WARNER ROBINS, Ga. — Every holiday season, the same debate continues.
Do you buy a real or artificial Christmas tree?
If you're on the side of buying a real tree, you might notice your nose running and eyes itching when you bring it in the house.
Can Christmas trees trigger allergies?
13WMAZ spoke to Dr. Jeff Langford, an allergist in Warner Robins, and took a look at the American Christmas Tree Association website to verify.
Dr. Langford said they see a lot of visitors this time of year, and the culprit is typically a Christmas tree.
"Hay fever causes a lot of itchy, sneezy, drippy, stuffy type symptoms, and a Christmas tree is just the same thing."
He said when you bring your tree inside, you're bringing in 50 different types of mold species.
"The molds set off people who are mold allergic or who have hay fever and they cause a lot of problems."
Dr. Langford said the allergens don't depend on the type of tree, but the size.
He said big trees are the ones that are the problem.
Limiting the amount of time the tree is in the house or just buying an artificial tree can reduce a lot of problems.
According to the American Christmas Tree Association website, even artificial trees can cause some problems. They say it's all about how you store the tree.
If they have been improperly stored, they can accumulate dust and mold spores.
Dr. Langford said if the trees make your allergies act up but you still don't want to make the switch to artificial, there is another option, but he said it's a little bit ridiculous.
"If you hose off your Christmas tree as you're bringing it into the house, take a leaf-blower and blow it off, that will cut down on the mold count."
He also suggests trying Allegra or Flonase to cut down on the symptoms, but he says if you have an allergic asthmatic in your house, you need to be extra careful before bringing in a large, live tree.
So, we can verify, yes, real Christmas trees can trigger allergies in a lot of people, but if you take some simple precautions, you can minimize that runny nose and those itchy eyes.
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