Asthma/Allergies (Phoenix, Mesa, Flagstaff: home, find a job, income)

[Bill_B]

Originally Posted by Malvie

I'm tired of living with an inhaler in one hand and pills in the other and restricted activities (I love hiking, biking, etc., but have had to discontinue).

Surely there's someplace in the US where I would suffer a bit less.

EXACTLY the same situation for me as well, and I would LOVE to find that location where I would suffer less from the asthma and have the active lifestyle that I want to live.

One important criteria, it has to be a place with great High-tech jobs.

[meameame12]

i have to chime in here, after reading so many ridiculous complaints over allergies and asthma. the OP asked if Az. was better for his asthma. then you all deviate from the OP's question, and start talking about allergies--two separate things. Now, it seems that pollution / smoke are chronic problems in Az., and I can't help but wonder if transplanted or native Arizonians want to keep us out and away. Keep in mind that Az. is a notorious Red State, and fought tooth and nail over received federal grant money to pay for Medicaid. Reason being, they do not want people with health issues coming. And now I read that Az. is one of the states that has an ample number of asthma sufferers.

I have personal interest in this matter, as I have severe asthma, and am a current resident of NJ. The question really is, what is causing the asthma. For doctors (read: clueless in white sheets) they can only parrot what the Ph.D.'s wrote about asthma, and in short, the consultation can be worse that useless. it can be damaging.

ask any doctor, and he will give about 10 causes off the bat for the asthma:
smoke, air pollution, pollen, cold air, dry air, exercise-induced, acid reflux, humidity, dust, leaves, humidity as a result of living too close to a body of water, etc. the list is endless. i could go on.

the point is, OP, you have to self-diagnose. I did and discovered that a) i never had it as a child; b) i have acid-reflux, but is controlled; c) got it during the cold weather d) it left in teh summer

i also moved from Chicago to NJ, and then for a spell went to Texas. Back in NJ now, and my asthma is killing me. Clueless doctor thinks its pollution blowing over from the mid-west factories here.

But i have it only in the winter...

Hence, in plain English, I'll rid myself of this ailment if i go to a dry, hot climate. Are there other triggers or potential triggers in Az? Perhaps. But i am certain its the cold weather.

And OP, if you have read this far down, keep in mind that if your asthma is not controlled, it can lead to inflammation, and eventually emphasema. Be careful, and good luck.

Allergies are more endemic to Az. than in NJ. But we are not talking about allergies. Asthma is a differnt ball game.

[cloud10]

Hi,
I moved to Prescott, AZ from Connecticut over 26 years ago. The humidity, mold, mildew, etc. there was killing me. Prescott is a mile high and has 4 seasons but they are mild in comparison to Phoenix or Tucson. I can have a real life here and walk about 3 miles every day. You may not want a winter, but ours is mild and the plus side is that a freeze kills bacteria in the soil that can cause Valley fever found down in Phoenix. Plus Prescott has very clean air and was a haven for tuberculosis patients in its earlier days.
Maybe I'm lucky, but my doctors in Connecticut told me I would have 2 good years before I developed allergies here. Guess what, 26+ years here and feeling the best I have ever been in my entire life. I can't escape all allergens anywhere I live, ragweed grows everywhere, but I can tell you I have had a life without asthma here. Accolate and Advair help, but I have had a clear chest for as long as I remember here and we have some good doctors too.

Hope this helps.

[Idaho]

Lived 35 years in humidity of Pacific Northwest, then Kansas City & then Dallas, before breathing easier in Southern Arizona.

My triggers include:
mold, dust, pollen, pretty much everything!

I didn't realize how truly hard a time I was having breathing & how much kleenex I was going through, until I didn't have those needs so much - Thanks to moving to the Tucson area.

Air quality is rarely a concern....Only when winds are high, really.
Humidity skyrockets in July - Sept, during our rainy season, but it is still not the heavy air I found in KC or Dallas.

