Your Severe Asthma May Be “Curable”
As
my recent experience has proved to me, my own asthma was made much worse
due to a chronic bacterial infection of my lungs. I discovered this by accident. When I took a Zithromax dosage pack (Z-Pak)
for an unrelated problem, I noticed that my asthma got significantly better for
almost two weeks. During this almost two
week period, I was able to cut my inhaled steroid dosage in half, and I wheezed
and coughed less. This discovery
motivated me to search the web. Here is
the search that I did: altavista search for asthma + azithromycin. (Azithromycin is the generic name of
Zithromax, which is sold exclusively by Pfizer in the U.S.: Zithromax information).
As
I write this, this link is found close to the beginning of the search results: Jim Quinlan's Asthma cure website (asthmastory.com) medications
page.
I
presented some of the research that Jim Quinlan has assembled (Asthma cure
research page from asthmastory.com) to two physicians (both Internists, one
my physician, the other my brother-in-law) who both said that this treatment
would not improve my asthma. I was
convinced that this treatment would help me, and wanted very much to try it (one way to obtain Zithromax).
Prior
to beginning the treatment, I was taking a lot of medicine for my
asthma: 4 puffs twice daily of the
strongest 220 mcg Flovent (the absolute maximum recommended dosage), 2 puffs
twice daily of Serevent, Singulair once daily, albuterol inhaler as needed,
theophylline as needed, and an occasional nebulizer treatment with albuterol. With all this medicine, I was still wheezing
most of the time, and coughing a lot. Over the years that I had been taking inhaled
steroids (e.g., Flovent), I kept increasing the dosage as the asthma seemed to
get worse and worse, until I finally reached the absolute maximum recommended
dosage. I tried acupuncture treatment
regimens (each lasting for about four to twelve weeks) for my asthma, and this
did not make a long-term difference.
I
started taking the Zithromax once weekly on August 26, 2002. The dosage (once weekly) was two 250 mg
capsules in the morning, two 250 mg capsules in the evening (four 250 mg
capsules per week, all taken on Mondays). After six weeks of this, my asthma was so much
better that I was able to completely stop my Flovent, Serevent, and Singulair,
and I only needed to take an albuterol inhaler occasionally (less than one puff
per week). I took the once weekly
azithromycin for nine weeks in total, stopping on October 21, 2002.
Despite
all that doctors have told me over the years, severe asthma may in fact be
“curable”, at least reduced to the point that it is very mild. I’m not a doctor – but I know that this is
true from my own personal experience.
On
the other hand, I’m sure that not all cases of asthma are alike and not all are
related to chronic infection. In my case,
I developed hayfever at age 5 years, and mild intermittent asthma at age 12 years.
At the age of 23 years (in the early 1980's),
I contracted a nasty secondary respiratory infection called pneumonitis. At that time, my asthma changed from very mild
to severe. From that time until
recently, I’ve been battling with asthma. The asthma sometimes got somewhat better, but
it never was mild again until after the azithromycin treatment. Moreover, the trend over the last few years
(before taking azithromycin for nine weeks) was a gradual worsening of my
asthma, with my Flovent dosage gradually increasing.
Medical
Disclaimer: I am not a physician and I do not
offer medical advice here. Use this
treatment at your own risk. This
treatment may or may not work for you. It is likely that not all cases of
asthma are connected with chronic infection. Azithromycin and similar antibiotics can have
serious or even fatal side-effects for some individuals, especially those who
are sensitive to the antibiotic, or have impaired kidney or liver function. Digestive side-effects of lengthy antibiotic
use are fairly common. Eating yogurt
daily and/or taking acidophilus may help avoid this problem. I experienced minor fungal skin infections as
a result of taking azithromycin for nine weeks. Even if your asthma is worsened by a
persistent bacterial infection, you may need to pursue a treatment that
involves antibiotic(s) other than azithromycin, and the treatment may last
longer than nine to fifteen weeks.
One
thing is clear to me, however. If you
have asthma that became much worse when you had a severe lower respiratory
infection (and remained worse after that time), a regimen of antibiotics may
greatly improve your asthma. I am living
proof. Jim Quinlan is living proof: How Jim Quinlan completely cured his severe asthma.
I
have written this web page to try to "get the word out" about the possibility
that your asthma (or that of a loved one or friend) may be greatly improved by
this treatment. Please "spread the word" about both Asthma cure website
http://www.asthmastory.com and this page.
UPDATE
March 9, 2003: Nine weeks of azithromycin might not have been enough in
my case. My asthma started to get significantly worse again around the
end of January 2003, coincident with a heavy cold. As of 3/9/2003, I am
about to complete another 6 weeks of azithromycin (at the same dosage as
above). My asthma responded immediately to the additional azithromycin,
and I will find out over the months ahead whether this provides long-term
relief or not.
UPDATE
September 12, 2003: Other than some exercise-induced asthma, my asthma is
currently almost completely gone. I am not taking any inhaled steroids.
The only asthma medication which I now take is 2 puffs of albuterol before
strenuous exercise (bicycling). Over the past summer, I did a lot of
bicycling, some of it on very hilly terrain, and this did make my asthma worse
for a short time. I took 1 or 2 puffs daily of 220 mcg Flovent for about
two weeks over the summer, but the wheezing disappeared and I am no longer
taking Flovent. Six months after completing my second round of Zithromax
(9 weeks plus 6 weeks), my current feeling is that this is a nearly miraculous
improvement.
UPDATE
November 9, 2003: My asthma symptoms are still nonexistent, even during and
after strenuous exercise. If this holds up through the winter, I will consider
myself "cured".
