When it comes to spring allergies, the amount of Kleenex one goes through varies year to year, often depending on Mother Nature, personal triggers and where you live.  Worst place for sufferers? Tulsa, Okla.  That’s according to a report out today from the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. A not-for-profit organization that provides information, community-based services and a support network, it has culled 2006 data and ranked the worst cities for spring allergies based on three factors: pollen counts, medication usage by allergy patients and the number of board-certified allergists per patient.  Tulsa-based Dr. Rollie Rhodes, allergy director for the Eastern Oklahoma Ear, Nose and Throat Clinic, isn’t surprised his area tops the list.  He estimates that he and his colleagues saw several hundred more patients than usual last year because of the mild 2005-06 winter, which allowed the ragweed season to last longer than normal and the spring tree season to start up in February.  “The milder the winter,” he says, “the more problems.”  Dallas-Forth Worth, Texas, which had a couple of mild winters in recent years that helped plants thrive, came in second.  Last year, based on data from 2005, Hartford, Conn., had the worst spring allergies, according to the list. That could have been due to temperature changes or too few allergy doctors to handle a particularly heavy patient load.  But normally, Southeastern cities rule. Trees that produce lots of pollen, such as oak, maple and elm, are popular in the Southeast, and the open environment makes it easy for lightweight spores to travel once they’re airborne, says Angel Waldron, spokeswoman for the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. And then there’s the weather–short, mild winters and long springs don’t help.  Time to Move? One of the reasons the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America first began tracking in 2003 the intensity of seasonal allergies was because the group was getting so many calls from people asking where they should move to avoid them. The goal was to put research behind its answers.  “They’d say, ‘I moved to Atlanta, and I never had troubles before. Now I’m miserable,’ ” Waldron says.  But while it’s helpful, for instance, for people with tree pollen allergies to know that the Southeast might not be a great place for them to live, relocating won’t solve most sufferers’ problems.  Most people tend to have more than one trigger, something they may not realize until they move to another city and are exposed to different allergens. People with tree pollen allergies could move to Seattle, for example, where the tree pollen count is much lower, only to find out they’re also allergic to mold, a significant problem in the Northwest.  Some seek solace in Arizona. But Dr. Michael Daines, an immunologist and assistant professor in pediatrics at the University of Arizona in Tucson, says the people who initially moved to the desert to escape their allergies basically brought allergens with them, planting Bermuda grass and other non-native plants. Tucson, the fifth worst city for spring allergies, is having another bad spring so far this year, he says.  Allergy Busters If allergies are making you miserable, experts recommend avoiding unnecessary exposure to allergens; consistently taking medication, such as an antihistamine or decongestant; or seeing a doctor–if you can get an appointment this time of year.  The wait time to get into Daines’ allergy clinic, for instance, is currently months long.  “It’s nice to be in demand, but our main goal is to get rid of the suffering,” he says. “Patients are really suffering.”  Comments are turned off for this post.
Sneezing up a storm? Find out why where you live has a lot to do with the amount of tissues you go through.