Cedar or Juniper Allergies: Symptoms, Treatment & Prevention

Cedar fever is a term that makes many wince just hearing it. Even if you don’t have cedar or juniper allergies, you know what cedar fever is and you know when is cedar is in the air when the smog-like pollen hangs in the air. Cedar and Juniper are sometimes used interchangeably for the same allergy.

Most of the trees we call cedar are juniper trees, and they’re a big part of what makes our scenery beautiful. The temperate climate of many southern states makes it a perfect environment for them to grow and pollinate during winter. However, with this occurring during Christmas and New Years, it can sometimes be a little tough to keep up the holiday cheer with horrible allergy symptoms.

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What are the symptoms of cedar or juniper allergies?

There are a multitude of ways that cedar allergies and juniper allergies can affect your health. The most common symptoms of cedar and juniper allergies are:

· Sneezing

· Red, itchy or watery eyes

· Nasal congestion or blockage

· Runny nose

· Sinus headaches

· Facial pain or pressure

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Despite the term "cedar fever," cedar allergies, or any seasonal or environmental allergy for that matter, will not produce a fever. If you experience a fever that can indicate a cold or infection.

What can I do to treat my cedar (or juniper) allergies?

Winters don’t have to be a time you dread every year worrying about the countless mornings you’ll be waking up unable to breathe. Thankfully, at Aspire we offer several options for relieving cedar or juniper allergy symptoms. We recommend immunotherapy, which is a long-term treatment that can reduce the severity of your allergic reactions for many years and for some, permanently. We have three convenient options and patients usually find it easy to fit one of these into their lifestyle. It usually involves regular allergy shots, allergy drops taken under the tongue, or ExACT Immunoplasty, which can eliminate allergies in just three easy injections.

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You can drastically improve your health over the winter months by preparing properly and treating correctly. The following examples are good examples to start with:

· Prepare your family and your home for cedar season, and implement a regular cleaning schedule.

· Stocking up with HEPA air filters before the winter comes will reduce how much cedar pollen (and pollen in general) will enter your home.

· If you’re one of those people that wakes up with horrible cedar fever symptoms in the morning, you should look at getting a HEPA air purifier in your bedroom to eliminate any allergens in that vicinity.

· If you spend a lot of time outside, be sure to change clothes when coming in from outside. Also, washing hair at night is a good idea to prevent cedar or juniper pollen from entering the bed and sheets.

· Beware of windy days! Wind can carry cedar or juniper pollen for miles, so you'll want to take extra precaution when the wind kicks up.

How Aspire Allergy & Sinus can help your cedar allergies

If you’re interested in learning more about treating your cedar or juniper allergies, or about what exactly is triggering your allergy symptoms, visit your local allergy clinic and start immunotherapy. An allergy test will give you the answers you need to find a treatment plan that is right for you. Schedule your appointment today at Aspire Allergy & Sinus with one of our certified allergy specialists.

Whether you're doing nothing to help with your allergy symptoms or taking over the counter medications on a regular basis, you owe it to yourself to get your symptoms under control once and for all: if not now, then when?