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Cedar Fever is here for the holidays. Here's how to avoid it

As you're busy celebrating the holidays, you don't want Cedar fever to slow you down.

CENTRAL TEXAS — EDITOR'S NOTE: This story was originally published in 2016.

As you're busy celebrating the holidays, you don't want Cedar Fever to slow you down.

Cedar trees in Central Texas are pollinating this time of year, which could mean a headache and runny nose for you.

Doctor Ross Tobleman with Baylor Scott and White said that pollen is what people are allergic to.

You can have symptoms including itchy and watery eyes, runny nose, sinus congestion, a mild headache and possibly a fever and body aches.

Tobleman said people often think it's a cold or the flu, but it actually may be Cedar allergies.

He said these allergies can affect almost anyone.

“The more pollen that’s in the air, the more people that are responding to it, so the higher the pollen count then obviously your body responds to it, so even people that don’t have typical allergies will still have symptoms if the pollen count is really high,” said Tobleman.

Tobleman said the best treatment is prevention.

So he suggests taking allergy medicine before you see symptoms.

He also suggests a nasal rinse and a shower at the end of the day to clear out any pollen you've come in contact with.

“Under a microscope they have these little things that are basically prongs or little spikes as you say, and basically they use those little prongs to kind of attach on to things because the idea is when the spores are out in the air they’re looking for other cedar spores so you know they can merge and make more cedar trees, and those little micro spores help attach,” said Tobleman.

Texans tend to believe Cedar Fever coincides with cold weather, but in actuality it is timed with the season. Experts said the tree actually pollinates when the temperature is above 41 degrees.

Tobleman said the Cedar season can last through February, so he suggests taking allergy medicine now.

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