Relief Tips For Allergies
Dont live in the best cities for allergies? These tips can help you survive, wherever you are.
1. Reduce Your Exposure to Triggers
When pollen counts are high, stay inside if you must go out, wear a mask over your nose. Never hang laundry outside and keep doors and windows closed during times of high pollen counts. Avoid lawn mowing and other yard work. Try to schedule your errands right after a good rain.
2. Keep Indoor Air Clean
Use high-efficiency filters on the air conditioners in your home and never use fans which pull pollen into your house. Keep the air dry with a dehumidifier. Clean floors often by using a vacuum with a serious filter.
3. Take OTC Medicine
Turn to over the counter remedies, such as anti-histamines, to help you through the worst of it. Decongestants and nasal sprays can help, and so can things like a neti pot. If the allergies are very bad, talk to your doctor.
4. Try Natural Remedies
Try rinsing out your sinuses on a regular basis and use a mask when you can. Consider natural remedies, such as supplements of spirulina or butterbur.
5. See Your Doctor
If the home remedies dont work and your allergies affect your daily tasks, its time to see a doctor. Get emergent medical attention if you have serious trouble breathing.
How To Deal With Allergies
While symptoms vary depending on multiple factors, one thing is for sure: Allergies can be life-limiting. However, for those in need of some allergy relief, itâs good to know that allergies can often be managed with prevention. But, if you canât just pack up and move to another city, the AAFA has some useful tips to make living with allergies more manageable:
- Go outside on days with low pollen counts.
- Keep windows closed and use asthma- and allergy-friendly filters on your air conditioner.
- Wear sunglasses and cover your hair when outdoors.
- Shower before going to bed.
- Wash your clothes and dry them in a dryer or indoors after being outside.
- Wipe off pets with a towel before letting them inside.
- Remove shoes before entering your home.
- Flush out inhaled pollen by using a nasal rinse.
With these tips in hand, seasonal allergy symptoms can be kept at bay â even if you donât live in one of the best places for allergy, asthma and sinus sufferers.
If youâre looking for a new home for you and your allergies, donât forget to check out thousands of verified rental listings on .
The Best Places To Live For Allergy & Sinus Sufferers
Allergy is a condition in which the immune system reacts to harmless particles like dust and pollen, causing symptoms like sneezing and congestion. Allergies and sinus symptoms often go hand-in-hand and can cause much misery for sufferers. Because different locations have unique climates and plant life, certain places may be more conducive to an allergy-free lifestyle. Understanding the root cause of allergies can help determine the best places to live for allergy and sinus sufferers.
If you are experiencing serious medical symptoms, seek emergency treatment immediately.
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The Top 10 Worst Places To Live If You Have A Mold Allergy
It may surprise you to learn that regions with high humidity are not the only places in which you have to worry about mold. While mold spores thrive in dampness and standing water, other factors also contribute to the prevalence of mold in a given area, such as building maintenance and construction practices. Learning more about mold growth is more important now than ever because the number of people in the United States with mold allergies keeps growing, according to a 2011 study by Quest Diagnostics.
Why is mold so bad for respiratory health? Which cities should people with mold allergies avoid? Is it possible to protect yourself and your family from the mold in your city? Let us take a closer look at what causes mold growth and why some cities may have more mold than others.
Best Areas For Allergies By Region
Its important to keep in mind that no place is safe from allergens. Theres a good chance that youll have some level of allergies regardless of where you are. Some of the proteins found in pollen are similar among plant families and are often highly cross-reactive. This means that you may develop an allergy to a new plant even after moving because its in the same plant family.
Its prudent to get allergy tested so that you are aware of what triggers your allergies, as different regions of the country have different levels of allergens. For example, the Pacific Northwest has lower amounts of ragweed pollen but the same amount of grass and tree pollen.
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New South Wales And Queensland
New South Wales reports a lower incidence of hay fever in Australia at 18.6%. In NSW, pollen counts usually peak in October and November. However, sufferers can also be affected during other times of the year depending on when various grasses and weeds release their pollen.
The sunny state comes in at almost last on the list at 16.8%, despite the fact that QLD reports some of the longest pollination seasons across the nation interesting, huh?
The Great Dividing Range is also though to protect the east coast from the westerly winds which bring in pollen.
Five Places To Escape Seasonal Allergies
- Story Highlights
- Taking a trip and escaping known irritants can do a seasonal allergy-sufferer good
- Spring skiing is a great option, because where snow falls pollen doesn’t
- Shipping out on a cruise, seaside breezes and the desert can serve as escapes
- There are no guarantees, though, which means one should always be prepared
— It’s about the time of year when many of those with seasonal allergies are starting to grumble.
