Every single year, we are in the thick of celebrating the holidays or finally putting up the Christmas decorations at the end of the holiday season, when bam! You get hit like a ton of bricks.

Your throat is suddenly itchy, your eyes burn and swell, nasal congestion starts and you can’t stop sneezing. If this sounds like you in the last week or two, you may be like thousands of Texas and suffering from severe cedar pollen allergies. 

Just days ago we already saw cedar pollen counts nearing 25,000 grams per cubic meter, which is very high.

So we know cedar pollen is in full swing and thick in the air, especially on windy, rain-free days, but what can we do to give our bodies a fighting chance against this dreaded allergen? 

Allergist Dr. Hetu Parekh of the Austin Regional Clinic has some tips on what he tells his patients to help them survive cedar season.

Here are Dr. Parekh’s top 10 tips on managing cedar season allergies:

1. Wash your hair: Wash your hair before bedtime to rinse out any cedar pollen. In this way, you won’t exacerbate your cedar allergies while you sleep.

2. Rinse your nose: We recommend rinsing your nose with a saline rinse, which can be done often throughout the day. Or, at the very least, at bedtime. We like NeilMed Sinus Rinse. Always use distilled water when mixing the saline solution.

   Plus, we recommend warming up the water for just a few seconds in the microwave. The rinse will help wash cedar pollen out of your nasal passages, and also keep the nasal membranes moist and functioning properly. Your daily shower may help clear nasal passages as well, but a saline rinse can’t be beat.

3. Watch the weather and pollen count: Keep your eye on the weather forecast, pollen counts and plan your day accordingly. A dry, windy day usually means high pollen counts, which might be a be a better day for an indoor activity such as a watching movie, or a workout at the gym.

   Fog and rain help to reduce pollen levels in the air, which would provide better conditions for a jog around our beautiful Lady Bird Lake in Austin.

4. Keep windows closed: Don’t be tempted to open your windows in order to enjoy a cool, comfortable night. You will pay for it in the morning.

5. Get out of town: Plan your out-of-town trips during the month of January. Even taking a three-day weekend as near as Dallas, or even going to Houston, can provide significant relief if you suffer from cedar season allergies.

6. Keep up with medications: Take your medications early and often, as they work best when starting them before the season begins and your allergies get worse. Use medications daily throughout the season.

   Starting and stopping medications and chasing pollen levels is less effective. If you wait to start your medications when your symptoms are closing in on the “miserable level,” and the cedar count is at 10,000, you’ve waited until it’s too late.

7. Control your asthma: Stay on your daily asthma medications for best control.

8. Don’t cut down the cedars: It may feel good to take an axe or chainsaw to the trees, but it absolutely will not change the overall cedar count, as the pollen is wind borne for miles and miles.

9. Eating local honey won’t work: Cedar is a light pollen and carried around by the wind–not bees or other flying insects.

10. Eat tortilla soup, it might work: Eating hot tortilla soup is a popular folklore remedy around central Texas. The steam and humidity would likely be helpful with symptoms of the moment, similar to when you eat chicken soup. But, sorry to say, it won’t help in the long run.

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