Z-Pak (Azithromycin) Cured Asthma Symptoms

Everyone agrees that asthma is an inflammatory reaction within the lungs. What is controversial, however, is what causes the inflammation and what patients should do about it.

The prevailing theory is that asthma is in large measure an allergic condition within the lungs. Experts blame the constriction of airways and the resulting wheeze on a combination of 1) a genetic predisposition and 2) environmental triggers.

Asthma Activators

We can’t do much about our genes so doctors focus primarily on the triggers that may make asthma symptoms worse. They include things like:

• Upper respiratory tract infections (colds)
• Mold and mildew
• Pollen
• Cleaning products
• Animal dander (cat or dog)
• Dust mites (these critters live in mattresses, furniture and carpet
• Medicines (beta blocker heart drugs like atenolol, metoprolol, propranolol)
• Intense exercise
• Perfume
• Preservatives (sulfites)
• Cigarette smoke

Some people spend huge amounts of money trying to asthma-proof their homes. They buy dehumidifiers, foam mattresses that do not harbor dust mites and HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filters for central heating and air conditioning. Sometimes these measures can make a big difference for asthma symptoms. Other times not so much.

Asthma Medications

The medications that are prescribed are primarily symptomatic treatments. They include powerful inhaled corticosteroids like budesonide, fluticasone, flunisolide, and triamcinolone. In addition, asthma patients frequently have a bronchodilator such as albuterol to open airways.

Even with such medications, some patients fare poorly. Here is an interesting approach that involves another approach for hard-to-treat asthma. A reader shared an intriguing story.

A Cure for Asthma?

Q. In 2005, after more than a year of lung problems, my allergist determined that I had asthma and put me on a steroid, a nasal spray, an inhaler and Advair. They helped a little.

In 2010 I went to a new internist with a deep-chested cough. She said I had bronchitis and put me on a Z-Pak (azithromycin).

After I finished the medication, I realized that ALL my asthma symptoms were gone. My internist thinks I had a low-grade respiratory infection all those years that wasn’t diagnosed properly.

Five years later, I still feel great. Both my bank account and I are much happier.

A. Thank you for sharing your experience. Some proportion of asthma sufferers whose symptoms don’t respond well to the usual asthma medications may also have an undiagnosed lung infection. In such cases, azithromycin is the drug of choice to clear away the symptoms over the long term.

I (Joe Graedon) have shared my own asthma story here. Find out how azithromycin worked for me.

You can learn about the science behind this treatment in Dr. David Hahn’s book, A Cure for Asthma? What Your Doctor Isn’t Telling You–and Why. It is published by People’s Pharmacy Press.