Travel Blog


Dust Control in Your Home

February 8th, 2013 ernie Posted in Allergies No Comments »

Asthma From a Patients PerspectiveWe happen to believe that allergies, sleep, diet and weight loss are all interrelated. This is why we are doing a series of post about dust control and sleep issues to help people understand these issues better. We are not doctors and do not have any medical knowledge. It is based on a lot of common sense that has been developed over the years in dealing personally with these issues. We hope that this information will help you.

If it does please leave us comments. We are very concerned about dust control in your home. The picture in the left is a picture of a home with all of the points indicated where dust can be an issue for individuals suffering from allergies. it suggest what you can do about this dust in your home and how to get rid of it or at least decrease the impact of dust in your home. Note that you can click on the picture to enlarge it to be able to read it properly.

Dust Control in Your Home – Sources

We developed a list of these sources to help people understand where it all comes from. Here is a short list of sources of dust:

  • Lint from clothes
  • Flakes of dead skin from humans and pets in your home
  • Dust tracked in from outside on your clothes
  • Dust blown in through open windows
  • Pollen blown in through open windows and on your clothes
  • Poor filters on your furnace
  • Air intake to the furnace
  • Spores from mold that might be in your home

There are probably other sources; however these are the main ones for most people.

Dust Control in Your Home – Priorities

The picture that we have included shows all of the possible steps that you can take to try to manage the dust in your home. We happen to feel that although these are all good things to do and if you have severe allergies, you may want to consider all of them, there are some that provide better return for your time and money. We have divided them accordingly, however readers should look at this list from their own perspective and make their own decisions regarding which ones are more important to them. Here is the high priority list from our perspective:

  • Avoid painting or decorating when windows are closed to avoid lingering smells
  • Vacuum often using a central vacuum that has the canister located outside of the home
  • Do not ever smoke inside the home
  • Convert to a gas fireplace, clean regular fireplaces regularly
  • Clean the furnace filter weekly
  • Vacuum often
  • Avoid chemicals and aerosol use in the home
  • Do not use wool blankets
  • Avoid feather pillows, comforters etc
  • Keep the bedroom bare and avoid clutter to avoid dust catchers
  • Wash the drapes once a month
  • Keep indoor humidity at 40 to 50%

Here is a list of some of the things that should be considered if your are highly allergic to dust:

  • Remove bedroom rugs
  • Moist mop the hardwood floors
  • Install hardwood floors and remove all rugs from the bedroom
  • Wash walls regularly
  • Air conditioning removes pollen and dust
  • Vacuum the mattress and bed covers and also under the bed
  • Clean lamp shades with a damp cloth
  • Vacuum furniture, avoid polishes and waxes to avoid attracting dust
  • Do not store books in the bedroom
  • Avoid activity in an unfinished basement
  • Clean hot air ducts every 3 to 5 years
  • Paint basement floor to avoid dust buildup
  • Install an electronic air filter on the furnace
  • Cover hot air registers with cheese cloth
  • If you must keep only one washable stuffed toy in the bedroom

This is a rather long list of steps to take to reduce dust in your home and also keep your home clean. Most people do not clean their homes to this level and do not need to if they are not allergic to dust and pollen. Every person will need to judge just how far they need to take dust cleanliness to get to a point where they can be comfortable and be able to deal with their allergies.

Good luck and focus on the things that will give you the best return for your time and your health. If you are allergic to pollen, never undress in your bedroom at night. Always undress outside of your bedroom to avoid bring pollen from your clothes into the room. You may even want to consider a shower to avoid bringing pollen on your hair into your bed.

For more information about dealing with allergies in your your home, click here.

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Central Vacuums Are Better for Your health

January 26th, 2013 ernie Posted in Allergies 1 Comment »

Treating AllergiesIt is common sense that a central vacuums are better for your health with the canister / motor located outside. They are better for your health and for your allergies than almost any other vacuum! Why is this, the case you ask? The traditional vacuum that you use today is only as good as the filter. It captures a percentage of the dust and dirt that finds its way into your home.

