What is Asthma?
Asthma causes the airway lining to swell, the muscles around the airways to tighten, and sometimes excess mucus to form, leading to wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath. Flare-ups can be triggered by allergens, respiratory infections, exercise, weather changes, or stress.
Asthma is also one of the most common Type 2 inflammatory conditions, linking it to eczema, nasal polyps, and EOE through a shared immune pathway. Understanding that connection can change how it's treated.
Quick look
Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways, but what it looks like, what triggers it, and how it's treated varies widely from person to person. This guide will take you from what it all is to living with asthma.
17 episodes · Patients, families & clinicians
Mast cell disease
Learn about asthma in 6 MODULES
3. Asthma treatments
5. Asthma in kids
MODULE 1
Asthma control
Most people with asthma have learned to live around their symptoms, sleeping with an inhaler on the nightstand, or skipping activities that trigger breathlessness. But none of that is normal, and none of it is something you have to accept. These episodes help you understand what well-controlled asthma actually looks like and what to do when it isn't.
Clinical Focus!
Ep. 58
What Is Controlled Asthma? Everything You Need to Know
Learn what controlled asthma actually looks like, including types, severity levels, medications, and the importance of asthma action plans. Uncontrolled asthma has a serious long-term impact on lung health, and this episode explains how to recognize the difference.
Ep. 156
Is Your Asthma Worse Than It Should Be? Signs of Uncontrolled Asthma
Dr. Juanita Mora walks through the Rules of 2, five plain-language questions covering daytime symptoms, nighttime waking, rescue inhaler use, refills, and steroid use, to help patients figure out whether their asthma is actually under control, and what to do if it isn't.
Resources
Asthma Action Plans from Allergy & Asthma Network
Control Your Asthma: Rules of 2 quiz, videos & free asthma coach
Ep. 154
What Providers Need to Know About Uncontrolled Asthma
Dr. Cherie Zachary, president of the ACAAI, argues that an ER visit for asthma constitutes a treatment failure. She walks providers through five standardized control questions, which patient populations are most at risk, and why patients often normalize symptoms that should be flagged.
MODULE 2
Triggers & peak week
Knowing what triggers your asthma is as important as knowing how to treat it. These episodes cover common triggers (allergens, viruses, stress, and weather) and why the third week of September is consistently the most dangerous time of year for asthma patients.
Ep. 81
Why Asthma Attacks Rise in September Peak Week
The third week of September is known as asthma peak week, when allergies, back-to-school germs, and weather shifts combine to raise risk. This episode explains why it happens and what to do before it arrives.
Ep. 124
Asthma Peak Week & Understanding Triggers
A deep dive into common asthma triggers, including allergens, viruses, stress, humidity, and air quality. Learn practical strategies for minimizing exposure before symptoms spiral.
MODULE 3
Diagnosing mast cell disease
Diagnosing mast cell disease is complex; it often begins with an episode of unexplained anaphylaxis and requires a careful mix of blood tests, urine tests, and sometimes a bone marrow biopsy. These episodes walk through the process step by step.
Ep. 67
How to Diagnose Mast Cell Disease
The step-by-step diagnostic journey — from confirming true anaphylaxis to timing tryptase blood tests, leveraging urine metabolite tests, and when skin or bone marrow findings are needed.
Full episode only audio
Ep. 138
KIT D816V in Anaphylaxis: What the PROSPECTOR Trial Reveals
How the KIT D816V mutation impacts mast cell behavior and anaphylaxis risk, and how emerging research from the PROSPECTOR trial is reshaping how we understand these reactions.
MODULE 4
Treating & managing mast cell diseases
There's no one-size-fits-all approach to mast cell disease treatment. These episodes cover the step-up strategy from H1/H2 antihistamines and mast cell stabilizers to biologics and targeted therapies like avapritinib. Plus, learn what the latest research says about managing both MCAS and systemic mastocytosis.
Ep. 69
How Are Mast Cell Diseases Treated?
Why there's no single treatment plan for mast cell disease — and how the "try-and-see" method, from H1/H2 blockers to Xolair and tyrosine kinase inhibitors, helps personalize care.
Dive deeper!
The Itch Review: What the latest research has to say about mast cell disease
The Itch Review is our journal club series. Dr. Gupta, Kortney, and Dr. Blaiss break down the latest research into clear, actionable insights. Learn about the latest research on mast cell disease.
Ep. 118
Do Indolent Systemic Mastocytosis Patients & Providers Agree on Symptom Control?
A study revealing the gap between how patients and providers perceive symptom control in indolent systemic mastocytosis (ISM) and why bridging that perception gap matters for care.
Ep. 126
Management of Mast Cell Activation Syndrome: A Clinical Yardstick
What MCAS is, how to spot it across organ systems, and how to apply the 2025 ACAAI clinical yardstick to guide diagnosis and management.
Ep. 127
Management of Indolent Mastocytosis: A Clinical Yardstick
How to diagnose and treat indolent systemic mastocytosis — from baseline serum tryptase and KIT D816V testing to when to consider avapritinib — and what this means for quality of life.
Ep. 121
Avapritinib versus Placebo in Indolent Systemic Mastocytosis: PIONEER Trial
How avapritinib performed in the PIONEER trial, including how it targets the KIT D816V mutation, key outcomes on symptom scores, and what it could mean for the ISM treatment landscape.
MODULE 5
Advanced disease: systemic mastocytosis (SM)
For patients with more aggressive forms of systemic mastocytosis, early detection and specialist involvement are critical. These episodes explore advanced SM, what it is, how it progresses, and the emerging treatments changing the landscape.
Ep. 72
Mast Cell Disease, the Hematologist & New Treatments on the Horizon
Hematologist-oncologist Dr. Douglas Tremblay on how bone marrow biopsies and KIT mutation insights guide diagnosis and emerging treatments for systemic mastocytosis.
Ep. 73
What to Know About Advanced Systemic Mastocytosis
Dr. Kremyanskaya breaks down how advanced systemic mastocytosis, with or without hematologic malignancy (non-cancerous) evolves and affects organs, and why early detection matters.
MODULE 6
Comorbidities: hives anaphylaxis, & insect allergy
Mast cell disease rarely travels alone. Hives are a hallmark symptom of systemic mastocytosis, venom allergy is closely linked to SM, and anaphylaxis is a reality many mast cell patients live with daily. These episodes cover each of these overlapping conditions.
Ep. 128
Is Chronic Spontaneous Urticaria an Autoimmune Disease?
Hives are a hallmark symptom of systemic mastocytosis. This episode explores the autoimmune mechanisms behind CSU, including how mast cells drive hives from within, which is especially relevant for SM patients.
Ep. 59
What Is Anaphylaxis, and When to Use Epinephrine?
How to recognize anaphylaxis, when to use your epinephrine device, and what happens if you wait — essential knowledge for anyone living with mast cell disease.
Ep. 62
Why Is Anxiety Around Anaphylaxis So Common?
The delicate balance between fear and preparedness, how to stay ready to use epinephrine without letting anxiety around anaphylaxis take over daily life.
Ep. 55
What Is a Venom Allergy?
The connection between venom allergy and systemic mastocytosis, why allergists test for SM after a serious insect sting reaction, and how immunotherapy fits into the picture.