Christmas allergy will miss holiday this year, but it’s just around the corner

It’s nearing the time of year that some allergy sufferers dread.

It’s hard to pinpoint when North Texas will usher in the so-called Christmas allergy — aka mountain cedar — which will send sufferers into bouts of itchy eyes and sneezing fits that can stick around into February or March.

Mountain cedar hasn’t arrived yet because the Juniper trees that produce the pollen, which stretch from the Hill Country near Austin and San Antonio to southwest of Fort Worth, haven’t started pollinating.

More good news: Because long-range weather outlooks are predicting a wet winter across Texas, sufferers could get a break from the awful pollen.

“I think that assumption is correct,” said Estelle Levetin, a University of Tulsa researcher who has conducted mountain cedar forecasts for the last 17 years. “If we have a lot of rain, there will be less pollen.”

Still, allergists say, we will see some mountain cedar.

“It’s hard to say what we’ll see, but we’ll probably see it start kicking in in January,” said John Fling, an allergist and professor at the University of North Texas Health Science Center in Fort Worth.

For now, allergists continue to recommend a regimen of nasal sprays and antihistamines. For those with more severe reactions, allergy shots may be necessary.

Looking beyond this year, Fort Worth allergist Bob Lanier said hope could be on the way.

A vaccine is being developed for the Japanese red cedar pollen that provokes a reaction in 35 million allergy sufferers annually in Japan. There is the hope that it will also work for mountain cedar.

“Most of the basic research is being done in Japan,” Lanier said.

If it works, an allergy sufferer could “take four-to-six shots and you’re through,” Lanier said. “It could provide a 10 to 20 year remission that we seek with normal allergy vaccinations.”

On some of his patients, Lanier said, he has also tried drops that go under the tongue, but those must be taken daily.

“We’ve had some tentative success with that,” Lanier said.

For those who are frustrated with their allergies, Lanier has some encouraging words. Some studies have suggested that those with allergies may live longer.

“The thinking is people with allergies have a very strong defense system,” Lanier said. “I tell my patients you’re going to be around for a long time, but you’re going to pay a tax for it.”

This story was originally published December 18, 2015 at 2:51 PM with the headline "Christmas allergy will miss holiday this year, but it’s just around the corner."