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Allergies and Were You Live

Allergies and Were You LiveAllergies and were you live can make a huge difference in the number of allergies you have and your reaction to them. There are some areas of the continent that are just worse than others due to the predominance of pollen, dust and mold as well as pollution that just makes it uncomfortable for millions of people every year. There is not much you can do about it if you want to live a normal life. However you can protect yourself by avoiding those things that trigger allergic reactions.

We recently read a report that provided a list of the cities in the United states and ranked them for bad to best in terms of allergies. They ranked them based on pollen counts and over the counter drugs and prescriptions used to treat allergies.

Allergies and Were You Live

What they found was pretty interesting and yet when you thing about it not that surprising. The conclusions are that if you live in an area were there are lots of trees, grasses and flowers, dust and mold, along with high humidity, there are going to be more people being treated for allergies as well as asthma. If you have traveled the continent at all you will quickly realize that any were in the eastern side of the continent is not a good place to live if you have a lot of allergies.

High Pollution Not a Huge Factor

Even Los Angeles with it’s high pollution, was well down on the list due to its arid climate and location close to the ocean. There are pockets of areas that are better than others on the eastern side of North America. For example if you live close to the ocean and there are strong off shore breezes blowing the pollen away from you then this will be a good place to live.

If you happen to be allergic to grass pollen and not tree pollen, then many forested areas in the north east will be fine. You need to understand and learn what your body reacts to and then find out what the pollen levels are in your area.

Worst Areas to Live

Knoxville, Tenn had the highest ranking of all of the cities, while places like Los Angeles, much maligned for its air pollution, ranked far better — number 92 on the 2010 list. San Diego was 99, with both cities being near the ocean, off shore breezes and arid climates.

The study took into account factors such as the region’s pollen score (pollen count and other factors), along with the number of allergy medications prescribed and the number of board-certified allergists practicing there. Each city received  a score and then the list of 100 cities is drawn up.

Cities with an exceptionally high concentration of trees, grass, or weeds will have more pollen in the air, and local environmental factors such as wind, humidity, typical temperatures — and air pollution — also play a role in allergies. Knoxville is were it all came together to put it at the top of the list.

Geography Also Plays a Part

Anywhere grasses and trees do well may be places that you want to avoid. If you are allergic to certain types of weeds, such as golden rod you may want to stay away. River basins, such as in Ohio or Mississippi, were higher pollen counts occur due to high humidity levels, were everything sits,  pollen is likely to be worse.

In mountainous areas, there are fewer plants, resulting in less pollen overall.

Pollen from evergreens is typically heavy pollen, so it falls to the ground relatively quickly. It poses less of an allergy problem simply because it is airborne for a shorter time however if you are allergic to this type of pollen you will want to stay away. Try going from the desert into a mountainous area in the spring  were there are lots of evergreens  and see what happens. I did and will never go back at that time of year due to the almost immediate reaction from the pollen in the air.

The closer to the sea the better, especially if there are off shore prevailing winds which keep the pollen away from that part of the land.

How Do you Decide Were to Live Based on Your Allergies

The first step is to get tested and find out specifically what you are allergic to. Knowing that you are allergic to grass and trees is not enough. You must find out which types of grass and which types of trees that will impact you the most. Armed with this information, you can then look at various cities to see what is best.

Next find out what is the prevalent type of pollen in the area, or dust or mold.

For example, if you are allergic to evergreens, then the north eastern areas of the continent, mountainous areas are places to stay away from along with some river basins. If grasses do not bother you, the plains states might be a good place to live. It is also the type of grass or the type of tree that may be important for some people.

On the other hand, if grasses are a problem, then arid areas would be better, although you will have to be careful about the various local tress that are in the area. Asthmatics must take a great deal of care both in treating their symptoms as well deciding were to live.

Avoiding your Triggers

Basically it is all about avoiding your triggers, those allergens that could trigger an asthmatic attack or at least a severe allergy attack. Coastal areas seem best, however try to avoid polluted areas. Although Los Angeles ranked well on the list we saw, I would not want to have to deal with the pollution and the traffic every day.

If you generalize in your assessment you may not get the results you expect in terms of improvement to your allergies. Be specific, know exactly what you are allergic to and how to avoid them.

Comments about allergies and tactics to avoid them are welcome. Spam comments will be auto deleted.

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2 Responses to “Allergies and Were You Live”

  1. we have lived in an allergy prone city all of our lives and there is not much we can do. Our families are here and so are our jobs. You just have to deal with it the best way you can.

  2. Unfortunatley this guys completely coerrct. Ive just started out with the mask thing and tbh im finding it a bit claustraphoboic i woke up 03.00 last night with it blasting in my face and paniced and tore it off heh.Hopefully ill settle down with it, but im thinking theres thing that just goes into your mouth instead of covering whole face, this sounds more my thing.Woke up a few times during the night maybe to me changing postion and mask slipping? But ill persvere

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