Cedar Season Around The Corner In Central Texas

AUSTIN, TX — December brings with it many good things, among them family time for the holidays and gifts under the Christmas tree. But it also ushers in the cedar season, and those susceptible to the allergen are in for some misery.

But there are preparations one can take ahead of time to mitigate allergies, according to Dr. Allen Lieberman, an allergist at the private clinic Austin Family Allergy and Asthma. The cedar season runs from December to February, and Lieberman is on something of a mission to make its effects less brutal to those afflicted by allergies.

"Cedar season cam early last year, and it surprised people before Christmas," Lieberman said in a recent telephone interview, noting that the season typically starts around the middle of the month. To offset the effects of the allergen, he suggests people take their allergy medications some two to three weeks before the season typically starts.

Which means that those susceptible to sneezing fits given the presence of cedar should probably start taking their meds now. Over-the-counter medications are a first line of defense, he said, with generic brands just as effective as name brands.

At his practice, Lieberman suggests patients try Curist, a subscription service that offers FDA-approved, non-prescription (over-the-counter) medications, delivered to people's doors each month.

"It's really hard to predict the start of the cedar season and the severity," the doctor said. He said dry, windy conditions make it worse. Conversely, if January turns out to be very wet, it all but dissipates the flight of cedar into the air.

"Pollen is blowing around in the wind," he said in describing the typical season. "Millions of particles come off a single tree," he added, noting that a "bad day" is when there are 10,000 to 12,000 grains per cubic millimeter.

Lieberman said antihistamines and nasal sprays work really well. If those medications don't work, he suggests something with immunotherapy.

Unfortunately for sufferers, the Austin area is something of a ground zero for cedar, the allergist suggested. "Cedar is unique to being in Central Texas," he said. Aside from other parts of the country, even Texas cities such as Dallas and Houston don't have the same level of Cedar than does Central Texas.

For more information, visit https://familyallergyatx.com/

And if you suffer from cedar allergies, don't discount stories of pollen virtually exploding off trees as some sort of urban myth exaggerating the severity. There are plenty of videos to disabuse you of disbelief, including this one in which the videographer gave the explosion a helping hand:

Cedar is out there, and its abundant. So if you suffer from allergies, commence taking your meds now.