I have suffered with hives and allergies all my life. Born and raised in the southeast-TN, FL, NC. As an adult I chose to move around the country to find healthier ground. I went to the Northeast - too cold - so I moved to Las Vegas in 1997.

I thought the dry heat would help. Once you get past the first year of nose bleeds and sinus dryness and dehydration, it does get a little better becuase there are no real season changes. Although there are many new allergies I had never felt before - Watery burning eyes for weeks from the dust and blooming olive trees (olive trees which became such a air hazard they were banned from the county).

The first year was bad but after 8 years I decieded to move back southeast to NC. Mainly due to the pollution (air qaulity) in Las Vegas has gotten so bad. Now that I have been back the first six months have been as it should getting use to the changing of seasons again. In six months I have had two colds which put me into the antibiotic slide. One drug to the next always ends up giving me horroable hives/angioedema for weeks.

Now in my mid 30’s I am finally learning how to deal with my body reactions to environment and medications with all the side effects. Live where it makes you happy and manage the side effects of everthing else. Life is to short to be stuck indoors or in one place. Enjoy life! — GW, North Carolina

From California to New England, and from Iowa to Texas, allergy season is upon us. Reports are coming in from all but the northern-most states of spring allergies in the air.

MetroWestDailyNews.com reported today that in spite of the “unseasonably cold temperatures for the past 10 days,” record warm January temps in Massachusetts mean allergy season is soon to arrive. The article, which reported January temps of 7 to 9 degrees above average in Boston and Worcester, says, “Low-level tree pollen has already spread across most of the state.”

Of interest to those of us in the south-central area where ragweed season starts in the fall, the article cited above also reports that a warm January “is allowing the ragweed to come out earlier.”