Here’s why your allergies suck right now in San Antonio


We dread it every year, but mountain cedar season, also known as “cedar fever season,” is here and will be for a while, Dr Kirk Waibel, allergist at Aspire Allergy & Sinus. If you’re new here, consider this your welcome to central Texas and San Antonio, says the allergist.

From December to February, cedar (ash juniper) and other junipers pollinate during the colder months of the year, starting just after the first frost of winter – which the Hill Country experienced last weekend . Since the pandemic, central Texas has had cause for concern: Typical viral illnesses like colds and flu, seasonal winter allergies and COVID-19, Waibel warns.

The mountain cedar season, also known as “cedar fever,” typically causes allergies from December through February.

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“The number of cedars has increased and patients are seeing an allergist to try to understand any symptoms caused by mountain cedar,” said Waibel. “You’re going to start more of a cedar peak this weekend with more cold temperatures to come.”

Come this weekend, another drop in temperatures will hit the town of Alamo. Colder temperatures will blow over San Antonio on Saturday with an expected low of 45 degrees and a high of 66 degrees, according to the National Weather Service. The lower temperatures will lead to a high chance of rain in the region starting Friday evening with a 50 percent chance of showers.

Symptoms of allergy to “cedar fever” can be severe and sudden and almost resemble the flu. However, a flu or COVID-19 infection will cause a fever, but not cedar allergies, says Waibel. The most common symptoms of allergies are a clear runny nose, sneezing, itchy eyes, and watery eyes.

Most allergies respond to common allergy medications such as oral antihistamines and nasal corticosteroids, unlike COVID-19.

Most allergies respond to common allergy medications such as oral antihistamines and nasal corticosteroids, unlike COVID-19.

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Waibel says the community can stay indoors and keep windows closed to try to keep pollen out of the house. He also recommends wearing masks not only as protection against COVID-19, but to help filter some of the pollen from the outside.

Most symptoms respond to common allergy medications such as oral antihistamines and nasal corticosteroids, unlike COVID-19. If you’re taking the drug that usually works and the symptoms don’t improve, you should contact your doctor for further evaluation, Waibel says.

If you really want to fight your allergies for good, the best thing you can do is take an allergy test to confirm your allergy and start immunotherapy, says Waibel. Immunotherapy introduces small amounts of the allergen over time, allowing your body to develop tolerance so that it no longer sees it as a threat.

“San Antonio is consistently in the top 20 allergy capitals in the United States, so you don’t have a break here,” Waibel said. “You have your spring trees or your summer grasses, and we just got out of our fall ragweed season, and then here we are with our mountain cedar season, so your allergies aren’t going anywhere. . “

For more information on immunotherapy, visit aspireallergy.com.

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