Christmas trees could be affecting your allergies-even if they're artificial

Tony Laubach shows us that real and fake Christmas trees can contribute to an allergy flareup around the holidays.

Transcript

00:00 Is your Christmas tree making you cough and sneeze? Since both real and fake trees can

00:04 carry common allergies, you could be experiencing what some people call Christmas tree syndrome.

00:09 Christmas tree syndrome to us is, you know, when people bring in either an artificial or a real

00:15 tree and then they notice some worsening of their allergy symptoms, asthma symptoms, and just,

00:21 you know, general irritation of the skin, eyes, nose.

00:25 While being allergic to pine trees is relatively uncommon, there could be other allergens lurking.

00:30 Cleveland Clinic allergist Dr. Devin Preston says real trees can have weed pollen, mold, and dust.

00:37 Even the pine smells can irritate your sinuses and lungs because of the chemical compounds.

00:41 If you go the route of an artificial tree, dust and mold can build up on the tree while it's

00:45 being stored. And if the tree is already up and you're noticing your allergens worsen,

00:50 an air purifier or traditional allergy meds can help.

00:53 For symptom management, things like over-the-counter nasal steroids,

00:58 nasal antihistamines, or oral antihistamines can help with some of those symptoms.

01:04 And sometimes it's not just the allergens lurking in the tree. Yes,

01:08 critters from possums to owls can also leave their mark in the tree,

01:11 if not still in the tree. For AccuWeather, I'm meteorologist Tony Laubeck.

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