Cedar Fever: Common sense tips
Provide marked symptom relief

by Darline Turner Lee, Physician Assistant, ACSM Exercise Specialist

Article Last Reviewed: Sept. 9, 2006

As a native New Englander, I looked forward to winter each year. There’s truly nothing like a white Christmas, and the winter cold and snow offer peacefulness that I have never experienced at any other time of the year.

But let me be frank. I liked the winter because it offered me, an allergy sufferer, a break from all the itching, sneezing and incessant intake of allergy medications. I could always count on a respite from the allergic brouhaha from early November until early April. On a good year, when it remained cold for a longer time, I could even stretch my medication free days into May.

Then it happened. I was living out in the San Francisco Bay area, minding my own business, when my husband-to-be began making visits and overtures. I should have been stronger, held out for a more amenable location. But housing costs being what they are in the Bay area, the lower cost of living in Austin, the prospect of homeownership (with a yard!), and a great guy made me throw caution to the wind and move to Central Texas just over four years ago. Little did I know, the same wind into which I had thrown my caution, was the same wind that annually carries the pollen of the dreaded Juniperus ashei, known to most Texans as mountain cedar.

Cedar pollen arises from “male” trees and is released into the air in great golden clouds by the wind. It is carried for miles and causes some of the nastiest allergy symptoms. Locally known as cedar fever, the symptoms include itchy, watery, red eyes, itchy runny nose, scratchy throat and sneezing. Lethargy and malaise set in making it difficult even to grasp the next tissue. Cedar fever occurs annually from early December through February, in a region stretching from approximately Dallas to San Antonio.

I was drafted into the legion of sufferers my first winter in Austin. The symptoms seemed to linger on and on, and I felt as though all vitality was draining from me. When I developed ringing in my ears and dizziness that made driving hazardous, I ventured to my husband’s doctor’s office. I refused to believe that I had mere allergies! I felt too crummy! The doctor kindly prescribed a nasal steroid spray and decongestants and sent me on my way.

Many allergy sufferers elect to undergo a series of allergy shots to desensitize themselves against cedar pollens. While desensitization is not always curative, it can reduce the allergic reaction in sensitive individuals, allowing other medications to work more effectively. Kim Hovanky, MD is a board certified allergist practicing in Georgetown, and one of only six pollen counters in Texas certified nationally by the Aeroallergen Monitoring Network, which was organized by the American Academy of Allergy and Immunology. She reports counts to area newspapers as well as to the National Allergy Bureau at 1-800-9 POLLEN. Hovanky offers these suggestions to help relieve cedar fever symptoms.

“Wash your hands often and change clothes when you come inside. Both these measures greatly reduce the spread of cedar pollens. Wash your hair at night so pollen in your hair is not shaken onto your pillow for you to inhale all night. Use saline nasal sprays to help clear pollen from, and to decongest nasal passages. Using one to two drops of artificial tears four to five times daily will not only help flush the eyes of pollen, but also lubricate eyes that will be dry from antihistamine use.”

In addition to Hovanky’s suggestions, here are some common tips that I’ve incorporated into my regimen.

Get an early start-We know when it’s coming. Get prescriptions filled and begin taking them immediately to give your immune system a boost.

Avoid the outdoors during peak pollen times-While many allergists recommend staying inside completely, especially during the peak hours from 5 am to 10 am, I find that difficult to do. I avoid spending unnecessary time outside during those hours and move my fitness regimens inside on days when the pollen counts are especially high.

Use air conditioning-Yes, we’re definitely in Texas if we’re discussing this in January. At home and in your car, keep doors and windows shut and use the recirculation mode on the air conditioners to keep pollen out. Use high filtration filters, HEPA filters or cheesecloth over filters to filter out the finest particles.

Keep it clean-Allergists recommend keeping surroundings clean and dust free. Good luck on that one. This is my Achilles heel.

Many people want “natural” treatments. Austin offers a wide range of alternative practitioners. I strongly suggest consulting with a licensed and certified practitioner prior to taking any sort of medication-herbal or otherwise.

People’s Pharmacy is an excellent resource for complementary medical information. It is one of the few pharmacies in town that will do custom blends as prescribed by healthcare providers. There are four locations in the Austin area. You can also visit their website, www.peoplesrx.com

Don’t suffer with cedar fever. Austin’s climate produces some of the harshest symptoms, but the area also offers some of the best allergy resources available.