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Holiday Allergies

By jeremyc | December 2, 2009

‘Tis the season for beautiful windows and decorations, Christmas trees and allergies.

The holidays didn’t used to bother Devin Brown, until his Jewish mother remarried and started celebrating Christmas. “Got near the tree and started sneezing and had a reaction. Coughing and my eyes were watering and I kind of blew up a like a blowfish,” he said.

Turns out Devin is not alone. The sap or oil in Christmas trees and wreaths, as well as the mold that grows on them can trigger what’s called “Christmas Tree Syndrome.”

“Christmas trees may actually cause a variety of respiratory reactions, both itchiness, irritation of the eyes, ears, nose and throat, cough, respiratory symptoms, particularly in people that are sensitive to the mold growth on trees,” said Dr. Clifford Bassett of Long Island College Hospital.

Even artificial trees and other decorations can cause problems as Michael d’Amico knows. “Especially when you’re bringing Christmas boxes and Christmas lights from the attic and things like that to decorate everything, you know, everything comes out,” he said.

Then there’s the scented candles, potpourri and even the artificial snow people spray around that can also be irritating.

You can stop using some of these things but you don’t want to become a total scrooge, so what’s a sufferer to do?

“Wipe down the decorations before you intend to use them, wipe off the extra dust with a damp cloth. It’s going to reduce a lot of exposure to these things that can really cause cough and other respiratory symptoms, particularly if you have allergies or asthma,” Bassett said.

You can also wear a surgical mask to keep from inhaling dust when you unpack the decorations, and use eyedrops to flush your eyes.

To make things better next year, store your decorations in airtight plastic bags or containers to keep the dust out.

Topics: | Allergies |

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