It will capture the larger particles with no problem. You routinely empty all the dirt into the trash can. However the finer particles will pass right through the filter and back into the air of your home. These fine particles consist of dirt, bacteria and viruses. Many people are allergic to these things and some of these can even make you sick. While they were on the floor and not being disturbed they really do not bother anyone. They are so small that you do not see them and you do not breathe them when they are at rest on the floor or furniture.

Once the vacuum stirs them up they are now in the air for you to breathe and ingest into your lungs. They can irritate the linings of the nose and throat and the lungs causing an allergic reaction among many people.

How Are Central Vacuums Different

Central vacuums are no different if the canister is located inside the home. They have an exhaust and will blow the fine particles around the house in the same way that the regular vacuum will. In fact they may be worse since many people will locate them in the utility area close to the furnace which will capture these particles and blow them throughout the house.

Consumers who locate the central vacuum outside in the garage will be doing themselves and their families a huge favor. Now all air is exhausted outside the living area of the home. Your garage may be a little dustier as a result; however this is far superior to having any of these particles inside your home. Now all dust, bacteria, mites and viruses are not longer suspended in the air of your home. They are outside in your garage. Some homeowners will even open the garage door to allow better circulation of fresh air.

One work of caution, do not locate the canister for the central vacuum close to the fresh air vent for the furnace or air exchange system. Most are not in the garage; however we thought that this point should be included for obvious reasons.

Other Advantages of a Central Vacuum in Addition to being Better for Your Health

No one likes to dust furniture. We all have to dust furniture all of the time, since no matter what we do, there always seems to be a fine layer of dust that settles out of the air onto the furniture. This is partially some of the dust that passes through your vacuums dust bag into the air inside your home.

By exhausting the exhaust air from your central vacuum located in the garage, there will be much less dust particles in your home and the amount of dusting you need to do will be vastly decreased. The same is true for all cleaning that is needed on a regular basis.

Central vacuum hoses are covered with a cloth bag so that they will not mark the furniture as you drag it about the house while doing your vacuuming. Central vacuum hoses are also lighter and easier to move around your home compared to the large traditional vacuums.

Why Did we Include this Topic on a Diet Site

We strongly feel that diet, allergies, and tiredness from not sleeping due to allergies are all related. If you are tired all of the time, the tendency is to eat to replace the energy you do not have. People eat high sugar foods to give them that instant energy hit. It helps them get you through the day. If you can reduce the dust by using a central vacuum there is a better chance of getting a good night’s sleep. Hence as a  result eating much less.

The more we investigate all of these topics related to diet, we are finding that there is a link and we want people to be aware of these links and topics. For more information about allergies, click here.

 

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Gain Weight During Allergy Season

August 21st, 2011 ernie Posted in Allergies 1 Comment »

Gain Weight During Allergy SeasonDo you gain weight during allergy season? If you are allergic to golden rod, dust and mold, it is not over yet. Most people equate allergy season to the spring when there is a lot of pollen in the air. It can be equally bad for people in the late summer and fall due to pollen from golden rod, and the mold that is in the air from decaying leaves and grasses.  If you gained weight in the spring or will gain weight in the fall, it is probably because you stayed inside more and avoid going out doors. Maybe you took the car every where instead of walking and going for a walk after supper was completely the wrong thing to do.

What all this translates into is less physical activity, maybe a bit of boredom which for many people means they eat more and they burn fewer calories. As a result the pounds go on and you gain weight. I know , this happens to me every year and I have to force myself to get out and exercise as well as work around the yard! When you are sneezing and coughing from your allergies it can be just easier to stay inside and not take on any activity at all. Actually the reverse is true. If you can increase your adrenaline level, your allergies will not bother you as much. Try running or doing some hard physical activity and see what happens. You may find that your allergy symptoms will have temporarily decreased!

