Cedar season reaching peak

AUSTIN (KXAN) - Cedar sufferers: It is only going to get worse. Doctors expect the cedar count could move into the very high category next week.

Wednesday marks the third day in a row that cedar has been in the "high" category. Cedar is at 1,490 grains-per-cubic-meter.

Rebecca Whitehurst is braving the outdoors, breathing in fresh air and plenty of pollen.

"It's pretty miserable," said Whitehurst. "I have watery, itchy eyes. Sneeze a lot. I have to take medicine for it, and if I don't, I feel it that day."

Cedar fever is something Whitehurst braces for every winter.

"Here it comes," said Whitehurst. "The change of weather, once it goes from hot to cold. When it's rainy and then sunny and everything blooms. It's pretty bad."

Some allergy sufferers are choosing natural treatments instead of popping pills.

"It just seems there are a lot of chemicals in those pills," said Leonel Manzano, who suffers from cedar pollen. "And a lot of it could be doing more harm than good."

At GoodHealth Commons in Round Rock, doctors use acupuncture to treat allergies.

Nancy Krail suffers from cedar fever and is a believer in the power of Eastern medicine.

"The first time I had acupuncture, one of the systems I had was a sore throat," said Nancy Krail, Cedar Sufferer. "It was immediate relief. I was sold after that."

"Acupuncture reduces inflammatory processes, increases circulation and opens respiratory pathways," said Will Morris, Academy of Oriental Medicine at Austin President.

The ancient art of acupuncture focuses on balancing the body and promoting the free flow of circulation throughout the body. Experts said acupuncture can boost the immune system by strengthening the body to fight off foreign substances like pollen. The results can be immediate.

"My throat feels better already," said Krain.