I said drip, drop and cry. I don't care if I die

Don't ever leave me, don't ever say goodbye

--thanks to Big Joe Turner

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ April 10, 2001, 10:00PM

Spring allergies: Houston second worst in nation

By TODD ACKERMAN

Copyright 2001 Houston Chronicle

Houston, which did not rank among the nation's 25 worst "spring allergy cities" in 2000, is the second-worst one this year, according to a new study.

Oak, ash, hickory/pecan trees and grass were called Houston's predominant allergens this year, spurred by intermittent rainfall.

"Weather conditions in Houston have led to higher pollination rates," said Andrew Kress, head of Surveillance Data Inc., a research firm that monitors illnesses around the world and conducts the allergy study every spring and fall.

"The best place for allergy sufferers to be is where it rains every day, which washes away the pollen."

The study, which ranked Houston behind only Charleston, S.C., reported that 520,000 Houstonians were affected by airborne allergens in the 10 weeks ending April 6, nearly 46,000, or about 10 percent, more than a year ago.

The survey was released as U.S. public health advocates began alerting allergy and asthma sufferers on how best to cope with this season. About 20 percent of the nation's population has allergic disorders, according to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.

Dr. Stuart Abramson, director of Texas Children's Hospital's Asthma Center, said allergic rhinitis has increased 100 percent over the past 15 years.

Many allergens can be found in the home, he emphasized, noting that a recent study showed that removing allergens from the home can reduce the number of children who develop asthma by about 40 percent.

The most common indoor allergens, Abramson said, are house dust, cockroaches and dust mites. Rising outdoor temperatures also aggravate indoor allergies, he said.

In the outdoor allergy study, Charleston and Houston were followed by Chicago; Fargo, N.D.; Billings, Mont.; Tampa, Fla.; and Omaha, Neb. The Dallas-Fort Worth area was 11th.

The study is based on the amount of pollen in the air, potential number of people affected and actual number affected. SDI calculates the actual number on an index of categories such as doctor visits.

Although multiple allergy symptoms -- blocked or runny nose, sneezing, watery eyes, itching rashes, coughing and wheezing -- often occur at once, Abramson said, a single symptom like wheezing may be allergy and should be investigated.

"If your child repeatedly has these symptoms, it's wise to have him or her evaluated for allergies," he said. "There are measures that families can take to reduce the severity of their child's condition, and new therapies are on the horizon."

-- Lars (larsguy@yahoo.com), April 11, 2001

Answers

Hi Lars.

Too funny, yesterday I got an allergy shot, havent had one in over 4 years. I read it is supposed to be real bad year for allergies.

-- sumer (shh@aol.con), April 11, 2001.

Ha! Talk about timely...I was just doing research for a friend and came across an exceptional article pertaining to natura l allergy relief for anyone interested.

-- 1 (2@3.com), April 11, 2001.

oNE WORD: cHEMtRAIls

-- pORKY (pORKY@IN.CELLBLOCKd), April 11, 2001.