The Itch Podcast
Through a shared commitment to advancing allergy and immunology education, Allergy Partners proudly supports the collaborative efforts of the Allergy & Asthma Network and The Itch Podcast as a platform to inform, engage, and empower patients, caregivers, and healthcare providers with practical, evidence-based insights. Listen to episodes on The Itch Podcast website or your favorite podcast app.
About the Hosts
Dr. Payel Gupta is a triple board–certified allergist and immunologist, pediatrician, and internist. She serves as a visiting professor at SUNY Downstate and Mount Sinai, is a board member and treasurer/secretary of the New York Allergy and Asthma Society, and is a volunteer National Spokesperson for the American Lung Association. Living with asthma, eczema, and environmental allergies herself, she brings a personal understanding to her work. Follow her on Instagram at @nycdoctor.
Kortney Kwong Hing has lived her entire life with multiple food allergies, asthma, eczema, and oral allergy syndrome, and she is passionate about helping others navigate similar challenges. She co‑founded the nonprofit The Zestfull and the Allergy Travels online community to empower and support people managing food allergies, asthma, and eczema so they can live fully without being defined by their conditions. Follow her on Instagram at @allergy_girl_eats.
Listen to Episode #171 on Rescue Inhaler Changes to hear from our very own Dr. McCann, CEO of Allergy Partners!
For decades, the rescue inhaler was simple: feel tight, take a puff, breathe easier. But the newest asthma guidelines have changed what’s actually recommended inside that inhaler, shifting away from plain albuterol toward a combination inhaler that treats symptoms and inflammation at the same time.
Kortney and Dr. Payel Gupta are joined by Dr. Bill McCann, allergist and CEO of Allergy Partners, to break down why this combo inhaler approach is now preferred, what it actually contains, and why auto-refilling your old rescue inhaler might be working against you.
What’s covered in this episode:
- Understanding asthma: the boiling pot analogy. Dr. McCann explains asthma inflammation using a pot of water on the stove, and why a bronchodilator alone never turns down the heat.
- Why a combo inhaler is now preferred. The newest guidelines recommend a single inhaler containing both a fast-acting bronchodilator and a low dose of anti-inflammatory steroid.
- AIR and MART, explained simply. Two ways doctors are using this combo inhaler: either as-needed only, or as a daily plus as-needed routine.
- The myth of “mild” asthma. Why intermittent or infrequent symptoms don’t mean you’re free from risk.
- The auto-refill trap. Why an automatic pharmacy refill on your old rescue inhaler can quietly hide worsening asthma control from your doctor.
Dr. William McCann is the CEO and former Chief Medical Officer of Allergy Partners, and a board-certified allergist in Western North Carolina. After his medical training at Duke University, he spent three years practicing general pediatrics before realizing his passion for treating allergies and asthma. He switched specialties to focus the next 24 years providing personalized care for children and adults with allergies, asthma, eczema, and chronic sinusitis. Learn more about Dr. McCann.