Gain Weight During Allergy Season – Take Precautions

There are many precautions that can be taken to help you during this period of time. It really depends on how bad your allergies are. Some people are much worse than others and will need to take more extreme precautions. They are not ranked in importance, since what works for one person will not work for another. Here is our list that keeps me going during allergy season and helps me avoid losing weight:

  • Exercise makes me feel better, allergies do not bother me while exercising
  • Take allergy drugs prescribed by a doctor
  • Wear a mask if you are really susceptible to whatever makes you allergic
  • Finish work outside, undress in the laundry room and immediately take a shower
  • Finish exercising outside, undress in the laundry room and immediately take a shower
  • Keep the windows closed and run the air conditioning
  • Keep the filter on your furnace clean
  • Use a central vacuum and exhaust it outside the house
  • Monitor the air quality and stay inside on bad days
  • Go to the gym and exercise
  • Mold can be highest at night, stay inside at that time
  • Exercise indoors in your basement
  • Carry Kleenex with you everywhere
  • Always watch your diet

That’s a long list of possible things you can do to help you deal with your allergies and also keep active. You may not lose weight, but perhaps you will at least maintain your present weight. Better than gain weight during allergy Season during this difficult time frame.

We have assumed here that the main problem is dealing with your allergies so that you can keep active. If you are not active, you are going to gain weight because most people eat much more than they need to maintain their body weight. Develop an exercise program or plan that goes with some of the activities above that you use to control your allergy symptoms. You can never completely eliminate them, however if you can make your life more comfortable you are ahead of the game.

Comments on these ideas are welcome. If you have some to add, let us know.

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Hotels Attracting Allergy Sufferers

August 7th, 2011 ernie Posted in Allergies 1 Comment »

Hotels Attracting Allergy Sufferers Allergy Season is HereYou might think that this is an odd title for a diet web site, however there is a link to diet as anyone with allergies knows well.  Hotels have begun to figure this out. They are trying to tap into this particular market. Hope you get something out of this. If you can stay somewhere that focuses on providing clean allergy free rooms to their guests, isn’t that a great concept. The hotels attracting allergy sufferers will do well with many other customers too. Everyone likes a super clean room.

Many people with allergies automatically ask the following questions when they are reserving a hotel room or checking into one.

  • Non smoking rooms
  • Rooms that are non smoking and have not been smoked in
  • Hypo allergenic pillows
  • Non feather pillows
  • No deodorizers
  • Rooms cleaned with non perfumed products
  • Specific menus that cater to people who have food allergies

Diet and Travelling

We all know that if you are on a diet and traveling it is hard enough to stay on diet and put up with rooms that are triggering an allergic response.

As a result many hotels are catering more and more to people with allergies and making sure that rooms are cleaned properly, that they do not smell of smoke and in fact are going for hypoallergenic rooms. This is a great trend, however some hotels are charging more for this new wellness program to ensure that customers have rooms that need their special needs.

As you travel and try to avoid situations that cause allergic reactions there is a tendency to stay in your room more, particularly if it is a clean non smelling room. As a result you order in and eat your meal in your room with no chance of exercise at all after eating your meal. Chances are you have also been traveling all day as well and did not get much exercise this way either. One night in a hotel like this is ok, however if you are staying for a week in hotels this lack of activity can be a recipe for gaining a great deal of weight.

Hotels Attracting Allergy Sufferers – Avoid Bad Rooms While Traveling

Having traveled a great deal ourselves we have yet to encounter one of these hotels that are offering allergy free rooms. Either they are not available in the hotels we use or they are not advertised very well. If you are interested in this type of service we encourage you to ask at the time of making a reservation.

We are finding that more and more hotels are going non-smoking all together. Or at the very least have non smoking floors. This is really fantastic for the customers, the people who work there and of course the hotel as well. They are able to reduce their costs by not having to clean up after a smoker has been in the room.

Still there are some people who will smoke in a room anyway. We encountered this on our last stay at a major hotel. The hotel was very good , providing us with a different room to stay in almost immediately. They were also going to place an ionizer in the room to clean out the smoke smell. I believe the previous guest is going to receive a hefty cleaning fee, which they should.

Plan Your Trip for Exercise, Diet and Allergy Issues

Most of us focus on planning a trip and focus on the best deal. Or a place close to our vacation plans or business meetings. More and more people are taking issues such as diet into account. Also the ability to exercise at the hotel. The availability of non allergic rooms that are cleared of any smoke smells and lack the smell of strong cleaners etc that are known to cause allergic reactions to many people.

