Somewhere around 45 million American are affected by allergies. An allergic reaction is a response by your immune system to a substance it thinks is a harmful allergen. It reacts by releasing histamines which causes inflammatory reactions involving digestive, skin and/or respiratory systems. Always check with your personal healthcare professional on any matter concerning your health..

1. More than 35 million Americans suffer from “hay fever,” which is technically “allergic rhinitis.”

2. If you suffer, it isn't as easy as moving to another location.

According to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI), most people who move develop new allergies to the new stuff within a year or two. “Moving to another part of the country to escape allergies is often ultimately disappointing, and not recommended.”

3. The top 10 “allergy capitals” in the US are …

1. Louisville, KY 2. Austin, TX 3. St. Louis, MO 4. Atlanta, GA 5. Charlotte, NC 6. Hartford-New Haven, CT 7. Nashville, TN 8. Raleigh-Durham-Fayetteville, NC 9. Harrisburg-Lancaster-York, PA 10. Grand Rapids-Kalamazoo, MI

Go here to read the top 50 and how they were ranked. You will find they include most of the places you're likely to visit on business or pleasure, such as Orlando, Chicago, New York City, and San Francisco.

4. Weather influences hay fever symptoms.

Symptoms are worse when pollen moves around - hot, dry and windy weather. When it's rainy, cloudy or windless, the pollen doesn't move.

5. It’s the pollen you can’t see that does the most damage.

Pollen are tiny, egg-shaped male cells of flowering plants. How tiny are they? Microscopic.

6. Do I have to give up my roses and zinnias?

According to the AAAAI, pollens from plants with bright flowers are usually okay. It’s the trees, grasses and low-growing weeds that have the small, light dry pollens so easily airborne.

7. What about your fingernails?

While cosmetics and salon services are generally safe, Dr. Phoebe Rich, American Academy of Dermatologists, warns of the potential problem of allergic reactions. The most common ingredient that can create an allergic reaction is methylmethacrylate or MMA, which is used in the application of acrylic nails. Dr. Rich advises: “Although MMA has been banned by many states and the FDA has issued warnings about its hazards, the substance is still being used in some discount salons because it costs so much less than the safer acrylate alternatives such as ethylmethacrylate....If consumers notice a strong odor associated with acrylic nail application, MMA is probably being used and that salon should be avoided. Consumers should also report that salon to the state medical board.”

8. Seasonal allergic conjunctivitis is on the rise.

If your eyes are itching, burning, red, tearing or watering, and feel like sand-paper, and your eyelids are swollen, it could be allergic conjunctivitis. Viral and bacterial conjunctivitis can produce the same symptoms. Why should you know the difference? Because the treatment is different. One example – if it’s bacterial, you may be given Neosporin drops, which (spore=mold) would make your allergic symptoms worse!

9. How do you know if it’s a cold, or allergies? Read the distinction here.

10. Over 6,000,000 Americans suffer from food allergies.

According to the FoodAllergyInitiative, “each year hundreds die from food and allergies and over 30,000 receive life-saving treatment in emergency rooms due to food-induced anaphylaxis [difficulty in breathing, heart failure, circulatory collapse and sometimes death].” Source: http://www.foodallergyinitiative.org/ .

Any food can cause allergies, but 90% are caused by peanut, shellfish, soy, egg, wheat, fish, milk and treenuts.

(c)Susan Dunn, MA, The EQ Coach. I offer coaching, distance learning courses, and ebooks around emotional intelligence for career, relationships, success, happiness, resilience, and personal and professional development. I train and certify Emotional Intelligence coach - www.eqcoach.net . Mailto:sdunn@susandunn.cc for free ezine. For daily EQ Tips, send blank email to EQ4U-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.

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