Allergies especially bad this spring? (Us too). Along with rising oceans, hotter-than-normal temps, and Al Gore's ego, you might be able to blame this boon to the makers of Kleenex on global warming.

New research suggests that allergens, like George Hamilton, are thriving because of warmer temps.

And thus you sneeze and have itchy eyes more.

Especially here in California.

Maybe.

New Jersey-based Quest Diagnostics (via California Watch) looked at 2 million blood samples from allergy sufferers over a four-year period and found a 6 percent increase in all allergies, a 12 percent rise in mold allergies and a 15 percent increase in ragweed allergies.

The samples indicate that California, Nevada and Arizona together saw a 21 percent increase in allergy problems over that time.

Quest states that ” … the rapid rise in common ragweed and mold is consistent with other research linking climate change to greater sensitization to select environmental allergens.”

So, if you like it hot, be prepared to suffer the consequences.

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