Allergies? (Austin, Athens, Atlanta: live, mold, pollution)

[faithr]

Hi all,

Are allergies as bad as I read about?
I don't have allergies in DC/Virginia although I do have occasional sinus inflammation.
When we were in Austin last year (early November) I had a sinus headache the entire time. We are coming again at the same time (late October) and I am curious about whether or not it will recur. I keep reading about people who never had allergies and now do in Austin. One person I talked to from SoCal said she had horrible allergies in SoCal but does not in Austin ALTHOUGH her poor dog now suffers from terrible allergies. I have two new puppies and hope they don't develop allergies in Austin. Any input on this?

[Zzyzx]

It varies from person to person and season to season.

I have allergies to just about everything except black mold and penicillin. When I lived in Las Vegas I got a kenalog shot every year and it helped. My wife was allergy free. Since we moved to Austin I seem to be about the same, allergic but not too bad. My wife on the other hand is now suffering big time with sinus headaches and runny noses about 1/2 the year. I also see people I work with with horrendous seasonal allergies.

Bottom line is: Austin has all the right ingredients to make an allergy sufferers life a nightmare, but it really depends on the person & time of year. You may be fine 1,2,3 years, even 20+, with no allergy symptoms then bam you get it. In the same token, they may lesson as well.

[pdxtech]

Austin has a subtropical climate. Anything that could not grow in the
northern latitudes due to the cold climate grows here such as molds,
spores etc. Plus, there are many more species of insects and you might
be allergic to. Then, there are the trees that seem to have a year
round pollen cycle for different species. So, it can get bad.

That said, allergy is a flaw of the body and popping pills is not a good
idea, with all the side effects. Try alternative healing techniques
(biofeedback, acupuncture, yoga, meditation etc.), some of them
can work wonders.

[Zzyzx]

Originally Posted by pdxtech

That said, allergy is a flaw of the body and popping pills is not a good
idea, with all the side effects. Try alternative healing techniques
(biofeedback, acupuncture, yoga, meditation etc.), some of them
can work wonders.

This is a good point.

I was on pills & prescription nasal sprays for a while years ago. Then I read about Ocean Spray. It's just a saline distilled water solution. It's harmless. I have been using this now for 4 years with great success. Once in the morning during the shower & at night. What this does is clear out allergens, dust, and whatever else might be in your sinus. I'm not sure if this is related, but I have not been sick either in the time I have been using Ocean Spray.

[cdelena]

Texas is not a good place for people with allergies...

Pollen.com - Your Local Pollen Reports and Allergy Forecasts including the only 4 Day Allergy Alert Forecast. If you suffer from allergies, get the 4 Day Allergy Forecast.

[fil]

I've come to realize that my Kryptonite is Ragweed and Oak pollen.

Austin is really bad at both ad I'm worse here than in Philly and Atlanta (even Athens with their Oak pollen).

I was told to wait 2-3 years when I get Cedar Fever.

[jread]

Just wanted to say that something must be in the air today as I woke up with severe sinus problems. When I got to work, everyone else was sniffling and sneezing as well.

[Trainwreck20]

For all those interested, the ozone has been really bad this past weekend. From a co-worker who knows this much better than me (regarding Friday's weather):

The meteorology today is interesting. Last night and into this morning, the winds were from the northeast, bringing in all those nasty old ozone precursors generated by the filthy big polluter coal fired power plants in northeast Texas (just being funny here, its really pollution created by the non-Prius drivers). Now, the winds are calm and there is nothing to disperse the ozone being created. Add a lot of sunlight and voila!

This weekend was very light wind most of the time, so most of the traffic pollution stayed put right on top of us.

The above response was generater from a comment by a co-worker:

This is no joke! The Austin NW ozone monitoring station is reading 98 ppb. (You can monitor the monitors at Current Ozone Levels for Austin - Texas Commission on Environmental Quality - www.tceq.state.tx.us.)

Does anyone know if this is the highest ever for Austin?

Please avoid unnecessary mowing, fueling or driving in the morning or exercising in the afternoon...

Ozone is very hard on the respiratory system (that is why exercising is not recommended) and can have similar effects as allergies.

The ozone was not very bad this morning, but PM2.5 (small, respirable particulate) was in the moderate range. Small particulate in of itself is a health issue, but around Austin a lot of it is comprised of allergens, as well.

[blusteel]

Originally Posted by Trainwreck20

For all those interested, the ozone has been really bad this past weekend....
Ozone is very hard on the respiratory system (that is why exercising is not recommended) and can have similar effects as allergies.

Are you kidding? I'm too wiped out due to the 'whatever' in the air that I couldn't exercise if I wanted to. I don't recall ever having symptoms this bad. I'm hoping for a cold front to clear things out.

Thanks for posting this info. I was wondering why I had dissolved into lethargy and laziness, lol.

[love roses]

Maybe that's what it is with me too. It's been horrible for over two weeks now, and it's still not better...Cold weather, where are you??