Yes they are! The ups and downs with the contractors have reminded me of the film, "Under the Tuscan Sun". Lol. I had horrible allergies and asthma from a young age, I was allergic to almost everything. My parents started me on a course of allergy shots when I was about 10 and that started to improve things. I still have triggers that will make my asthma flare up (cats, dust, cleaning products, etc) but it's rare that I have an attack now. Exercise has helped tremendously too.