How many flee Austin because of allergies? (Spring, West: living in, moving to)

[oatmeal10011]

Well, it has been a while since I first wrote the original post on this thread. I have not moved and my allergies have come under better control. Where before it was so bad that it was an almost all day distraction to everything I did, it is now just an occasional annoyance and rarely horrible. Maybe part of it is just a roll of the local climate dice, but the most significant correlation I can make is a change in my home's air quality. Our HVAC was getting up there in years and needed to be replaced. The new unit seems to do a much better job at cleaning the air and keeping it moving. I've had a lot more relief since then. None of the doctors had mentioned the HVAC as a possibility. Who knows. That might have been it.

[cp102]

I have lived all over the United States and Europe and I haven't found a place yet I haven't had allergies. So moving because of allergies NO! Now if I had a young child who suffered then it would be a possibility. Thankfully most of my family has a minor allergy problem. I seem to have problems 6 months of the year which is about the same as each place we lived. I lived in Nevada where its suppose to be dry and better for allergies--it wasn't better. People have brought new plants that aren't native to the desert like Olive trees that wreak a new havoc on allergy sufferers. If you can remove carpets they are a breeder for allergens and dust. I use a Air Washer purification system in our bedroom since using it I don't wake with horrible headaches anymore. We have pets and of course they add to the dander, etc. I go to visit family in NY and I feel like my allergies are worse there . Also above posted stated HVAC could have been her problem, who knows! But please make sure your changing your filters monthly , its easy to forget.

[pamsjustbeachy]

That article was dated 2007, really old
The one about Austin being a allergy capital
There is a site that has stats for that that are current
Asthma and allergy capital just look on the web

[N. Olikee]

(I'm reading my previous posts, and boy, I'm just downright mean! Sorry guys / gals!)

These allergy "capitals" vary from year to year...........but, consistently, Louisville is in the top five.........not Austin. That's not to say people don't have allergies here. Fall / Winter before last was awful for "cedar". It even bothered me.

Obviously, the various weather patterns / conditions are going to come into play, but what you don't have here is a river valley that's trapping all the "bad" air. I don't see people walking around here "crying" (watery eyes). I don't see "stuff" floating around in the air. None of the members of my family have problems here like we did in Louisville..........yes, I know it's anecdotal.

Honestly, I can understand if your allergies are severe enough that you would have to move. So, oatmeal, I hope you've figured out the problem and things are better for you.

[TexasHorseLady]

N. Olikee, if you'll look three comments above yours, you'll see that oatmeal posted an update just today.

[N. Olikee]

Yes, and that was why I was responding, Horse Lady. I'm hoping the a/c situation is the answer.

[TexasHorseLady]

Ah, got it. Sounded like you hadn't seen the post and would like to know.

[hoffdano]

My own experience was horrible when I moved to San Antonio in the 1970s. Every winter I was miserable due to "mountain cedar." Mold, elm, and cats were also major problems. Allergy shots for a year (then abandoned) helped a bit. But over the years they just got better. Today I can even tolerate cats nearby. Just an occasional over the counter pill.

[OpenD]

Originally Posted by oatmeal10011

Well, it has been a while since I first wrote the original post on this thread. I have not moved and my allergies have come under better control. Where before it was so bad that it was an almost all day distraction to everything I did, it is now just an occasional annoyance and rarely horrible. Maybe part of it is just a roll of the local climate dice, but the most significant correlation I can make is a change in my home's air quality. Our HVAC was getting up there in years and needed to be replaced. The new unit seems to do a much better job at cleaning the air and keeping it moving. I've had a lot more relief since then. None of the doctors had mentioned the HVAC as a possibility. Who knows. That might have been it.

Once upon a time I moved to Austin to work for one of the large Austin employers, and started having problems with allergies for the first time in my life. And since so many of my coworkers had allergies, i was able to get all kinds of good advice about various OTC meds, and started considering going to an allergist, as many of my coworkers did. Then, in a cost-cutting move, our employer made changes to our health insurance plan that included dropping coverage for allergy treatments and medication.

By then I was working from home part time, and started to realize that my allergies were worse on days I went into the office. Much worse. Year around.

I'm no longer with them, and my allergies are far less severe. So my anecdotal story is that I'm convinced the HVAC at my old workplace was a leading cause of allergies for those of us who worked there.

[clarksvillemom]

Accupincture works for this!