I live in Georgia and my sinuses are driving me crazy. The doctor says move to the coast and live on the ocean. But which one? Does any one out there have an answer as to the best place to live if you have severe sinus infections all the time. I did live on the South Carolina coast once and I don’t believe I was sick at all due to my sinus. If anyone out there has an answer, plz get in touch. — T., Georgia

I grew up in Atlanta, GA area with bad allergies. I am allergic to just about anything that grows, it seems, but dust/mites & cats were my very worst. As an adult they finally got so bad I left my home state in hopes of finding a healthier place to live. And for about 7 yrs, I thought I had in San Jose, CA (south of SF). An allergist here once told me, given the severity of my allergies previously, if they hadn’t developed within a couple years of living here they weren’t likely to - not true.

My last 3 springs here have been miserable, I believe due to late heavy winter rains bringing on heavy pollenation. What is really interesting is I had noticed at other times during the winter months after a rain I could actually breathe BETTER! Less congestion. Who can Figure!

It is so true that what area is best for you depends on what you are sensitive to. Many people here say this is the worst place to live because everything grows here. I’ve heard & say the South is the Allergy Capitol because of the humidity - it amplifies everything, esp molds!

So now I too am contemplating moving on to another state, but don’t know where I would do best for the longest term. Desert? Wyoming with its frigid winters & mild summers? I do love snow & mountains! What about Montana? Any opinions? Near the Rockies, of course! Any suggestions appreciated. — Linda, San Jose, CA

In 1996 and 1997, we posted info about the ten worst US cities for asthma sufferers as released by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. Often people ask “Where are the best places?” Sperling’s Best Places, in conjunction with Schering-Plough Corporation, has released it’s study of the ten best and worst places to live with allergies. Thanks to Lewis who provided the link and shared more comments about this here at Allergy Climates.

Topping the list of best places, according to the Sperling study, is Grand Rapids, MI. Louisville, KY, ranks worst. The AAFA study, which ranks Asthma (as opposed to the Sperling study which ranks Allergies) lists Atlanta, GA, as the worst US city to live in.

Sterling also seems to support what we’ve often pointed out here at Allergy Climates, that there is no safe-haven for allergy sufferers. Schering-Plough writes:
“A key finding of this study is that there is no geographic center for allergies…no part of the country is immune to their effects.”

The Sterling study is based on mean pollen and mold spore levels for the years 2002, 2001, 2000, and 1999, while the AAFA does the studies annually. The AAFA study also takes into consideration air pollution. Air pollution and smog, especially ozone, are now believed to play an important role as triggers for asthma and allergy.

Each year the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America names the Top Ten Asthma Capitals for the year. This year, Atlanta Georgia, took the top spot, with Philadelphia, PA, and Raliegh, NC, second and third.

The Asthma and Allergy Foundation says:

Don’t Move - Improve: Experts agree that people can’t move away from their asthma since every city in America has a variety of risk factors.

Click Asthma Capitals 2007 to see the whether your state ranked among the Top 10 Capitals (mind did!), as well as information about this annual research project, and links to more detailed information.

You can find information and links to last year’s studies as well as previous years on our February 18, 2006 post, Climate and asthma — Worst places to live.

I was raised in southern New Jersey and always had sinus trouble. It all went away when I moved to Long Beach, CA. When I moved to Phoenix and Prescot, AZ I had a mild problem as there are 2 rainy seasons and it gets humid in the summer when it rains. Six years ago, we moved to Macon, GA and I have been dying ever since. I have since been tested for allergies and am allergic to molds and mildrew.

I’ve got to move to find some relief. Where can I move to find some relief?? - Sandra, Georgia

I was born with chronic asthma as much I got older it got more worse. in 2001 my asthma got really bad I was always in the hospital, I was admitted like once a month or sometimes once every 2-3 months. Then in 2002 I was getting asthma alot I was injecting myself with epipen but there times that I almost passed away. Then I couldn’t take it anymore I decided to move to Florida because of this illness.

Then I got to Florida I was still getting asthma but in 2005 it got really life threatning that I was going to the hospital every two weeks (more…)

Houston has a serious mold / mildew problem. I grew up here, and my allergies peak during Apr-June and Sept-Nov. Mold is very high in Houston during these months. When I lived in Atlanta my allergies rarely bothered me. When I go out west, I never seem to have problems. Curious on how it is in San Diego. — GDM, Texas

I am from Cleveland, OH where I had hay fever and the occasional sinus infection. In 1998 I moved to the metro Atlanta area. My allergies proved to worsen and I developed asthma. I cannot play outside with my kids and suffer frequent sinusitis that often becomes bronchitis. This weekend my ear drum even ruptured. This is after all kinds of meds and 5 years of allergy shots. I want to move back to Cleveland, Oh to at least be able to play outside with my kids. — BAM, Ohio

“There’s no such thing as an ‘asthma-free’ city,” says Mike Tringale, Director of Communications at Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. This is from a February 8, 2006, press release announcing the 2006 U.S. Asthma Capitals.

Topping the list are Scranton, PA, Richmond, VA, and Philadelphia, PA. Only one southern city, 4th ranked Atlanta, GA, made the top ten this year. You can check out the entire list of 100 Worst Cities for Asthma in 2006 from the AAFA website.

This is the third year AAFA has ranked cities for asthma. During the first two years, southern cities took the top three spots with the exception of third-ranked St. Louis, MO in 2005. St. Louis has consistently scored in the top ten all three years. In 2004, KY and TN topped the list, and last year (2005) Little Rock, AR (directly east of my western AR location) and St. Louis, MO (directly to my north) took the #2 and #3 spots. This year brought some surprises, as the North Central and North Eastern seaboard areas seem to dominate. See the 2004, 2005, and 2006 lists to see how your area fares.

Feel free to share any local reports or commentary from your area in the comments. Copyrighted material should be in the form of links with your comments about the link. Please do not post copyrighted material, with the exception of a brief sentence to introduce the link.

According to a news item from WALB-TV in Albany, Georgia, the warm winter season is making allergies worse in South Georgia. WALB-TV reports, “A warm winter means an early and severe allergy season.”

This unseasonably warm winter is setting the stage for a severe allergy season in many parts of the U.S. So when you evaluate a climate for the degree of allergies, keep in mind that in some areas they may be more severe this year than usual.

According to WALB-TV, local allergist Larry Smith warns, “This is only the tip of the iceberg. Pollen levels will increase even more so within the next few weeks.”

Read the entire WALB-TV news report here.