Pheonix/Gilbert area good for kids/asthma? (Phoenix, Yuma: allergies, to live in)

[Captain Bill]

fabumon, when you're out here next week be sure to stop in and visit the clubhouse at Val Vista Lakes. It's on Lakeside Dr at Val Vista Dr. Just park and go inside where the service desk is and tell them you're looking at communities and would like to see the clubhouse facility. They will let you walk around so you can see the building plus the pools and areas behind the club house that is situated on the lake.

You should also visit The Islands, another lake community; Seville, a golf community if you play golf; and Power Ranch a large community at Power and Queen Creek Rd.

There are many other communities, but these are some of the major ones in Gilbert.

[sweettearose]

Originally Posted by sablebaby

I'm surprised to be reading these posts as if you do a search on here you will find many say that Phx is very bad for asthma. My grandmother lived out here for over 30 years and every year her asthma got worse. Before she moved back to NY she was in the hospital at least yearly due to her breathing problems. Now that she's been back in NY (her home state) she has much less of a problem. She says the cold weather is better for her. I have ALWAYS heard that Phx is bad for asthma. I never have heard a single person say otherwise (except for this thread). I find that strange.

My allergist told me that a lot of patients swear they have allergies and/or asthma and get skin tested and are not allergic to anything. Your grandma could have been having other problems like pneumonia, bronchitis and valley fever (coccido) which is in the dust here. If she has asthma, the infection could just make her asthma worse. It doesn't sound reasonable to me that she would be hospitalized due to asthma alone unless she was poorly controlled. Either way, it's a known fact that cold weather can make your airways close. I know that people were sent here decades ago to get over their tuberculosis, they used to have these TB settlements. Here is an article you might find interesting if you have time.


Wheezing in a Winter Wonderland - MSN Health & Fitness - Asthma

[sweettearose]

To clear some misinformation:

1. The updated (2008) version of Twiggy's survey had Phoenix ranked 57th and Tucson ranked 89th.

http://aafa.org/pdfs/FinalPublicList_AC_2008.pdf

2. The oldest, official and most recognized authority is the American Academy of Allergy and Immunology. That study was conducted by the "Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America" so it wasn't conducted by the official and most respected authority

AAAAI - American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology - www.aaaai.org

3. Arizona lacks an official Allergy and Immunology residency/fellowship. 29 other states have at least one residency and some have multiple. If Arizona was a major concern, it seems like the AAAI would establish a residency to meet the demand since they are a non-profit organization that seeks to address combating asthma.

FREIDA Online search results

4. In 2005, it was published that Arizona has a shortage of allergists in addition to other specialties which contradicts the idea that we have a surplus

"....a number of specialties have decreased in numbers, allergists, cardiovascular surgeons, endocrinologists, gastroenterologists, hemotologists and infectious disease specialists"

http://www.aamc.org/workforce/rcntwrkfce.pdf (broken link)

5. The study conducted by Bert Sterling is questionable. First, the study was sponsored by a drug company and performed by a statistician. It wasn't performed by independent organization or a non-profit organization. And the research itself wasn't conducted by physicians or scientists trained in the field of allergy and immunology. Also, the research wasn't published in a peer reviewed journal. The study also included factors that have nothing to do with one directly developing asthma such as the the poverty rate, the uninsured rate and the number of allergists in a city; that has nothing to do with worsening one's asthma.

6. This was a response by a Allergy and Immunology specialist in regards to a peson moving from the tropics to the midwest. Scroll down in regards to the question posed by the individual who moved from the tropics to the midwest. Here is a quote from his lengthy response

"With regard to exercise-induced asthma (EIA), the patient should be advised to avoid running sports, particularly in cold weather. Swimming is much less likely to trigger asthma than running in cold weather. If the patient insists on running, it should be done in a relatively warm environment with adequate humidity"

Allergy & Asthma Disease Management Center: Ask the Expert as posted on the AAAI website

"Inhalation of cold, dry air is a potent stimulus of airflow obstruction in those with bronchial hyper responsiveness. Indeed, some groups find it as sensitive a stimulus as methacholine in inhalational challenge studies. Some patients find that use of a "cold weather" mask (in which there is partial re-breathing of previously warmed air) will reduce the symptoms in cold air exposures. It would be worth seeing whether your symptoms, including response to outdoors exercise, improve during a stay in a warmer, slightly moister environment."

Allergy & Asthma Disease Management Center: Ask the Expert as posted on the AAAI website

[AZgarden]

Every school district has its own vacation system and you need to decide which one you want to settle in. Some are year round schools, with a couple weeks off in summmer , winter, etc but basically year round classroom attendance. Almost none of them are out all summer ( 2 and a half months). Even when its 120 degrees here, kids go to school. May as well be in a classroom rather than in the house doing nothing.

[AZgarden]

I wouldn't say you will definitely get Valley Fever !!!!! That is untrue. If you avoid breathing in dust and dirt and take care of yourself, chances are you will not get VF, or if you do, you will have NO symptoms. Half the people who have it never knew they got it.

[sweettearose]

Originally Posted by PhxBarb

I wouldn't say you will definitely get Valley Fever !!!!! That is untrue. If you avoid breathing in dust and dirt and take care of yourself, chances are you will not get VF, or if you do, you will have NO symptoms. Half the people who have it never knew they got it.

You can't avoid breating in dust and dirt, it's in our air in minute particles. And if you get Valley Fever then by definition you are having symptoms aka FEVER!!!

[mangoman123]

excellent answer!!!

[LadmoFan]

In actuality my Dad moved to Arizona in the 40s for his bronchitis. His health improved. Any time I left Arizona my asthma worsened. I currently live in the high desert of California and I have few problems with asthma.

I do much better in Phoenix, have quit taking my allergy medications when I am in Phoenix, and I have no problems.

My only recent concern is the inversion layer causing air pollution. If your child is sensitive to air pollution, you may want to consider the likelihood of continuing breathing problems.

LF

[LadmoFan]

Originally Posted by PhxBarb

I wouldn't say you will definitely get Valley Fever !!!!! That is untrue. If you avoid breathing in dust and dirt and take care of yourself, chances are you will not get VF, or if you do, you will have NO symptoms. Half the people who have it never knew they got it.

Most people who live in the desert will develop Valley Fever within the year upon their arrival. Most do not know they have gotten Valley Fever and write it off to a bad cold.

Some people develop complications and will end up being diagnosed with Valley Fever.

I most likely developed Valley Fever when I moved to the high desert of California over 30 years ago. I had a tough spring where I battled various respiratory symptoms.

Also, Kern County and in particular the San Joquain (I can never spell that right and I lived their for awhile) Valley is known for high rates of Valley Fever. Researchers in the Bakersfield area are world renown for their research into this malady.

LF

[LadmoFan]

Originally Posted by sweettearose

You can't avoid breating in dust and dirt, it's in our air in minute particles. And if you get Valley Fever then by definition you are having symptoms aka FEVER!!!

Particulate matter is hard on anyone with or without asthma. It is wise to stay indoors during dust storms to prevent exposure.

LF
Who suffers with the world's largest PM offender, Owens Lake, after Los Angeles drained the lake dry for THEIR water supply. The federal government has done little to alleviate the situation.