The Best Places to Live with Mold Allergies

Mold, along with animal dander, dust mites and a variety of pollens, are some of the most common allergens to plague the population. Mold spores are what trigger allergic reactions and they travel through the air.

Types of Molds

There are many types of molds, but the ones that cause:

• the most allergic reactions are alternaria
  
• aspergillus
  
• aureobasidium (pullularia)
  
• cladosporium (hormodendrum)
  
• epicoccum
  
• fusarium
  
• helminthosporium
  
• mucor
  
• penicillium
  
• rhizopus

What to Avoid

Most molds thrive in climates where the weather is warm and moist for any amount of time during the year. The worst places to live for someone with mold allergies is along the coast or by any body of water 1. Breezy or windy areas make it worse because wind helps spread the spores. There are even some types of spores that only release in warm and dry climates. Large and heavily populated cities are also the worst places to live with mold allergies 1.

What to Consider

All mold spores are different, so finding out exactly what kind or kinds you are allergic to is a good place to start. Learning about your specific allergy and how the spores thrive will help you to decide which places would be ideal to avoid your allergy 3. If you have other types of allergies, make sure you take these in to account as well. It would completely defeat the purpose if you moved to avoid one allergy but was plagued by another 3.

Best Places

The ideal climate for someone with mold allergies is somewhere that gets below freezing for most of the year 1. If you don't mind cold climates, your troubles are over, unless cold weather opens you up to another set of respiratory problems.

Other Ways to Prevent Allergy

If you have mold allergies, staying indoors with the windows shut for most of the day will protect you. If you need to go out, there are over-the-counter and prescription medications that will treat the symptoms. Talk to your doctor about ways to avoid your mold allergy 3. Where you go to avoid your allergies and how you treat them all depends on the specific types of allergies you have.