UPDATE
March 19, 2004: My asthma medicine is all expired now, and I have no need
for it, even when I exercise. It is now a full year since my last dose of
azithromycin. It still seems that very few people know about this "radical"
treatment for asthma - what a shame !!
UPDATE
March 25, 2005: I'm still asthma-free and loving it !! No wheezing,
no inhalers, even when I ride my bicycle for 60 miles. FANTASTIC. The
big question remains: when will physicians offer this treatment to those
patients who might benefit????
The
Zithromax dosages and length of treatment have apparently changed since my
course of antibiotics. The 1000 mg/week dose has dropped to 750 mg/week (with
an initial burst of 500 mg/day for 3 consecutive days), and the initial round
of treatment is typically 12 weeks (see the second post here: http://forum.asthmastory.com/viewtopic.php?t=204&highlight=twelve+weeks).
What Dr. Hahn does as of this writing is to write a prescription for #39 250 mg
azithromycin tabs and have you take 2 per day for the first three days then 3
tabs in one dose every week for 12 weeks total.
UPDATE
November 4, 2005: My asthma is still in complete remission. I've done
numerous 30-50+ mile fast bike rides over the warm months, including one 70
mile one, all without any asthma medications, and without wheezing. I've even
gotten to be a stronger rider - with no respiratory handicaps to hold me back.
Now that Australian scientists Dr. J. Robin Warren and Dr. Barry J. Marshall
have won the 2005 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine (for connecting ulcers
with a bacterial infection), it makes me wonder if we will some day see a
similar prize won by the scientist(s) who clearly connects (connect) at least
some cases of asthma with bacterial infection. For those who are
suffering and even dying from bacterial asthma, this painfully slow process may
simply take too long.
Dr.
Hahn's latest recommendations can be found here: Dr. Hahn
PDF file
UPDATE
March 26, 2006: Perhaps I'm starting to sound like a broken record, but that's
just fine with me. I'm still free of all asthma symptoms, still no asthma
medications (all long expired), still riding my bicycle for miles and miles
with no wheezing and no inhalers. This was an uneventful winter, with no
asthma exacerbations whatsoever.
UPDATE
September 19, 2006: Asthma-like symptoms returned suddenly starting about
5 days after I returned from an overseas trip on July 25 (perhaps a bug I
caught on the long plane ride). I developed heavy chest cold
(bronchitis-like) symptoms - including chest congestion, coughing, and a raspy
intermittent "forced expiratory" wheeze. I am happy to report
that, 3 Z-Paks later, I am mostly asthma-free once again. I have taken
the first 5 weeks of Dr. Hahn's current Zithromax regimen (500 mg each on days
1 through 3, 750 mg once weekly thereafter) and this seems to have gotten rid
of the nasty bug and MOST of the wheezing. I will continue to report on
this as it unfolds.
UPDATE
January 2, 2007: I'm now free of any noticeable asthma symptoms, and no longer
taking any albuterol, even when I exercise vigorously. This is after
taking the first 11 weeks of Dr. Hahn's current 12 week Zithromax regimen (6
more weeks after the September 19, 2006 update above). After taking 6 Z-Paks
over 11 weeks, I felt just fine (no coughing or wheezing), so skipped the last
week of the protocol (rather than open up another Z-Pak). This experience
proves to me that asthma can recur after a successful treatment with Zithromax,
and that "retreatment" (as currently recommended by Dr. Hahn at Dr. Hahn
PDF file) can be quite successful.
UPDATE
April 25, 2007: After a heavy cold about 6 weeks ago, I seemed to have another
bout of asthma-like coughing. I am happy to report that, 3 Z-Paks (5
weeks) later, I am now back to "normal" with little if any wheezing
or coughing. This will apparently be an ongoing saga. The timing of
this was fortunate in one respect. Towards the beginning of this round of
Zithromax, I was bitten by a small tick after dragging some fallen trees into
the woods. If there was any Lyme Disease bacteria in that tick bite, it
is hopefully no more.
UPDATE
December 12, 2007: I continue to be free of asthma symptoms. All asthma
meds (including albuterol inhalers) are now expired. I have one leftover Z-Pak
(Zithromax pack) sitting in the refrigerator, waiting for the next time I need
a "refresher course".
UPDATE
February 22, 2009: Another infection
went straight to my lungs, and the deep wheezing and coughing started once
again. I am happy to report that after
two Z-Paks, I am back to my usual wheeze-free state. The dosage was the first 3 weeks of Dr. Hahn’s
protocol, i.e., 500 mg (2 pills) each on 1/28, 1/29, and 1/30/2009, followed by
a once per week dose of 750 mg (3 pills) on each of 2/4 and 2/11/2009. I am going to stop the Zithromax now as two
Z-Paks seemed to do the trick this time – no more asthma symptoms !!!
MORE LINKS ON INFECTIOUS ASTHMA: There
is now a Yahoo newsgroup devoted to the topic of infectious asthma, http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/infectious_asthma/
This newsgroup was started by Maureen, longtime moderator at the
asthmastory.com Support Forum (now closed). There
are a lot of studies in the links section and additional information and
articles in the files section, but you must join the group before you have
access to these resources. The newgroup has since moved to a blog, located at http://infectiousasthma.blogspot.com
Following
are links to Dr. David L. Hahn's medical practice, a clinical trial now
underway to study the effectiveness of a 12 week course of Zithromax to treat
asthma in adults, and Dean Foundation infectious asthma research:
Dr. David L.
Hahn medical practice
Dean Foundation infectious
asthma page