Take the time to plan your trip with these requirements in mind. Ensure that you have a much more successful trip regardless of whether it is for business or pleasure.

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Allergy & Asthma Triggers for Adults

June 21st, 2011 ernie Posted in Allergies, Asthma 2 Comments »

Asthma Triggers for AdultsIf you have allergies or asthma, then this post will be interesting to you. I have had allergies for years and now it has transitioned into asthma. I am doing a lot more investigating these days to find out what I can do to minimize the effects of these two conditions. Most important trying to figure out how I can avoid asthma triggers  for adults that might cause an attack. If you can avoid the triggers you will have far fewer attacks and a better life.

One post I read recently listed the top 10 things that can cause triggers for asthma as well as allergies.  Note that for other people the triggers could take on a different order or there may be others that cause these attacks.

We all have a few tricks to avoid triggers, like not running inside when pollen counts are sky-high or keeping the windows closed and blasting the AC. There are other factors that can make symptoms worse, which can be avoided.

Asthma Triggers for Adults

Here is the list of the top ten things in my order of priority for me to avoid asthma triggers for adults.

  1. Friends who smoke. Cigarettes—with their numerous toxic chemicals and irritants—are nasty for everyone, but as an allergy sufferer, I am really sensitive to cigarette smoke and especially stale smoke on a persons clothes. In fact I often lose my breath and cannot take a breath when I am around someone who smokes a lot.
  2. Showering in the AM only. If I have been outside working or relaxing, I always take a shower before going to bed. In fact I undress in the laundry room so that pollen is not carried into our bedroom.  A shower washes any pollen on my skin or hair down the drain. My clothes get washed before they get to the rest of the house to minimize the spreading pollen throughout the house.
  3. An extra glass of wine or beer with dinner. I can tolerate about two drinks before I start to have a runny nose. Hops in beer are especially bad since the alcohol has not only relaxed by bodies defense, I am also allergic to the hops in the beer. I try to stick with light beer and low alcohol beer. There are also beers that are made from rice and other non hop products.  It is an awful thing to be allergic to hops, but I still manage to drink a few beers in the summer time.

Watch Your Medication

  1. Skipping medication in the evening. Some times I forget to take my medication before going to bed. Night time is the worst. The body is relaxed, the histamine is reacting with my body and presto I have a runny nose or worse. Symptoms such as sneezing, weepy eyes, and runny nose peak for me at night, while for others they peak in the morning,
  2. Air freshener, deodorizers, hair spray – These things have all triggered loss of breath, asthma attacks and runny nose. I try to avoid them like the plague! Hotels routinely use deodorizers to freshen a room, particularly if someone smoked in the room. This is a disaster for me.

More Potential Triggers

  1. Stressful work deadlines. A sleep deficit and then stress which often makes your sleep deficit worse can worsen both allergy symptoms and asthma attacks. Having an asthma attack is a very stressful event.
  2. Waiting too long to take meds. Waiting too long can mean a far worse asthma attack. It has personally happened to me and I now know the danger of waiting too long. Medications that block histamines work best before you’re even exposed to allergens. Start medication a couple of weeks before the season commences or before you’ll be around allergens .
  3. A not-hot-enough washing machine. If you find yourself sniffling in bed, crank your washing machine to the hottest setting. this is a new one to me and I have never associated this issue with my allergies.

Environmental Triggers

  1. Houseplants that make you sneeze. Your innocent orchid could bring tears to your eyes.  If a plant gives off a strong smell, it may be the one that is causing you to have a problem with your allergies
  2. Water workouts in an indoor pool. Chlorine-filled lap lanes can wreak havoc on your system. Some people are allergic to chlorine. Protect your eyes and take a shower after your swim to remove all possible chlorine effects. Try to swim in outdoor pools, where the gas is more readily dispersed. Instead of indoor ones, and avoid swimming in chlorinated pools daily.

