Archive for the 'Lice' Category

Head Lice Art???

headlice August 19th, 2008

Strange but true! A Reuter's news item dated Wednesday, April 30, 2008, reported on a group of seven Germans who believe that head lice can be a form of art!

"Art is no longer just a painting on the wall," Milana Gitzin-Adiram, chief curator of the Museum of Bat Yam near Tel Aviv, told Reuters. "Art is life, life is art." What that has to do with head lice? It's not really clear at all!

The group of Berliners were living at the  Museum of Bat Yam near Tel Aviv, as part of an unusual art exhibit. They ate, slept, and bathed in a gallery, while maintaining active lice infestations in their hair. "The idea is that we live in the museum as their guests, and at the same time we are hosting lice on our heads," said artist Vincent Grunwald, aged 23. He was wearing a plastic shower cap to prevent the lice from spreading.

From a professional lice removal perspective… this is just plain silly. Head lice are parasites that live off human blood. Lice cause terrible itching, from the irritation that results when a louse bites its host to suck blood. Lice can not live off of a human head. Lice can not fly. Lice do not jump. Lice aren't interested in living any place other than a human head.  The only way that lice spread — which they do quickly — is by crawling from one head to another. Since these folks are apparently all lice infested already, they aren't preventing anything with that shower cap! Lice are small enough to crawl easily crawl under the edges of a shower cap, anyway. Actually, lice nits they are so tiny, that they aren't visible without very close and careful inspection. Which would make head lice irrelevant as hosts on human heads in an art gallery. The only thing a visitor would be able to see, are men in shower caps, possibly scratching their heads.

With all the stress that surrounds a head lice infestation, the absurd idea that there is an artistic element to lice could invite a much-needed momentary lightness!

Lice Prevention After Camp

headlice August 18th, 2008

Now is the time to be on guard for head lice!

When your kids come home from Summer camp, they may bring home more than dirty laundry and memories that last a lifetime. Head lice are so common these days, that the chance that your child was exposed in summer camp is quite high. Many camps do check for lice at the beginning of the Summer. However, in many situations, the treatment applied is a chemical lice shampoo.

Chemical lice products have a number of problems. Lice have become resistant to chemicals. Therefore, many lice treatments are not working. In addition, the chemicals have been known to actually harden the nits (lice eggs). This makes nit removal even more difficult than it already is. In order to completely get rid of lice every single nit has to be removed. Nits are tiny… the size of a grain of sand! If all the nits are not removed, a nit will continue to grow on the hair shaft, for a period of 7-10 days. At that point, a nymph (baby louse) will hatch, and within 7-10 days will be mature enough to lay additional nits! At this point, a child who was treated for lice in fact  be completely reinfested — and even worse infesting his friends and bunkmates.

Head lice is not a cleanliness issue. But lice are hearty, persistent bugs, and they will continue to live on human hosts unless they are treated effectively. Lice feed by biting the head, leaving irritation which causes terrible itching.

When your child comes home from camp, do yourself a favor, and take the time to do a lice nits check - before there is a possibility of his sharing lice or nits with his siblings — or parents! Yes, adults do get head lice. Lice prevention is the best way to stay in control.

Avoiding Frustration: Prevent Lice Re-Infestation (part 3 - conclusion)

headlice August 5th, 2008

Rachel had been conscientiously following the lice removal protocol, to rid the lice nits from her daughter Tammy's hair.

However, the real problem was external lice re-infestation. Although Tammy's play group had said that they were enforcing a no-nit policy in the group, one child apparently was not being treated for lice effectively. It only takes one. Three year olds play, cuddle, and tumble together all day. A lice epidemic can not be contained if lice are not treated effectively by every single parent in the group.

Rachel was doing the two week lice removal maintenance again and again. Apparently, another mother was using over the counter lice products, without an effective method for combing out nits. Her child kept re-infesting Tammy. LICENDERS uses a safe and effective method of lice treatment with natural lice products that really work. However, if a different child is reinfesting the group, the only way to end the lice nit cycle is enforcing an absolute nit-free policy in school, with frequent lice checking during the duration of a lice epidemic.

Families and communities are disrupted by a lice epidemic. To prevent re-infestation, all children must be treated for lice at the same time, and a no-nit policy must be enforced. The frustration of lice re-infestation can be prevented!

Frustrating Lice Re-Infestation (part 2)

headlice July 31st, 2008

Now that Rachel had been trained by professional lice removers, she felt in control of the lice problem. It was very obvious to Rachel within a few days that Tammy's hair was really lice and nit free. She relaxed, continuing the maintenance daily for two weeks, as we advised. At that point, Tammy's lice infestation was history.

At least is should have been.

Tammy was back to her regular pre-school routine. Rachel continued to check Tammy's head for nits anyway from time to time. Two weeks later, Rachel found about 5 nits in one area of Tammy's hair. Rachel's mom called us again. She was concerned. A few nits in one place, is a sign that a live louse is or has been laying eggs again. Lice tend to lay eggs in clusters. If a nit or two survived the initial lice treatment, the 2 week maintenance would absolutely have removed them. Perhaps Rachel had not really done the lice removal maintenance, wondered the grandmother. 

