Just when you thought seasonal allergies were gone for the winter, here come the holidays. Christmas trees and holiday decorations can be a source of woe for the allergy sufferer. I’ve gathered some goodies to help you fight back:

Christmas Trees - Mountain Cedar — One in 10 people is allergic to mountain cedar which begins releasing pollen in late November. Most other evergreen trees pollinate during the spring.

While Scotch pines and Douglas firs may be a safer choice, any live Christmas tree can be trouble for mold allergy sufferers.

Washing Off Christmas Tree Helps Curb Allergies according to one story. But just rinsing the tree was not enough. Read the story to see how a fruit and vegetable cleaner was used to clean the tree.

Don’t think just because you have an artificial tree you’re allergy-free, though. Artificial trees and holiday decorations often gather mold and dust during storage. When you bring them out during the dry winter months, the dust and mold spores can easily be dispersed in the air.

To prevent this, wipe dusty items with a wet cloth. Launder cloth items and discard any moldy decorations that cannot easily be cleaned. Dry thoroughly before storage and store covered in a dry area to prevent mold growth and dust accumulation.

Avoiding Allergens During the Holidays — Want more ideas? Here’s a host of holiday tips for allergy sufferers from Discovery Health.

Much of the U.S. is either well past the first frost of the season, or about enter this doorway that heralds relief from Ragweed symptoms. But as you cross the threshold, beware. Cedar is on it’s way!

Two of the most common Cedars that cause allergies in the U.S., Mountain Cedar and Eastern Redcedar (also called Eastern Red Cedar), are actually Junipers. Cedar/Juniper is the most common winter pollen allergen in the U.S.

Cedar usually pollinates from November through March in the U.S. But in some areas or seasons it can start pollinating as early as October, and it can continue as late as May.

Cedar is quite a loner. Sometimes a person is allergic to multiple trees as well as Cedar. But we often find that a patient will be allergic to most of the trees we test for — except Cedar. Other times we will see a Cedar allergy without allergy to any other tree. Of course, this can happen with other trees too. But it happens most frequently with Cedar.

So if you are one of those who sniffle and sneeze during Cedar season, get ready. Stock up on your allergy medicine and close the all the windows and doors. Because Cedar is coming!

See also from Wikipedia:
Juniperus virginiana (Eastern Redcedar).
Juniperus ashei (Mountain Cedar).

From California to New England, and from Iowa to Texas, allergy season is upon us. Reports are coming in from all but the northern-most states of spring allergies in the air.

MetroWestDailyNews.com reported today that in spite of the “unseasonably cold temperatures for the past 10 days,” record warm January temps in Massachusetts mean allergy season is soon to arrive. The article, which reported January temps of 7 to 9 degrees above average in Boston and Worcester, says, “Low-level tree pollen has already spread across most of the state.”

Of interest to those of us in the south-central area where ragweed season starts in the fall, the article cited above also reports that a warm January “is allowing the ragweed to come out earlier.”

Throughout February, and as early as January 3, reports of an early 2006 allergy season related to warm weather were blending with reports of a lingering 2005 allergy season related to rain, drought, wind, or unseasonably warm temperature. (See our January 22 report at AllergyNursing.com.)

On February 27, Radio Iowa called this “one of Iowa’s warmest winters on record.” According to the report, “quite a few people are coming in to [a local] drug store with what appears to be cold or flu-like symptoms — but they’re actually spring allergies.”

February 14 — From the California Bay area, MercuryNews.com reported: “Area allergists are reporting a surge in business…”

February 11 — From Snora, CA, MyMotherLode.com reported: “The sun has been shining more than expected, bringing allergies with the warm weather…”

January 3 — From Corpus Christi, TX, KRISTV.com reported: “Our warm weather so far this winter has been bad news for allergy sufferers.”

See also our February 4, and February 8 reports from EyesApart.com

According to a news item from WALB-TV in Albany, Georgia, the warm winter season is making allergies worse in South Georgia. WALB-TV reports, “A warm winter means an early and severe allergy season.”

This unseasonably warm winter is setting the stage for a severe allergy season in many parts of the U.S. So when you evaluate a climate for the degree of allergies, keep in mind that in some areas they may be more severe this year than usual.

According to WALB-TV, local allergist Larry Smith warns, “This is only the tip of the iceberg. Pollen levels will increase even more so within the next few weeks.”

Read the entire WALB-TV news report here.

According to WMFY News 2 in Lexington, North Carolina, “sniffling, watery eyes, sneezing and coughing are symptoms you usually deal with in the springtime. But this unusually warm weather is causing early allergy problems for many people.”

Many areas of the US have experienced unseasonably warm weather all winter. For many, the allergy season never stopped. Now that spring is around the corner, some wonder if they have missed the usual winter relief altogether.

In parts of Texas, “early rains caused a bigger blooming season of pollen producing trees and grasses,” according to Dr. Daunne Peters at Clinics of North Texas.

In southern Arizona, allergist Dr. Leonard Schultz says, “This year, because of the dryness, the poor air quality, the fact that it’s been unseasonably warm, there’s more particular matter in the air.”