Dr. William Howland Discusses the Top 5 Allergy Cities in the U.S

According to Dr. William Howland, there are some lists in which a city doesn't want to be in the "Top 5." And one of those lists is the "Worst Allergy Cities in the United States." The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America uses a ranking system that takes into account three distinct factors to determine a city's allergy ranking, says Dr. William Howland. The deciding factors include tree pollen amounts, the number of allergy medications used by residents and the number of allergists, Dr. William Howland explains.

There are plenty of reasons why Austin, Texas is nicknamed the "Allergy Capital of the World," Dr. William Howland acknowledges. With its three allergy seasons, there is a scant few months when residents have relief from hay fever, comments Dr. William Howland. There is even a winter pollen season, which is unusual for most of the country, and is caused by mountain cedar trees. The spring allergy season occurs with newly budding trees and grasses and the fall season thatDr. William Howland describes as being born on a wave of ragweed pollen.