We treated Tammy again with a comprehensive lice nit comb-out, and found no sign of infestation. Rachel had already combed-out Tammy's hair, and there was no sign of lice or nits. This scenario continued on and off for months. Tammy's hair was tied back, in a bun or a ponytail every day. She was using the Licenders Lice Repellent. Rachel would do the lice combing for a  two weak period, and then about one week later, would notice a cluster or two of nits again in Tammy's hair. Rachel's mom was criticizing Rachel's care of her granddaughter. As far as we could tell, Rachel was in fact doing the nit combing properly. The lice problem was creating stress within the family.

And then the Summer began. One little member of Tammy's playgroup left to vacation with her family in the mountains for a month. And the cycle of lice and nits ended. Just like that. No more lice. No more nits!

to be continued

A Frustrating Lice Problem (part one)

headlice July 30th, 2008

Throughout the past 6 months, Rachel, a young mother, has been dealing with lice nits in her daughter's hair. Tammy, her adorable three year old likes to twirl her hair while she sleeps, or at other quiet times. Therefore, Rachel did suspect lice nits, when she  saw that Tammy was touching her head a lot. By the time Rachel realized that Tammy was actually scratching, she had a full blown case of head lice. Rachel did what any other good mother would do. She ran to the drugstore, and purchased the popular chemical lice shampoo off the shelf. Rachel followed the instructions on the box of the lice shampoo, and used the lice comb provided. A week later, as suggested, she used the product again. But Tammy was still scratching, and upon inspection, still had a head full of lice.

So Rachel started all over again. Back to the drugstore for a different lice shampoo, more chemicals on Tammy's head. More lice  nit combing with the plastic comb provided. By the time Rachel's mother called LICENDERS, this had been going on for a few months. The first thing we told Rachel was: Stop Using CHEMICAL LICE SHAMPOOS! If they aren't working, more of the same is not going to work either. Lice are resistant to the chemicals. By this time, Tammy's scalp was so irritated from all those chemicals, and she still had lice!

We demonstrated to Rachel how to identify and methodically comb nits with the LICENDERS method. We showed her, that baby lice (nymphs) can be difficult to see because they crawl so quickly. Proper lighting is important when treating lice nits. We also provided Rachel with gentle, natural lice shampoo - no more chemicals! Now that Rachel had been trained by professional lice removers, she felt in control of the lice problem. It was very obvious to Rachel within a few days that Tammy's hair was really lice and nit free.

But it didn't end there.

To Be Continued

Summer Camp Lice Prevention

headlice July 29th, 2008

There is a widespread lice problem in summer camps this Summer. Licenders has provided screenings to prevent lice in overnight camps in the mountains of New York, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania. When a child arrives at camp with head lice, the result can be a massive lice epidemic. Lice are notoriously catchy. The camp environment, with kids and adults interacting so closely, increases the opportunities for the lice nits to transfer from one head to another. Lice can easily spread to hundreds of campers in such conditions. For camp staff and administrators, a lice epidemic is a nightmare!

The way to approach this headlice threat correctly, is lice prevention. Licenders recommends that everyone who comes up to camp be screened for lice nits right away. If the lice checking can be done before the kids participate in any activities, this is ideal. The idea is, to find anyone with a lice problem, and treat the lice before they have a chance to spread to anyone else. Effective lice treatment, including proper lice combing can be provided to individual head lice cases immediately. Passing up this intial time for lice checking can result in a significant interruption of camp. Hundreds of kids could ultimately need to be treated because of a few isolated cases of untreated head lice.

In addition, licenders provides a lice nits re-check after a change in camp session, as new campers may again introduce lice into the summer camp population. If there is a significant opportunity for campers to interact closely with outsiders, another lice check is highly advised. This would apply after a camp visiting day, when parents and siblings come in contact with their loved ones, possibly bringing undetected lice bugs and nit eggs along with them.

Lice in Summer Camp

headlice July 28th, 2008

Head Lice love summer camp as much as kids do!

The camp season always brings an increase in head lice problems. The gathering of children from different geographical areas exposes them to a new group of friends - some of whom may be carrying lice and nits. In a camp situation, the ability for the lice to crawl from one head to another multiplies. The shared living environment is very conducive to the spread of head lice.  Sharing of hair brushes and accessories is certainly common. This is an ideal way for head lice to travel. During an active lice infestation, the friendly interchange of personal items can transfer viable nits - lice eggs - between children.

Children in summer camp are involved in many activities that give lice opportunities to move from head to head. Classic camp fun, from organized sports to pillow fights, allow for children to be in close physical contact. Sitting arm-in-arm at a campfire, and trying on hats for a dramatic performance are likely to spread lice.

It is crucial to get control of a lice problem in a summer camp, before the children have an opportunity to interact. The best way to do this is to have a Professional Lice Removal Service, such as LICENDERS, do a lice screening at the earliest opportunity.  A widespread lice infestation can be avoided by checking everyone at the beginning of the camp session. Lice Nits treatment can be provided right away, preventing further lice problems at camp.