I do continue my daily routine of advair & singular meds., but have only had one major asthma event in seven years here (knock on wood), and that was due to a cold I caught while pretty run-down and stressed anyway.

So there's my 2 cents worth. Hope your health improves, no matter where you choose to live.

BILL B ~ RE: HIGH TECH COMPANIES/JOBS IN TUCSON ~ HONEYWELL, TEXAS INSTRUMENTS, RAYTHEON ~ COME ON DOWN!

[tucsondesertdweller]

Even though these are two different things, sometimes allergies trigger asthma, ask your doctor or do a search on the computer.
Not sure why, but read and was told that Southern Arizona has one of the highest rates/incidence's of asthma.

This area used to be good for allergies and respitory problems, not not any more. So depending on what triggers your asthama, you may or may not find relief.


You can always visit different times of the year or perhaps do an extended visit.

[daaver]

There is a lot of dust in the air in PHX too, if that is a problem for you. Well, being a desert and all.

My youngist boy had really bad asthma as a child, 0-3. Like constantly in and out of the hospital bad. Then it mostly went away. We moved to NYC last summer (he is now 5) and it came right back and now he is on an inhaler. *shrug*

It used to be that they would have people move to PHX with breathing problems, but with the air quality in the area now, I haven't heard that advice for years. Which isn't to say it is worse than anywhere else, just that it isn't nearly as clean as it was twenty years ago when the brown cloud wasn't around.

[Singlemom2specialneeds]

I moved to AZ to get away from my midwestern allergies and asthma but due to all the outsiders moving here and bringing their NON NATIVE plants.. well let's just say, I am sicker now than I have ever been. I am LEAVING arizona this summer. HORRIBLE STATE!!!

[meameame12]

Originally Posted by tucsondesertdweller

Even though these are two different things, sometimes allergies trigger asthma, ask your doctor or do a search on the computer.
Not sure why, but read and was told that Southern Arizona has one of the highest rates/incidence's of asthma.

This area used to be good for allergies and respitory problems, not not any more. So depending on what triggers your asthama, you may or may not find relief.


You can always visit different times of the year or perhaps do an extended visit.

the answer is, more asthmatic sufferers relocated to Az., and thus, the ##s of sufferers increased. not to mention a population explosion.

[pennylane]

My asthma, I was told, could be triggered by my alergies, which are many (dust, pollen, grass, and mold). I have suffered more in some areas of California than others. I am not sure why, because to some extent all of these alergins were present where ever I have been. I have also suffered from exercise induced asthma, which could also have been the result of inhaling too much or too many alergins. Maybe it is just a matter of certain combinations and your level of resistance. Some people are more sensitive than others and sometimes we are each more resistant (healthy) than other times.

[Kat_7]

My husband has suffered for years with allergies and severe asthma attacks, until 2 yrs ago. He went under the care of a Chiropractic Naturpath, and since has been asthma free. He still gets the ocassional cold but has steered clear of any asthma attacks, Thank God. He was almost always on the run of the mill antibiotics, steroids, inhaller, and nebulizer treatments. Nothing ever prevented the attacks though, as our medical industry doesn't work like that. Just treat the symptom not the problem. Isn't that what we're all use to. The Chiro put him on a 3-4 month colon cleanse/detox along with an alleviation diet. No white flour or sugar and limited red meat. Kinda rules out everything we know how to eat pretty much huh! But it worked. And Thank God it did. People die all the time from asthma attacks or heart failure as a result. Another issue was because of all the antibiotics he was on he always had diareah and the Dr. thought he might have polops. No more diareah and no polops fortunately. And no more asthma. He swares by Oreganoe capsules not oil as it burns like fire in the pure form, it seems to have kept the infections at bay. So to sum it up, I don't think where you live is the only factor in allergies and asthma it's just one of them. There are higher elevations in Arizona which you might not want to rule out like Payson, Flagstaff, etc.. with better air quality and maybe not as cold as where you are now.