The Best Places to Live With Allergies

Allergies are hypersensitive reactions of the immune system. Immunity reactions and allergic reactions are similar in that they defend the body. Dust particles, pollen, food or other allergens stimulate an immune response, causing a reaction. Typical mild allergic reactions are sneezing, watery and itchy eyes, coughing and headaches. Seasonal allergies are caused by airborne grass/tree/weed pollen and mold spores and are difficult, if not impossible, to avoid. Allergen level counts depend heavily on the environmental conditions and geography. Therefore, where one calls home plays a significant role in seasonal allergies.

General Guidelines

• Although relocating may solve one allergen problem, sensitivity to another type of allergen may occur. The protein in the pollen causes the allergy, and proteins within plant families are similar and can cause allergic reactions. While one area may have low weed pollen, that area may have high tree pollen, making avoidance of all pollens impossible. General rules include the following.

  Mountainous areas have less weed pollen but have higher tree pollen.
  Forests have high tree pollen with little weed pollen.
  Agricultural areas, such as farmland, and suburban towns have high grass pollen.
  Ragweed pollen is lower in the Pacific Northwest

Best Places to Live

• According to research by Sperling's BestPlaces, below are the best places to live to avoid allergies. The results are from data collected from 1999 to 2002.

  1. Kansas City, Missouri
  2. Milwaukee-Waukesha, Wisconsin
  3. Seattle
  4. San Francisco
  5. Minneapolis
  6. Chicago
  7. Syracuse, New York
  8. Salt Lake City
  9. Los Angeles
  10. Denver

Places to Avoid

• Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America compiles "the 100 most challenging places to live with allergies" for the fall and spring seasons through its annual Allergy Capitals research project. Three factors are utilized to determine the rankings: pollen scores (airborne grass/tree/weed pollen and mold spores), number of allergy medications used per patient and number of allergy specialists per patient. However, since pollen scores are not static, the rankings differ yearly and by season.

  Challenging Places to Live with Fall Allergies (2008)

  1. Greensboro, North Carolina
  2. Greenville, South Carolina
  3. Little Rock, Arkansas
  4. Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina
  5. Jackson, Mississippi

  Challenging Places to Live with Spring Allergies (2009)

  1. Louisville, Kentucky
  2. Knoxville, Tennessee
  3. Charlotte, North Carolina
  4. Madison, Wisconsin
  5. Wichita, Kansas

Considerations

• Knowing the best places to live for allergy sufferers is useful, but being aware of the worst places can help, as well. Before venturing off for a vacation or thinking about relocation, researching the best and worst places will educate and prepare allergy sufferers. Knowing what one is allergic to and what treatment works best will decrease symptoms.

  Other factors to consider include:

  Always have medication on hand.
  Check the forecast and avoid going outside when pollen is high or conditions are dry and windy.
  Plan outdoor activities around peak pollen times. Between 5 and 10 a.m., pollen production occurs.
  Know your triggers and avoid them.

Prevention/Solution

• Because more than 67 million Americans experience allergies, there are many traditional and nontraditional treatments to help allergy sufferers find relief. Everything from over-the-counter medication to acupuncture has been used to decrease symptoms. Allergy solutions should be determined on an individual level.