COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KRHD) — Your eyes are red, your nose is a faucet, and your energy is sapped. Welcome to peak cedar season in our part of Texas.
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"Cedar fever is itchy. It's itchy eyes, itchy nose, itchy throat, lots of sneezing, you know, clear, a clear runny nose, sinus pressure, fatigue, but no fever, right? A cold or flu brings fever, body aches, sore throats that hurt, not itches," Paul Fulford said.
It's not the flu or a virus. It's an intense allergic reaction to the pollen from mountain cedar trees.
"If you can time it just right and you're lucky enough to be able to see these trees release their pollen, it happens all at once. And so it kind of just looks like this tree is smoking all of a sudden on its own," Sam Hill said.
The good news for allergy sufferers is that it doesn't happen year-round.
"It peaks around mid-January, so we're not quite at the peak yet. But then by March, when it starts warming up, you're not having those, the pressure changes. The tree is not ready to reproduce. And so then it starts tapering down your symptoms," Hill said.
Experts tell me there are ways to limit your exposure.
"Shower the night before, pollen sticks to your hair and skin. It, you know, you wanna change clothes when you get home, keep windows closed on high pollen days. A HEPA filter in the bedroom, it really helps make a difference. You know, bottom line, you don't wanna bring the outdoors into your bed," Fulford said.
They also say to keep your windows and doors shut, especially during the morning hours, wash your sheets frequently and wipe down pets that have been outside. In short, do whatever you can to get through the allergy season.
"But it just seems like every year, people think it's the worst season that we've had. It seems like every, every year seems to be worse," Hill said.
According to Pollen.com, the Brazos Valley tree pollen counts are trending in the moderate to high range. They suggest you limit your exposure, especially in the morning hours.
Hill is a woodland ecologist with the Texas A&M Forest Service. Fulford is a healthy living expert with Cynosure Lutronic.
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