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Arizona [AZ]

Ohio, California, Portland, Vancouver, Maui, Arizona

Oct 14th, 2006
by AllergyNurse.
6 comments

I developed allergies in my early twenties. I lived in Northeastern Ohio for a few years and was miserable (grass mostly). Northern California was horrible as soon as the grass began to flower. Couldn’t breathe in Portland. Thought I was going to die in Vancouver,BC. Started to develop asthma.

The only thing that helped anywhere was air conditioning. I was also told about chewing local honeycomb (spit out the wax) starting about a month before pollen season begins. This actually worked for everything except the grass (bees don’t go for grass I guess :o (

Makes sense. The pollen is in the honey and by eating the local kind, one slowly assimilates the local pollen. But what to do about grass?

I’m on Maui now. Different grasses but the Waddle trees here leave enough pollen to coat a house! Shorter season than grass though, and not quite as bad. Cost of living here is killing me instead!

Still looking for comfort. I’m considering Arizona. Any comments??? — BGS, Hawaii

Offshore breeze always helps

Sep 13th, 2006
by AllergyNurse.
8 comments

I have had asthma/allergies since an infant. I have lived in Oak Harbor & Tacoma Washington; Tucson Az; Va Beach, Va; and now SD, Ca. Living where there is an offshore breeze always helps to keep the air clean & easier to breathe. We now have no carpeting, and a air cleaner in each rm; perhaps this makes a big difference as well. — MT, San Diego

Arizona Desert

Jul 13th, 2006
by AllergyNurse.
2 comments

I have lived in the desert of AZ most of my life, 25 out of 30 years. My parents were asked to move me out here as an infant with severe asthma, saying it would be better for me. It was better for me in the beginning, even though I still had very bad asthma, my attacks were fewer in number.

In the last 8-10 years however, I have had some of the worst asthma and allergy related illnesses of my life. Last fall I was sick for an entire month, on heavy doses of steroids for over two months. The air here is awful due to heavy construction and more pollution. The population and growth is out of control, so there is more smog, and lots more dust due to construction. There is typially a brown/gray cloud over the metro and even outskirts of the phoenix and outlying areas.

I am now moving back to the midwest suburbs to get into less dry air, and much less polluted air. Good luck if you come to the Phoenix area is all I have to say. — Kristen

Allergies in the desert

Jul 8th, 2006
by AllergyNurse.
No comments yet

People sometimes think desert areas are a great place for allergy sufferers. But our readers who have lived in the desert often say this is not so.

For example, just this week, we have received new comments from Brad, Tracey, and Jeff about allergies in the desert climate of Arizona.

For more on desert climates, see individual locations such as Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, etc. (We invite readers in the arid regions of Asia and other international areas to share their experiences as well.) You can also search for “desert”.

Be sure to read the comments under a post you find interesting. Just click the #comments link at the bottom, for example “3 comments.” If there are no comments the link will offer you an opportunity to be the first to comment.

To make it easier for you to keep up with recent comments and most popular posts, I’ve added links to these in the sidebar as well.

California, Montana, Arizona, Oregon

Jun 14th, 2006
by AllergyNurse.
1 comment

I’ve lived in southern California (Los Angeles), western Montana (Missoula and Bozeman), Arizona (Tucson and Phoenix), and northern Oregon (Portland). The best experience I’ve had is Tucson and the second best is Phoenix. The worst so far has been Portland.

My opinion is that in Arizona it’s so dry and hot that after April nothing blooms again until January or February, giving a person 9 months of light allergies to complete allergy relief. However, beware that Arizona has become not as good for allergy sufferers over the years due to the increasing amount of grass (golf courses and master planned developments); that being said, there’s a movement to introduce more xeriscaping (desert landscaping) which may, in time, restore the natural balance in the area.

In Montana, there are some rough months (May/June/July) but it’s so cold and wet that there’s not a lot that happens allergy wise from October through April.

Portland, OR has been terrible. Every day’s worth of rain brings days worth of blooming and, when things aren’t blooming, they’re moldy. I’ve yet to find a prescription or OTC medication that manages my Portland hay fever. Symptoms range from constricted breathing to extended sneezing sessions. — TK, Oregon

Seattle, Phoenix

Mar 3rd, 2006
by AllergyNurse.
3 comments

I grew up in Seattle, WA until my late 20′s and then moved to Phoenix, AZ. I was fine for about 5 years here then, developed allergies which seem to only get worse year after year. I have tried everything with little relief. My husband and I are trying to figure out where we can move to provide a better quality of life for me. — Paige, Arizona

Florida, Arizona

Jan 24th, 2006
by AllergyNurse.
No comments yet

I suffered from such severe allergies to mold in the 80s and early 90s that a huge retention cyst had to be removed from my sinus. In 92 I left Florida and moved to Arizona. No more allergy problems. Last year, 2005, I moved back to Florida and my allergies have returned with a vengeance. Thinking of returning to Arizona! – Chris, Florida

Unusual seasons affect some climates this winter

Jan 22nd, 2006
by AllergyNurse.
1 comment

In parts of Texas, “early rains caused a bigger blooming season of pollen producing trees and grasses,” according to Dr. Daunne Peters at Clinics of North Texas.

In southern Arizona, allergist Dr. Leonard Schultz says, “This year, because of the dryness, the poor air quality, the fact that it’s been unseasonably warm, there’s more particular matter in the air.”

Here in Arkansas, Dr. Ann Murphy says, “With all the wind and all the dust… [and] since we really haven’t had a winter to speak of, we are getting allergies and sinuses prolonged.”

California has a different problem. They wish for a few days of our low humidity. Heavy rains have brought mold problems to many areas of California according to the American Academy of Allergy Ashtma and Immunology.

So if you are checking allergies in a new climate, keep in mind that the unusual weather this winter has affected the norms in many areas.

Pennsylvania, Arizona

Oct 18th, 2005
by AllergyNurse.
8 comments

i`ve moved from pennsylvania to arizona in 1991 and had no allergies i thought,i did get sinus infections every year while here,i moved back to pennsylvania 4yrs ago and wammo full blown allergies so… back to arizona i went after surgery to the nose, i havnt been sick since i`ve been back but i`m dry as can be and allergies are less but the trees ang grass here now are givin me headaches, and because of the dryness its constant oceanspray and the pills just dry me out worse, so i`m goin to the beach for the ocean salt . why not i shove in up my nose everyday here and besides i wont have to buy it anymore from walgreens! diet does help some though! — Chuck, Arizona

Missouri, North Dakota, Minnesota, Arizona

Oct 4th, 2005
by AllergyNurse.
19 comments

I am 25 years old and moved to Kansas city, MO from ND three years ago. Since I have moved, my allergies have gotten out of control. I am greatly allergic to mold and grass pollen. I have had recurrent sinus infections in ALL seasons and have subsequently developed asthma since moving here. I take allegra-D, inhalers and nasal sprays, but it doesn’t seem to do much. My allergies are better when I do go back up to MN and ND, however there are much worse even there than they ever were before I moved to Kansas City. Does anyone have experience with Arizona, specifically Scottsdale, and allergies? — Karri, Kansas City, Missouri

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