Spring is finally here, which means warmer weather, pretty flowers and ugh, more sneezing. Do you feel like where you live must have the worst allergies ever? No more wondering, the Allergy Capitals Research Project from the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) has identified the top 100 cities they consider challenging places to live with allergies for this spring. No matter where you are in America, there will be allergies, but there are definitely certain places that are more problematic than the rest. AAFA comes up with a list twice a year, one for the fall and one for the spring. They use scientific analysis of three factors to measure the data.
It includes:
- Pollen scores (airborne grass/tree/weed pollen and mold spores)
- Number of allergy medications used per patient
- Number of allergy specialists per patients.
The springtime allergy triggers are primarily from all the tree pollen. If you are suffering from the spring time allergies, you are probably very familiar with all the symptoms. However, I will include the list anyways. The symptoms include itchy runny nose, nasal and sinus congestion, repeated sneezing, water eyes, inflated sinuses and, in severe cases, difficulty breathing due to all of these symptoms. Nasal allergy symptoms can also be more severe if you also have asthma. So spring time can be particularly miserable for some of us.
The Mayo Clinic provided a list of tips to help reduce some of the misery. The list mentioned that you should stay indoors on dry, windy days. The best time to go outside is after a good rain, which helps clear pollen from the air. Delegate lawn mowing, weed pulling and other garden chores that stir up allergens. Remove clothes you’ve worn outside; you may also want to shower to rinse the pollen from your hair and skin. Do not hang laundry outside; the pollen can actually stick to the fabric. When you are doing outside chores, wear a dust mask.
So with keeping some of those tips in mind, here is the list of this year’s top ten worst allergy cities:
1. Knoxville, Tenn.
2. McAllen, Texas
3. Louisville, Ky.
4. Jackson, Miss.
5. Wichita, Kan.
6. Oklahoma City, Okla.
7. Chattanooga, Tenn.
8. Memphis, Tenn.
9. San Antonio, Texas
10. Dayton, Ohio
You can find the complete list of all 100 cities at Allergycapitals.com
Also Read:
Fight Seasonal Allergies with Your Diet