Sneezing, watery eyes, head congestion and sinus pressure have become a common, daily battle for many people to overcome. Staying indoors or in bed all day is replacing daily activities. If this sounds similar to how you have been living your life, you are most likely suffering from allergies. South Floridians now living in North Florida are developing allergies to the change of environment. The many different trees and the change of atmosphere in Northern Florida are environmental issues in Gainesville that have affected more and more students coming from South Florida. The affects of these allergies may interfere with their daily activities, such as attending classes and studying for upcoming tests. Cristina Calero, 19, and Tatiana Cardenas, 20, are both students at Santa Fe Community College whose hometown is in South Florida. Calero, from West Palm Beach, FL, and Cardenas, from Miami, FL, have both developed many environmental allergies that they did not have prior to moving to Gainesville. "I never had problems with allergies before I moved," Cardenas said. "But once I got to Gainesville, I began to feel a lot of congestion in my sinuses." According to Calero, she has had allergies to dust mites and cats for many years. However, as soon as she moved up north she began developing allergies to the environment. "The moment I step outside I begin to sneeze and get a runny nose," Calero said. "It wears me out." Now, hoping to eventually get rid of their allergies, Calero and Cardenas have begun receiving allergy immunization shots at the Student Health Care Center on the UF campus. "The nurse evaluates you first by doing a test on your arms to see what you have developed allergies to," Calero said. After the test is complete, special vials are made with small amounts of allergens be to injected into your upper arm. This helps the body become immune to the allergies and eventually get rid of them. However, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians, this treatment may take several months to a lifetime to complete. Therefore, students who are receiving this treatment still have to deal with several allergy symptoms daily. These symptoms, such as head congestion, pressure in the eyes, nose and cheeks, runny nose and watery eyes, are all symptoms that could affect a students attendance in classes, ability to study for tests, or simply stepping outside to play sports or go grocery shopping. "The symptom that affects me the most is head congestion," Cardenas said. "It gives me a migraine and bothers my eyes a lot, which makes me just want to go to sleep instead of study or wake up to go to my 1:55 p.m. class." On the other hand, Calero, who has been dealing with allergies for several years, finds that her allergy symptoms have become worse since moving up north. She knows it has to do with the trees and the air that she is not used to because of the test results. Both Cardenas and Calero agree that if anyone from South Florida is experiencing any allergy symptoms that they did not experience while in their hometown, they should get tested and begin receiving treatment if necessary. | 
