Allergies in NY and Florida, how about New Mexico?

3 Comments

1. weber says:

   June 7, 2007 at 11:51 pm

   FYI from an asthmatic desert rat.
   We moved to Arizona 10yrs ago and I ass-sumed that I had left my asthma behind in the dampness of up- stat NY. WRONG.
   People forget that with the lower density of any given species in the dessert, more pollen must be produced per plant. To ensure their survival, they must produce even more pollen so can reach another plant. The sobol is a yucca type plant that has a 5 ft stalk topped with what is best described as a giant bottle brush (3ft in length and 7″ in diameter) covered for 3 ft with pollen laden stamen. Also, the plants have a stronger reaction to rain; many are dormant until their is rain. A little rain will make some bloom, and a lot of rain can make plant species grow and bloom that have been absent in abundance from the landscape a year or years. It is an awe inspiring sight to see the desert in bloom March-April. I have lived in up state NY, AZ and NM; each state had it’s effect on my asthma. NY had mold, AZ had Sobol (yucca type plant) and NM has Juniper and high winds (20-30 mph) from March into June; kicking up everything in and along with the dust. During these high winds, any one with respiratory problems knows it. Also the Southwest has monsoons and wild fires (June-Aug). Because of the terrain and wind currents, the smoke from fires 20-30 miles away can come down like a blanket. Oh yes, we also have swamp or evaprative coolers in our houses which cool by soaking pads with water and forcing air over them and into the cooling ducts. This too can be a source of mold.
   I don’t mean to burst your bubble but those who have not lived here are unaware of these things.
2. tom blake says:

   September 19, 2009 at 11:54 am

   Hi,I’m a fellow New Yorker who lived in New Mexico for 3 years.Never had allergies of note until 6 years ago at age 44.Lived recently for 3 yrs in N.M.(Albuquerque) and YES,allergy problems there.Mulberry trees are the worst,but also sagebrush and juniper.Very bad in Spring,not as bad in Autumn.Just spent 1st Spring back in NYC and not so bad-2 weeks in May-Tree pollen.A little autumn allergies now,but not bad.New Mexico wasvery bad for Spring allergies for me-esp. the Mulberry trees!The worst I experienced was the 2 years I lived in Lancaster co. pa.-don’t even think about moving there!
3. Lisa Velarde says:

   September 21, 2009 at 3:50 pm

   Hi I’m a Pediatric Allergy nurse in Albq NM. I’ve lived here for 18 yrs after 20 years in NY along the Huson River Valley and I never had to deal with allergies there. After about 4 yrs here I developed allergies, not severe just enough to be a nusance depending on the season. In my practice I see children and adults that have MANY allergies to tree, grass and weed pollens on a daily basis. The pollen blows on the wind for further distances it seems than it does in other areas. Most I see have an allergy to at least one item per season. Different pollen producing plants bloom for a longer period due to the warm weather. Keep these things in mind when making your decision or you just might wind up in my office for allergy shots after a few years of living here.