Sports Headgear and Lice Prevention

headlice May 21st, 2008

Recently, more adults involved in activities for children are recognizing that they can make a difference in the prevention of head lice. On April 27, 2008, an article appeared in the New York Times health section addressing the likelihood of a head lice outbreak among healthy, active children. The author, Juli S. Charkes relates how a local litte league coach, in advising his team of the rules and regulations of the season, also advised them to purhase personal batting helmets. His reason: to prevent head lice!

Normally, a couple of helmets suffice for the group, as they are passed on to the team members when it is their turn at bat. The article quotes a number of child care professionals in and around the town of Dobbs Ferry who agreed with the concerns of coach Robert Birnbaum, regarding a head lice outbreak.

“ 'As a coach, I would not want to be responsible for the spread of lice,' [Mr. Robert Birnbaum] said outside his home," which in Westchester, New York. 

It turns out, that this advice was well received by other child care professionals in and around Dobbs Ferry, the town in Westchester that is home to this particular little league.

" 'I think individual helmets make sense not only for [human head lice], but also just in terms of basic hygiene,' said Ellen M. Whalen, a Yonkers pediatrician who watched her 6-year-old son Nico, clad in his own shiny red helmet, hit a ball off the tee."

The Times' continues, "As the Little League administrator for District 21, which includes Yonkers, Mount Vernon, Pelham and New Rochelle, Michael Mattesi overseas about 400 teams. He said he had been contacted many times by schools in his district when there is an outbreak of head lice and has encouraged the use of individual helmets, as well as the use of baseball caps under any shared helmet."

" 'Absolutely, it just makes a lot of sense,' he said. 'These helmets are affordable — often less than $20 — and I encourage parents to invest in one.' ”

(to be continued)

Nits, Lice and School (part 3)

headlice May 7th, 2008

continued from No Nit Policies in Schools (part 2)

A child who is actively being treated for head lice, using an effective method should not be kept out of school. Live lice bugs will have already been killed. At this point, the chances of nits and nymphs in the hair is greatly reduced. Even if there are stray nits, lice eggs can not crawl from one head to another.

Active treatment should include a 2 week maintenance period, with daily comb-outs to remove any possible stray nits as well as nymphs that may have just hatched. Until 2 weeks are past, there may still remain a few stray nits in the hair, which can hatch into tiny nymphs. By using a lice comb daily, even this small risk is being addressed. A tiny nit or nymph that is missed at first will grow, and certainly be caught in a subsequent comb-out. By the time 10 days have passed, the lice incubation period is over. Any nits that may still be on the head can not be viable: in other words, they will never hatch into live lice. The lice nit treatment can be considered complete since there was no opportunity for a louse to survive to maturity.

The lice infested child who has been treated, should have her hair tied back during this 2 week maintenance period. She should have strict instructions about not sharing any head gear, and should keep her accessories in a contained place, apart from any other children. Children can understand that by doing their part, and acting responsibly, they can prevent another child from getting head lice, and transfering it back to themself! No child wants to have a reinfestation, and undergo a full lice treatment all over again. When a child understands that these cautions will benefit themselves in the long run, they are more likely to cooperate.

School nurses should be aware of the lice nit treatment process, so that they do not over-react to finding a few stray nits on a child who is actively undergoing a proper 2 week treatment protocol. Other parents should also understand the head lice treatment process for the same reason. A no-nit policy allows for the school administration to ensure that children found to have lice or nits will undergo a proper comprehensive treatment to remove the lice and nits, without spreading the lice problem and creating a widespread lice epidemic.

Lice Nit Removal: Combs

headlice February 18th, 2008

Lice combs made of plastic are available in stores, and through mail-order. Some have obviously been manufactured with intent to catch nits. They have teeth spaced very closely together. There are plastic nit combs with very short teeth, as well as lice combs with much longer teeth. A plastic lice comb can be made of strong plastic, and be considered "unbreakable". Some of these lice removal combs come with a long handle, meant to be used the same way one would hold a disposable razor. Others have an extended handle, shaped for a comfortable grip. Unfortunately, no matter how well planned the design, plastic teeth will not catch the nits. 

Louse nits are attached to the hair with a very, very strong biological glue. This glue is naturally created to keep that nit attached to the hair. The survival of the nit depends on that nit staying attached to the hair shaft. This is so that the nymph inside the louse egg can grow and thrive on the human host. To the naked eye, the teeth of the plastic lice comb appear to be rigid. However, the plastic teeth will spread apart, just enough to get around many nits. Plastic teeth on a lice comb do bend microscopically and slide past the tightly glued nits. Remember that nits can be tinier than a poppy seed!

It doesn't matter if the plastic lice nit comb is especially made and marketed for this purpose by "experts". A plastic comb passes over too many nits to be considered worthwhile. This has been proven by the thousands of frustrated parents who have attempted to use such a plastic lice nit comb. The amount of time needed to properly comb out lice and nits is long enough. It is a shame to invest all that effort using an ineffective lice removal tool.

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