Oh No! I can't believe it. Our Christmas trees might be what's making us sick!

It's called Christmas Tree Syndrome.

If you've been feeling under the weather lately with symptoms of a runny nose, sneezing and itchy eyes. It's may not be a cold. It very well may be Christmas Tree Syndrome.

Doctor's, in this Consumer Affairs article, report that it  they treat a lot of patients this time of year for those above said symptoms which is due to the fact of setting up your real or, yes, artificial Christmas tree.

"Research conducted by the State University of New York found that 70 percent of the molds found in live Christmas trees can cause fatigue and sinus congestion and even trigger severe asthma attacks.

The sap of Christmas trees contains terpene and other substances that can irritate skin and mucous membranes. They said that materials in artificial trees can cause sinus irritation as well."

Hmmm. Think about it. When did you first notice these symptoms? Was it around the time or shortly after you put up your Christmas tree?

Yep it was for me.

In fact, yesterday, my Doctor remarked that I've made a visit to his office with severe sinus issue, resulting in sinus infections, for the last three years right around this time.

So what can we do to prevent this from happening?

Obviously we could do away with putting up a tree.

Boo! That is not an option. Christmas isn't Christmas without a tree.

If you, like me, can't bear not having a tree up, Consumer Affairs, suggests the following:

  • Wear gloves and long sleeves when bringing the tree indoors to avoid sap touching your skin
  • Spray the tree with water before bringing it into your house. It can remove some of the pollen and mold
  • Stand the tree in a bucket of water and let it dry outside for a few days. That will prevent mold from growing

Wow! Who would have thought our Christmas trees could make us sick?

 

 

 

 

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