Let us know if this list of asthma triggers for adults helps anyone. Leave a comment if you have other items that impact you that should be added to the list.

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Treating Allergies

March 21st, 2011 ernie Posted in Allergies 1 Comment »

Treating AllergiesThis is the fourth post regarding treating allergies and asthma. Our previous posts, “Asthma From a Patient’s Perspective”, “Allergies and Where You Live”, and “Allergy Season is Here”, may also be of interest to some of you who have an interest in this subject. Anyone who suffers from allergies knows just how much of a struggle it is. It can be the same as having a bad cold all spring or all summer long. It is not fun and consumers will do everything they can to minimize the symptoms.

We are posting this series of posts on this blog because often people who are suffering from allergies also have issues with diet and overweight due to their inactivity.

Treating Allergies

Treating allergies is really all about treating the symptoms. There is no magic pill that you can take that will cure your allergic reaction. Every year millions of over the counter as well as prescription medication is sold to consumers for the treatment of allergy symptoms. For the most part, they may help alleviate the runny nose etc somewhat, but they certainly will not cure the problem.  As with any medication, consumers should be careful about what they take, what the potential interaction is with other medications you may be taking and how much medication they take. Do not mix alcohol with many of these medications. If you have any doubts, check with your doctor or pharmacist.

If Resources Are Tight

Many people also do not have the money to pay for medications, either over the counter or prescription. Also air cleaners and air purifiers are expensive to install. So What do you do?

You do the same thing that actually all of us should be doing in the first place. That is focus on the cause rather than focus on the symptoms. What does this statement really mean? Well instead of buying expensive medication to try to treat your runny nose, coughing, wheezing, itchy eyes, why not try to deal with the cause of all of these allergy symptoms.

The cause for many people is pollen, which causes your body to produce antibodies which in turn causes your body to produce a powerful chemical which causes itchiness and swelling making your life uncomfortable. Reducing your exposure to the pollen in the air will go a long way to reducing your reaction to the pollen floating in the air. This applies to dust mites as well and anything else you might be allergic to.

Reducing Exposure to Allergens

Your home can become your fortress to keep away from pollen floating in the air. But first, you have to make sure that all of the windows are closed and your home is clean. If you have a central vacuum make sure that the exhaust is vented outside so that all dust and pollen that slips through the filter is delivered outside.

When you do go outside because you cannot stay inside all of the time, try to manage your schedule so that it is early in the morning before the wind currents begin stirring up the pollen in the air. Same thing at night. Windy days are going to be bad for anyone with allergies. If you can go straight to the car and straight to work.

Some of us need to work outside and exposure is going to be high. You will suffer all day but there is no need to suffer at night if you and your family are careful. Whenever you go outside, pollen sticks to your hair, skin and clothes. Going inside your home just drags this pollen into your home and especially onto your pillow as it transfers from your hair to your bed.

Start by undressing in the laundry room, then take a fast shower to wash all of this pollen from your body. This will stop the transfer of pollen into your home and continue the aggravation that you have to endure while outside.

Sleeping at Night

This has to be the worst time for many people. Your body is at rest while the pollen levels are the same if you have not taken the above steps to keep your home pollen-free. With pollen on your pillow from the transfer from your hair, you will itch and sneeze all night.

It is so important to decontaminate as you enter your home to ensure that this does not happen.

The big challenge is to also have your family follow the same rules. Otherwise they will defeat the purpose and make your life miserable. If you have pets that go outside, they will also drag a lot of pollen into the home. In fact since they are low to the ground and  lots of hair, they pick up a great deal of pollen that will be transferred to your home and eventually to you.

Avoid allowing any pets to sleep in your bed during allergy season. This will just make the situation so much worse for you since their fur will be like a magnet for pollen and dust mites which will only make your situation that much worse.

With these few steps you will not cure your allergy symptoms, but you can make them a lot better and at least tolerable at low or nil cost. Treating allergies does not need to be expensive.

Comments are welcome. Especially ideas about how to improve your symptoms without spending a lot of money. Spam comments will be auto deleted.

