<p>It’s that time of year where I have to become a hermit. I’m severely allergic to pine. When I was little I went to a summer camp in the pine barrens of nj and got sent home after a few days with severe asthma. I figured mom was exaggerating my reaction so when hubby and I first lived together I tried a real tree again. Within 15 minutes I was at my mom’s while hubby got rid of the tree and aired out the place. </p>
<p>The older I get the worse it gets. My nail salon has a real tree and I popped in for a short time the other day and triggered an asthma attack that is now on day 5.</p>
<p>One of my friends hosts a big christmas bash every year, and she has a live tree. If I stay near the door or very far away I can stay for awhile. This year I think I need to cancel. I can’t stand the coughing and burning airwaves.</p>
<p>No one I know has ever heard of such a thing. Anyone else here allergic to christmas trees?</p>
<p>We have a artificial tree every year, so do most of my friends. I am very allergic to pine myself. How I found out was one year long ago our office had a Christmas luncheon at this restaurant, they decorated the whole place with PINE garlands, I got so sick, eyes tearing, throat hurting and SEVERE headache! At first I did not know what caused all the symptoms, couldn’t be food allergy since I ate there before and had same dish. I figured it out afterwards. One of my friends has a live tree in her house, I make a point to just admire the ornaments for a few minutes, then never walk back into that room again during my annual holiday visit.</p>
<p>I feel for you eyemamom, luckily I do not have asthma problem, but I will NOT get near any pine!!! I am also terribly allergic to grass and ragweed, when DH mows the lawn, I stay inside. I seldom roll down my car window during the peak lawn season, fresh cut lawn/grass give me tearing eyes and pounding headaches!</p>
<p>Were you ever allergic to the original Pinesol formula (the one with pine oil) or any pine scented air fresheners etc? Because if you were really allergic to pine, and not mold, for example, the allergen would have to be a volatile compound for you to be exposed to it from afar. </p>
<p>I can’t tolerate any kind of fake pine smell either, or rather any kind of freshener or cleaner. I’ve been tested, it is pine. Though mold is no picnic for me either.</p>
<p>Yes, I am allergic to Spruce. We once got one for our Xmas tree and I could barely breath. We had to throw it out. From then on we got Fraser fir which didn’t bother me as much. We stopped getting a tree once S didn’t care anymore. </p>
<p>I learned about pine allergies when our kids were in camp in Maine and they had a year where the pine pollen was over-whelming, even choking. People have allergies to the pollen and/or pine nuts, but pollen is spring into summer. Odds are the trees have molds on them that bloom in the house. </p>
<p>Took a break to look this up. Research shows Christmas trees have dozens of kinds of mold, including a large number that affect asthma, sinuses, etc. Stuff like aspergillus, penicillium, cladosporium and alternaria were most common and these are real allergy triggers. I gather the advice is to spray the thing with a soap for killing mold - something with a bit of bleach in it - ideally before it’s in the house. Once inside, the molds go crazy with the heat.</p>
<p>I was over 45 when I had my first allergic reaction. We went to Sun River , Oregon for a vacation. Pine trees were in full pollen season. I used my husband’s prescription nasal spray and I was fine, but without it I was miserable. Sneezy and runny nose to the point of like 30 kleenexs per hour. Nothing like those with life threatening asthma reactions, but just to add that pine pollen is specific, and that allergies can develop at any time
I also lived also outside Houston in the piney woods long ago. We had pollen so thick I went to the library to research Yellow Rain. I didn’t react then, thank goodness.</p>
<p>Is it pine, spruce and fir? What about something with soft webby foliage like cedar or Leyland cypress? </p>
<p>You could have a fake tree or a broadleaf evergreen like plain 'ol boxwood. Or a mini rosemary tree. Or you could come south, where they “flock” trees by spraying them all over with some nasty sparkly white stuff that mimics snow. Snow even on the underside of the branches! Those trees are covered. </p>
<p>I’m sorry for your bad asthma attacks, that sounds terrible. </p>
<p>For years I would get deathly ill at Christmas. I always thought it was a stress issue. Finally an astute Dr asked me some questions about my annual illness instead of just prescribing antibiotics and inhalers. It took us just a few seconds to figure out that it was the tree.</p>
<p>Allergy shots have changed my allergy symptoms from devastating to annoying but I still avoid pine and do not get a real tree. I am not taking any chances. I could probably last a half hour at a pine filled house and then I would have to leave.</p>
<p>When I was a child, I had severe asthmatic reactions to Christmas trees. But, then again, I had severe reactions to almost everything (lots and lots of allergies). As an adult, most of my allergies have gone away or died down (except dog and horse which are still severe). Last year, as an experiment, I bought one pine bough at the local florist and put it on the mantel. House smelled like “Christmas” and I didn’t have any significant reaction. We’re leaving for Christmas this year, so I didn’t decorate, but next year I’m going to try a small real tree and see how I handle that. </p>
<p>My niece got a beautiful large tree this year, spent hours decorating it and then 2 yr old broke out in hives. Tree was on the curb the next morning. </p>
I can’t stand the coughing and burning airwaves.</p>