The Itch: Allergies, Asthma, Eczema & Immunology

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...

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 ki...

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 perf...

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 t...

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-...

We are continuing our series of interviewing thought leaders in the field of allergy and immunology. Dr. Gupta and Kortney sit down with Dr. Carla Davis, the president of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. What we cover in this episode about Dr. Davis and the AAAAI What the AAAAI is and why it matters to patients. A 7,000-member organization working behind the scenes to suppor...

Kortney and Dr. Payel Gupta are joined by Tamara Hubbard, MA, LCPC, a licensed clinical professional counselor and food-allergy parent. Together, they dig into what food allergy anxiety actually looks like in teenagers, why some teens take more risks as they get older, and what parents can do to support their teens without making things worse. What we cover in this episode is about food allergy an...

Food allergy anxiety in kids is real, and it does not always look like fear. It can show up as tantrums, clinginess, control-seeking behaviors, or a child who refuses to eat at a restaurant. Child life specialist and therapist Kelsey Mora joins Kortney and Dr. Payel Gupta to unpack what is really going on.  What we cover in our episode about managing anxiety in kids Food allergy anxiety does not a...

Mia Silverman, food allergy advocate, joins us to talk about the real emotional and practical side of dating with food allergies. From what the research says about kissing risks to setting boundaries to why your allergies might actually be the best filter you have. What we cover in this episode about dating with food allergies When to tell someone about your food allergies. Mia shares why she brin...

If you have asthma, there is a good chance you have learned to live around it. You sleep with your inhaler on the nightstand. You skip the walk because you know it will leave you breathless. This is called uncontrolled asthma, and it is more common than you think. But here is the thing: none of that is normal, and none of it is something you have to accept. Dr. Juanita Mora, allergist and immunolo...

When a child is diagnosed with a food allergy, one of the first things many parents wonder is, "Did I do something wrong?" and "Did I cause my child's food allergy?" You question if it was something you ate or didn't eat during pregnancy, whether you breastfed long enough, or if you introduced foods too late. The guilt is real, and it is incredibly common. Kortney and Dr. Payel Gupta sit down with...

If you treat patients with asthma, this episode is for you. Not just allergists, but GPs, pediatricians, family medicine doctors, urgent care providers, and anyone who sees a patient with asthma in their practice. Dr. Cherie Zachary, current president of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, joins Kortney and Dr. Payel Gupta to talk about why uncontrolled asthma remains a serious...

Food allergy bullying is more common than most parents realize, and most kids never bring it up on their own. Research shows it affects up to 1 in 3 children with food allergies, and the signs can be easy to miss: a lunchbox that keeps coming home full, a sudden reluctance to go to school, or quietly backing off from safe food habits to avoid standing out. In this episode, psychologist Dr. Amanda...

Kortney and Dr. Payel Gupta sit down with Nissa Shaffi, MS, Director of Advocacy at the Allergy & Asthma Network, to talk about what patient advocacy really means, how the healthcare system works as a whole, and how everyday people with allergies, asthma, and related conditions can learn to use their voice to push for real change. What we cover in this episode is patient advocacy for allergy a...

If you have ever taken an antihistamine labeled "non-drowsy" and still ended up foggy and tired, you are not imagining it. Allergists have a lot to say about that label and about the foggy feeling that comes with allergy season in general. In part two of our live recordings from the AAAAI conference in Philadelphia, Kortney and Dr. Payel Gupta talk to allergists from across the US about what they...

Ep. 150: What Allergists Really Think About Your Allergy Nasal Spray If you have ever grabbed a nasal spray off the pharmacy shelf, used it for a few days, and given up because nothing seemed to be happening, you are not alone. And according to the allergists we spoke to at the AAAAI conference in Philadelphia, that is not uncommon. In this episode, Kortney and Dr. Payel Gupta share real conversat...

Chronic sinusitis without nasal polyps is the most common form of chronic sinusitis. Even so, most patients spend years without a clear explanation, cycling through antibiotics that do not address what is actually going on. In this episode, Kortney and Dr. Payel Gupta are joined by Dr. Michael Blaiss and Dr. Anju Peters, an allergist and immunologist at Northwestern University who co-authored the...

Chronic hives that come and go without warning are exhausting physically and emotionally. But here is something many patients don't realize: feeling "okay" is not the same as being well controlled. Kortney and Dr. Gupta are joined by Dr. Tom Chacko, a board-certified allergist and immunologist based in Atlanta, to discuss what good hives control actually looks like and what to do when you are not...

If you have chronic hives and antihistamines aren't helping, there's a new treatment option to know about. In this episode of The Itch Review, we spotlight " Remibrutinib in Chronic Spontaneous Urticaria " published in The New England Journal of Medicine, March 2025. This article looks at the REMIX trials, which tested whether remibrutinib, a BTK inhibitor, can help adults whose chronic spontaneou...

Chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps, or CRSwNP, is a condition driven by ongoing inflammation. That is why treatment is not a one-time fix and why polyps can come back even after surgery. In this episode, Dr. Payel Gupta and Kortney are joined by Dr. Maeve O'Connor, a board-certified allergist and immunologist, to walk through CRSwNP treatment options. This episode is released around World An...

We spend about 90% of our time indoors. But what's actually in that air we breathe, and why does it matter so much for people with asthma, allergies, and eczema? This is part two of our series about indoor air quality. We discuss how you can improve your indoor air quality. Kortney shares her experience living in Germany, where ventilating your home isn't just a suggestion, it's practically a life...

We spend about 90% of our time indoors. But what's actually in that air we breathe, and why does it matter so much for people with asthma, allergies, and eczema? This is a two-part series about indoor air quality. In the first part, we break down the three main categories of indoor air pollutants: particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and biological allergens like...

We continue our tradition of interviewing the incoming president of the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology to learn what is top of mind for the field and what it means for patients and families. Dr. Cherie Zachary joins us to share her personal journey into allergy and immunology as both a lifelong patient and clinician. She explains what the ACAAI does and why increasing represe...

Allergy & Asthma Network has spent more than four decades helping people living with asthma, allergies, and related immune conditions navigate care, access trustworthy education, and make their voices heard. In this episode, we talk with Lynda Mitchell, CEO of Allergy & Asthma Network. Lynda shares how becoming a food allergy and asthma mom in the early 1990s shaped her career and led her...

Asthma is one of the most common long-term conditions in children. It is a leading cause of missed school and emergency room visits. Doctors use tools (validated questionnaires) to assess how well a child’s asthma is controlled and whether their medicine is helping. Some tools only ask about symptoms, which can miss children who are still at risk for asthma attacks. The lead author, Dr. Kevin Murp...