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Allergy Season is Here

March 7th, 2011 ernie Posted in Allergies, Asthma 1 Comment »

Allergy Season is HereThis is a 3rd post about allergies and asthma. We feel so strongly about this subject that we are devoting four posts to this subject. Our family has to deal with allergies and asthma on a daily basis and spring time is the worst time of year for us. You can also read “Asthma From a Patients Perspective” and “Allergies and Were You Live”, which were our two previous posts. Allergy season is here for us and we are dealing with it the best we can.

There is also a link to diet and allergies. When you are suffering from allergies, there is a tendency to be less active, which means you burn less calories and sit around more leading to weight gain. If we can assist you in managing your allergies, then maybe you will not gain weight.

Allergy Season is Here – Spring can Be Difficult

This post is being made live on our web site at the beginning of March. Which for some people will be in the middle of prime time for their allergies. While for others they will be just starting. People living in Florida for example may be already dealing with severe allergies. While those of you in northern Canada and Alaska, your season may be just beginning as the evergreen trees begin to pollinate. Allergy season is here for many.

We decided to provide a simple list of the things that people can do to make their lives a little more bearable during allergy season. Depending on how severe your reactions are you may want to apply all of them or only a few. It really depends on were you live. It depends how severe your reactions are to the local allergens in the area that you live or spend most of your time. Allergy season is here!

Allergy Season is Here – Here we go:

  • Keep your home and office spotlessly clean
  • Keep all windows and doors closed.
  • Ensure that all furnace filters are changed on a regular basis
  • Leave your outdoor clothes in the laundry room
  • Avoid taking them into areas were you sleep
  • Take a shower before going to bed at night to remove pollen from your hair and skin
  • Request that members of your family and especially your spouse follow the same rules about clothing and also taking showers to avoid pollen / dust contamination
  • Avoid strong perfumes / cologne / hair spray etc
  • Drive to work
  • Delegate out door gardening to other members of the family or hire someone
  • Take prescribed medication as required and explained by your doctor
  • Avoid being around pets and other animals if you are allergic to pet dander
  • Install an in-room air purifier or have one on the forced air system
  • Ensure there is no mold in your home
  • Think about were your allergens might come from and try to avoid them
  • In extreme cases
    • keep your bedroom door closed
    • cover your bed with a plastic sheet
    • wipe the plastic sheet off at night and then remove it
    • dress and undress in another room to keep your room clear of pollen
    • keep the windows closed
    • use an in-room air purifier

If  we missed something obvious, please leave a comment and let us know. It will help other readers improve their quality of life as well.

Living inside a Bubble

If it feels like you have to live inside a bubble then you are probably right. Basically you are trying to eliminate all of the possible exposure to the things you are allergic to. This will require some thought on your part and maybe even some work as well depending on what needs to be done. The good news is that you only need to do this when the allergy season is here for you.

It is always a trade off, even with the medication that you may be taking. There are side effects to everything, it just depends on whether the medications benefits are worth more to you that the potential side effects. This is also true when it comes to depriving yourself from going outside or spending money on air purifiers etc Is the expense worth the quality of life improvement that you are going to receive.

Did You Know that Allergens are Additive

What we mean by this is that if you are allergic to let’s say 3 different things and when you are exposed to only one of them, you may not react at all or only in a minor way. If you are exposed to all of them at the same time, you may have a significant reaction due to the cumulative effect of all of these allergens.

Even if you can eliminate one of the allergens from your environment, you may receive a significant improvement in your quality of life. Avoiding newly cut lawns for example might be all that you need to do when you are also allergic to tree pollen and mold.

Everyone has to work this out for themselves and attempt to make their own quality of life improvements. The immune system is very complex and the best way to deal with allergies is to educate your self and also experiment until you find the best approach for your particular situation.

If that does not work, then you may want to consider moving to a climate that is more suitable to your particular health needs. Comments are welcome, especially those that will help our readers deal with allergies and the management of the environment around them. Spam comments will be auto deleted.

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Allergies and Were You Live

February 21st, 2011 ernie Posted in Allergies, Asthma 2 Comments »

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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