When snow falls, pollen doesn’t — making ski resorts like Snowbird a great destination for those with allergies.
Armed with tissues, medications and sinus rinses, they may curl up on the couch — when not suffering through the workday — simply riding it out until the season passes.
But because the immune system is attuned to, for example, the pollen from local trees and grasses that it knows, switching one’s environment can sometimes be a great source of relief, allergists said.
How’s that for an excuse to take a vacation? See map of nation’s worst allergy cities »
“You have to get away from where you are now,” said Neil Kao, an allergist in Greenville, South Carolina. “The farther away you go, the better off you’ll be.”
This doesn’t mean, of course, that you can jet off without worry. Packing your medications, bringing a special pillow if you have one, requesting an “allergy-proof” and nonsmoking room are just some ways you can boost the chances that allergies won’t spoil your travels.
Hit the slopes
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Be Prepared For New Allergens
If youre considering relocating to avoid a particularly troublesome allergen, remember: its difficult to completely avoid an entire plant family. Proteins in pollen are very similar within plant families and often highly cross-reactive. So even if you move, you can end up developing sensitivity to another allergen within the same family.1
While relocating may offer some relief from allergy symptoms, it wont get rid of them entirely. Wherever you are, the best thing to do come allergy season is check the pollen count and treat symptoms accordingly.
Best Places To Live With Mold Allergies: The Ultimate Guide
If you have severe mold allergies, itâs worth it to move somewhere with a low average mold spore count. But factors like humidity, air currents, proximity to water, and elevation determine how bad a cityâs mold presence is. Here are our picks for the five best cities for mold allergy sufferers.
If you have mold allergies, you know how miserable they can make you. With even a microscopic amount of mold, your immune system kicks into overdrive. Your eyes start to water and itch, your throat starts to feel ticklish, your coughing starts, and your might even break out in a dry, itchy rash. If you have a really bad attack, your airways could constrict leading to a full-blown asthma attack.
Mold allergies can be controlled, to some extent, with medication. But your best bet is to avoid exposure to mold. If you have severe mold allergies, it might be worth it to you to move somewhere just to get away from mold. And although it might not be as easy as, say, getting away from ragweed, itâs definitely possible.
Mold flourishes under certain conditions. High humidity is an important precondition and poor air circulation lets mold spores build up and linger in the air. So no matter where you live, there are steps you can take in your home to mitigate your exposure to mold.
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Worst Places To Live With Seasonal Pollen Allergies
If you have seasonal allergies, you may already be used to planning your outdoor time around pollen counts and low-air-quality days, but did you realize that different cities and regions experience allergy season to different extents? If you live in one of the following places, you may need to put a little more planning into preparing for allergy season this year.
Effective Treatments Are Available
Seek advice from your pharmacist or doctor about medications that will relieve your symptoms. Although medications do not cure allergies, they are much more effective with few side effects. It is important to use them correctly, and to avoid medications that can cause problems such as frequent decongestant nose sprays or tablets.
Antihistamine tablets or syrups help to reduce symptoms , but they are not as effective in controlling severe nasal blockage and dribble. The advantage of antihistamines is their flexibility you can take them when you have symptoms, and avoid them when you are well. Antihistamine eye drops can also be helpful in controlling watery eyes due to allergies.
Intranasal corticosteroid nasal sprays have a potent action on inflammation when used regularly . These need to be used regularly and with careful attention to the way in which they are used. Different brands of INCS vary in strength and effectiveness, so it is important to read the labels and check details with your pharmacist or doctor.
Combination medications containing an antihistamine and intranasal corticosteroid nasal spray are available and offer the combined advantages of both medications.
unblock and dry the nose, but should not be used for more than a few days as they can cause long term problems in the nose
Natural products such as salt water nasal sprays or douches can be effective in relieving symptoms.
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Best And Worst Cities For Allergies In 2015
Millions of Americans suffer from allergies, especially during the spring. Grasses, weeds and trees deposit pollen everywhere, which can lead to sneezing itchy eyes, and many other uncontrollable and sometimes severe symptoms. In addition to allergies, nearly 25 million people have asthma and spring puts them at higher risk of complications. Finding the best cities for allergies can help these people breathe easier.
Seasonal Allergies In The United States
Does it seem like your seasonal allergies have been getting worse every year? If so, you are not alone. Over 50 million people across the United States are affected by seasonal allergies, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America . Longer, warmer growing seasons, combined with rising carbon dioxide levels, mean that plants can grow faster and produce more pollen each year. As increased levels of pollen are released into the air, allergy symptoms worsen .
