Health Watch is a Public Service of the Office of News and Publications and is intended to provide general information only and should not replace the advice of a medical professional. You should contact your physician if you have questions about any of these topics.
This week on Health Watch, we’ve been talking about making your holiday decor safer. Even if you keep dangerous things out of reach of children and pets and follow safety precautions while putting up decorations, holiday decor can make people with allergies uncomfortable.
Dr. Rebecca Gruchalla, chief of allergy at UT Southwestern Medical Center, offers some tips to make the holidays happier for allergy sufferers. When you bring decorations down from the attic or in from the garage or storage room, you may stir up dust and mold. It may help to wash fabric decorations and wipe plastic decorations off before you put them up in your home. If you use a live tree, select Scotch pines or Douglas firs, which won’t pollinate at this time of year. Avoid juniper trees that pollinate during the winter months. Scented candles and smoke from fires can also trigger asthma attacks.
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November 2007
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