Charleston ranked #26 for allergy prone cities

CHARLESTON, SC (WCSC) - While Charleston easily gets a high rating as one of the most beautiful places to live, it also gets high scores for being one of the most challenging places for those with allergies.

Out of 100 of the most allergy prone cities, Charleston comes in at 26.

Fall is in the air, but for more than 36 million Americans so are seasonal allergy problems. The itchy eyes, runny nose and sneezing are all typical fall allergy symptoms and something allergist Dr. Jeffrey Dietrich sees like clockwork this time of year.

Dr. Dietrich says because of the Lowcountry's mild climate, allergens can be present all year long, except for a month in the winter, making people feel worn down and sick.

According to Dr. Dietrich, your best bet is to have a 15 minute allergy skin test done by an allergist to see what you're specifically allergic to and know exactly what's triggering your allergies.

From there, Dr. Dietrich says a good over the counter oral antihistamine or spray would be recommended. But the most effective treatment for allergies in the long run he says are allergy shots or allergy immuneo therapy.

Allergy shots are given once a month for 3 to 5 years depending on the person, and for those that want to take a more traditional approach, Dr. Dietrich says keeping windows closed, rinsing off if you have been outside for extended times and using a netti pot or saline rinse has proven to help some people.

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