Though the first day of spring falls towards the end of March, seasonal allergies can begin as early as February and last through the summer. Most springtime allergy symptoms are caused by tree pollen, but grass pollination can also cause allergy symptoms throughout the late spring and summer. In the fall, the biggest pollen-related allergy culprit is ragweed, which pollinates from August to November, peaking in mid-September. Ragweed can be found naturally across most of the U.S., but especially on the East Coast and in the Midwest.
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The Best Places To Live
So where are the places with a low pollen count, lots of allergists and not much need for medicating? Well, take a look:
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Portland. Doesn’t matter whether you’re talking east coast or west coast. If you live in Portland, Oregon or Portland, Maine , chances are your allergies will be under control. Both cities rate better than average or average in all 3 factors.
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California. Six different California cities rank in the top 26% of cities to live with allergies in the U.S. – San Diego , Sacramento , Stockton , San Jose , San Francisco and Fresno . Seems the state that’s known for both healthy lifestyles and unbelievable excesses does have something to offer to people living with allergies.
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Mountain West. The mountain states have a reputation for clean air and clean living and that definitely seems to be true when it comes to the allergy factors. Four cities in the mountain west can claim to be healthy locations for allergy sufferers: Salt Lake City, UT , Ogden, UT , Colorado Springs, CO and Denver, CO .
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New England. Even with traffic congestion and air pollution, New England cities fared well in this survey. Seven of them were in the top 30%, including Boston, MA , Portland, ME , Worcester, MA , Bridgeport, CT , Springfield, MA , New Haven, CT and Hartford, CT .
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Midwest. Seems there are both good and bad places to live in the midwest as many of the worst places are located there, while 4 of the top 30 are also: Cleveland, OH , Youngstown, OH , Minneapolis, MN and Chicago, IL .
Asthma And Cities: Should I Move
Understandably, many people living in cities and suffering with asthma are desperate to get out. They want to move, convinced that life in another part of the country will resolve their asthma symptoms. However, asthma experts generally advise against the idea.
Why? For one, it often doesn’t work. Asthma is such a complex disease — affected by so many different factors — that it’s hard to predict how a person will do in a new location, Waldron says.
Another thing to keep in mind: people who have allergies are prone to developing new allergies. So after all the bother of moving, you could just wind up trading your old ragweed allergy in Boston for a brand new oak tree allergy in Palm Bay, Fla.
Be very cautious when considering a move because of your asthma symptoms. Remember, there’s no best city for asthma. If you’re determined, Bernstein recommends that you try living in the new location for a few months before permanently uprooting yourself.
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Aafas 2021 Allergy Capitals Report Ranks Top Us Cities For Pollen Allergies
On Feb. 23, 2021, the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America released its annual Allergy Capitals report for 2021. The report identifies the most challenging cities for spring and fall allergies in the top 100 metropolitan areas in the United States. Scranton, Pennsylvania, takes the top spot this year.
Cities are ranked based on three factors: spring and fall pollen scores, over-the-counter medicine use, and availability of board-certified allergists. Richmond, Virginia, held the #1 title in 2020.
The top 10 most challenging cities overall to live in with seasonal allergies in 2021 are:
To see the full 100-city list, go to allergycapitals.com. The report lists overall annual rankings and includes a seasonal breakdown for spring and fall.
Seasonal allergies cause seasonal allergic rhinitis. This is commonly called hay fever. If you have pollen allergies, allergy symptoms appear during the time of year when pollen starts releasing from the plants you may be allergic to such as trees, grasses, or weeds.
You may have pollen allergies if you get allergy symptoms in the early spring or during the late summer or early fall.
In some parts of the U.S., tree pollen season starts as early as January. It will continue through summer. In the fall, weed pollen especially ragweed causes symptoms. But you can find relief with the right treatment and by managing contact with pollen.
What Causes Indoor Mold Growth
Indoor dampness and humidity can create a perfect environment for mold growth, either on visible interior surfaces or surfaces hidden inside walls and HVAC systems. Sources of indoor moisture can vary, including leaky roofs, walls and plumbing systems, groundwater entry, damp construction materials, entry of humid outdoor air and insufficient dehumidification, water vapor condensation and floods.
Any situation that causes an unchecked accumulation of moisture can create a breeding ground for mold and bacteria. Mold contamination has been found in homes, schools and office buildings across the United States. The spores created by molds and bacteria can contain allergens and chemicals that may cause respiratory system inflammation when inhaled.
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What Makes A City Allergy
The report from AAFA takes three things into consideration for each city: pollen count, amount of allergy medication prescribed and the number of allergists in the area. The top 10 all have pretty low pollen counts, but the other factors are important.
Outside of just counting pollen, the best places seem to offer some combination of being near the coast and having long cold seasons, meaning there’s less time for pollen growth.
If you want to know how your city stacks up, check the full report.
