Cedar fever makes allergy sufferers' lives difficult from mid-December through January in Central Texas.
Every year around this time, allergy sufferers in Central Texas brace themselves for cedar fever, an allergic reaction even more powerful than the more widely-known hay fever. Called "a scourge, a plague that smites the just and the unjust" by one frustrated pollen-allergic writer, cedar fever originates from the pollination process of the mountain cedar tree. Its pollen is particularly sticky and its protein coat contains chemicals that are especially inflammatory for those with allergies, much more so than ragweed and other common allergy culprits.
Cedar fever season begins as the cold weather sets in from mid-December through January, but this year, cold weather came earlier than usual to Central Texas, and with it the onslaught of allergies. "The biggest thing is swelling eyes," allergy sufferer Charmin Murphy told Austin news station KXAN​. But symptoms can often get worse than that: for Murphy's daughter, also allergic to pollen, "it ends up with an inhaler and Albuterol and breathing machines."
Previous heavy allergy seasons don't bode well for this one. This January saw the second-highest pollen count ever in Central Texas, 21,000 grains per cubic meter of air, which was the highest count since a drastic outlier of 32,000 grains per cubic meter in the 90s. The air was so full of the reddish pollen that seven separate people in Austin called the fire department, thinking the pollen was smoke from a forest fire.
If you live in Central Texas, find relief for the season now in our selection of home air purifiers. Our experienced professionals will guide you through the process of finding an air purifier for allergies that works for you, so that you can find the relief you deserve in your own home. Contact us for more information.