Spring is here! It’s time for seasonal allergies to begin. If your child has severe allergies, you may want to take a look at a list created by the AAFA. Every year, they release a list of the top 100 worst cities for people who have spring allergies. How does the city you live in rank, in terms of allergies?
No one wants to see their child suffer from seasonal allergies. Allergies tend to run in families which means that if a parent tends to experience itchy eyes, a runny nose, and a whole lot of sneezing when Spring starts, it’s entirely possible that their child is dealing with some of that as well. Persistent allergy symptoms like these tend to make people absolutely miserable.
Every year, the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) releases their list of the cities that are the worst places to live for people who have Spring allergies. The total list includes 100 cities, but so far, only the top ten have been revealed.
The cities on this list were ranked according to a number of different factors. The AAFA gave each city a pollen score, which was based on the recorded amount of grass, tree, and weed pollen that is typically found in and around that city in the Spring. The prevalence of mold spores was also considered. They also determined the number of local allergy specialists that were located in the area, and the amount of allergy medications that were used per patient.
Most parents will do just about anything to ease their child’s allergy problems. Although you may be tempted to pack up and move to a city that isn’t at the top of the list of worst cities to live in for people with allergies, you need to understand a few things. One cannot “cure” an allergy simply by moving to a new place. There are going to be other allergens in that new place, that your child may turn out to be equally allergic to. Another thing to consider is this list changes every year, which means that the top cities this year may not be the top cities next year, or the year after that. The list can be used as a tool to help you find out what you are up against this year, in terms of allergens.
This year, 2011, the worst city to live in for people who have allergies is Knoxville, Tennessee. This is followed by Louisville, Kentucky, which comes in as number two on the list. Number three was Charlotte, North Carolina. Jackson, Missouri, was number four this year, and Chattanooga, Tennessee was number five. The sixth worst city to live in for people with allergies was Birmingham, Alabama. This was followed by Dayton, Ohio, Richmond Virginia, and McAllen, Texas. Number ten on this list of 100 cities was Madison, Wisconsin.
Image by Steve Punter on Flickr