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Cedar fever season has arrived in the Alamo City.
Each gusty cold front blows more and more brown or yellow cedar pollen off trees in the Hill Country and into San Antonio.
Dr. John Freiler at Premier Allergy of Texas at Alamo Ranch said cedar pollen allergies will be around until February.
That's a long period of time to battle sneezing, coughing, watery eyes, itchy throat and — in some cases — fatigue and a flushing of the face. It's that flushed feeling where "cedar fever" gets its name.
He said sufferers who get tired of using over-the- counter medications every year to ease symptoms should consider long term relief.
"Allergy immunotherapy, whether through the traditional shots or allergy drops, is a viable option," he said. "The advantage of immunotherapy is not only symptomatic reduction, but you can also change your body's immune response over time, so you no longer react to the cedar, or if you do, it's not as bad."
Freiler said live oak and ragweed allergies don't cause as much misery among patients as cedar pollen does each year—making it the "king" of allergies.
He said the severity of this season is not clear, but it has been known to be not as bad in unusually warm years.
"Mountain cedar pollination is triggered by the cold," he said. "Over the last couple of years, we've had relatively milder seasons in terms of temperatures, so the pollen counts have not been as robust as past seasons, so hard to predict.
Freiler called "water" a friend of cedar pollen allergy sufferers. Wash clothes or take a shower to rid yourself of the pollen, especially after a long period outdoors on a high-pollen-count day.
