allergy and Asthma Network Virtual Asthma Coaching Program and the Spanish program.

This podcast is made in partnership with the Allergy & Asthma Network.