Oh, Those Miserable Symptoms of Cedar Fever! Here Are a Few Remedies to Get You Through the Season

If you’ve lived in the Austin area for even a short time, you’ve probably heard people complain about “cedar fever.” This is the catchier name for allergic rhinitis, a miserable health condition caused by the pollen of the Ashe juniper trees that abound in the Central Texas region. Some people refer to these trees as “mountain cedar”—hence the colloquial reference to cedar fever.

The true cause of cedar fever is an allergic reaction to the vast amount of juniper pollen released into the air at one time, typically immediately after a winter cold front moves through. Yes, you read that right—although the allergy season for most U.S. residents is in the springtime, Austin residents are likely to suffer the most from seasonal allergies starting in November and continuing through March. In fact, experts say many people who aren’t typically susceptible to pollen-related allergies will experience allergy symptoms in Central Texas due to breathing in so much airborne pollen.

How to Know You Have Cedar Fever

The symptoms of cedar fever are quite similar to those of a cold or flu, both of which are caused by viral infections that tend to peak in the winter. These symptoms may include:

• Extreme fatigue
• Stuffy or runny nose
• Itchy, watery eyes
• Sore throat
• Low-grade fever
• Frequent sneezing
• Pressure in your ears

One way to tell whether you have a classic case of cedar fever or you’ve come down with a cold or flu instead is to pay attention to the mucus generated by your condition. If it’s clear, there’s a good chance that cedar fever is to blame.

Best Remedies for Cedar Fever

There are several home remedies that may help ease cedar fever symptoms, especially if you’re having only a mild allergic reaction. These treatments include:

• Over-the-counter allergy or antihistamine medication
• Nasal irrigation with saltwater
• Doctor-prescribed anti-inflammatory drugs

It’s also a good idea to stay indoors whenever the air quality forecast for the day includes pollen warnings. There are a number of online air quality-monitoring resources, including one maintained by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), that provide valuable information to help local residents limit their exposure to air pollutants on a day-to-day basis.

However, it’s inevitable that some of those pollutants, including the pollen that causes cedar fever, will make their way indoors. In fact, studies conducted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency discovered that the indoor air quality in many homes and workplaces is worse than that found outside. While this may cause temporary misery for many healthy individuals, it can be a big problem for people with asthma and other respiratory illnesses that are exacerbated by breathing in allergens.

Fortunately, at Sweetwater Home Services, we have an effective remedy for cedar fever: professional installation of one of our whole-house air purification systems. Our high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters use the same technology as hospitals and microprocessor manufacturers to scrub the air that circulates indoors via an HVAC system. In fact, to be marketed as HEPA air filters, our systems must be able to remove at least 99.97% of dust, pollen, mold, bacteria, and other tiny airborne particles.

Ready to Help

If you’re in Austin or another Central Texas community and you’d like to explore your options for combatting cedar fever with one of our high-tech HEPA air purifiers, contact Sweetwater Home Services today. We’ll be happy to schedule a free in-home consultation and demonstration of our system.