Liceworld. Not Disneyland but still exciting for me!

In the effort to always give you the most up-to-date about head lice information, I want to show everyone a great website called "Liceworld".  I just found it and the information is great.  Lice researcher Ian Burgess is one of the contributors. From what I see now,  it seems this website has been created for the purpose of providing information.  However, most researchers (Ian Burgess included) have links to some type of product so I suspect that in the near future, we will see some links to some money-makers (It's the development part of R&D - research and development - that really pays the bills.)  Still, so far, it looks good. Check it out here.

Faster, higher, stronger

Here's a link to an article from the British newspaper, The Telegraph, where it says that a extra humid conditions led to an increase in the number of cases of head lice just before the Olympics.  The article quotes Ian Burgess, one of my favourite lice researchers, as saying one in ten children has head lice. It also says that over half of Britain's 4 to 11 year olds get lice every year. It mentions that 53% of people are asymptomatic (they don't know they have lice until the problem is really bad) and that lice are immune to over the counter products 80% of the time.  Interesting stats - I wish they would show the research to back this. Interesting that this increase happened just before the Olympics. These lice fit the motto of "faster, higher, stronger".

Loose ends...

Here are two quick tips that I've been meaning to share.  They don't come from me, but they are very good to know...

1. If you or someone you know has head lice AND a problem with dandruff, deal with the dandruff first. Use a good dandruff shampoo and try to get out all the flakes. This will save you from trying to determine if what you are seeing is lice or dandruff. (Thanks to the mother - I'm sorry I lost your name - who gave me this tip a few months ago.  Great idea.)

2. Here's a tip that is important to know if you are using the inexpensive purple lice comb that I recommend on this blog.  I have had 3 calls in the last two months where people have told me that on their purple combs, the side with the short teeth pulls through the hair and tears some of it out.  This is surprising to me as I have purchased many of these combs over the years and have never experienced this.  Still, when I hear this news from 3 different sources, I tend to believe it. Maybe it's a bad batch?  These callers still used the purple comb and found that it worked well - they just stopped using the side with the short teeth. 

Got any more tips?

What's worse than the itch? Burnout.

Recently, I spoke with two mothers who were dealing with head lice in their families (and dealing with it very well, I might add.)  In our conversations, it became very clear to me that these women were now experts on head lice.  They knew what they were looking for and were willing to put in the time and the right kind of effort to deal with this problem. I truly appreciate this kind of vigilance when it comes to head lice.  As I have said before, we must not underestimate these little guys - even with all of our modern weapons, we have more cases of head lice than ever before.  Head lice need to be taken seriously.

However, we must resist hyper-vigilance.Y'know, the kind of vigilance that makes us crazy.  Where we lose sleep over head lice, assume every itch is a new bite, start over combing or over treating our hair, restrict our regular activities,  keep everyone up late and wake them up early to do nit-picking, and clean our homes for hours every day.  I know we seem to feel better when we DO something, but the only thing this hyper-vigilance will do is make us sick. ( I'm speaking mostly to the mothers - sorry Dads, I have yet to find a two-parent home where the father is the main person who takes control over the family head lice.)

As I have said before, when feelings of lice anxiety are leading you down this path, get control of your feelings and look at the facts:

• Extra house cleaning has no proven effectiveness in the fight against head lice. Or, I should say it has evidence-based ineffectiveness.  Studies have shown that extra cleaning does nothing in this fight.
• Keeping children out of school, daycare, or other activities is not necessarily helpful; no-nit policies have been proven to be ineffective in keeping head lice out of these places.
• Head lice in most industrialized nations have developed a resistance to pesticidal treatments.
• Most alternative treatments  have little or no proven effectiveness.
• The over-washing, over-combing, and over-treating of hair can often be the cause of scalp irritation - it can be the cause of itching and/or skin reactions.

As I say again and again on this blog, the way you deal with head lice is to manually remove the bugs and eggs on the head.  To do this effectively, try to get the following things:

1. Time - Not the 10-hour marathon horror stories that I hear from some parents.  I mean, you need to know that you will be dealing with this for weeks and there is no getting around it, not even if you hire a lice professional.  We all can miss something, so some time should be put into combing/picking every 2 or 3 days until you have had 2 weeks with no sightings of bugs or eggs. The amount of time you need to spend in this endeavor will decrease as the weeks go on.
2. A good lice comb.  There have been effective nit-pickers throughout the years who never had the benefits of a good metal lice comb, but for the amount of time you save, I always recommend that you try to get one.  Not a necessity, but exceptionally helpful when used in wet combing.
3. Good light. Natural or artificial, light directed on the head really makes it easier to see what's going on.  For me, an inexpensive head lamp is a blessing.  It brings you directed light wherever you go and keeps your hands free for combing and picking.
3. Perspective. This is just head lice.  It is not the plague.  You are not unhygienic or unclean if you have it. Head lice are simply a reality in our world.  They have been around for ages and I expect we will still be dealing with them in the ages to come. They are a pain in the rear, but they don't have to be a tragedy if you don't let them. 

Trust that you have what it takes to deal with this problem.  Don't panic or start putting your family through a frenzy of frantic cleaning and unnecessary restrictions.  Never let head lice keep you from getting sleep, eating well, and engaging in enjoyable activities.  Never let head lice drain you financially or put your employment at risk.  Push through that initial feeling of panic.  Find a good friend to share your experience with.  Take a breath. Be gentle with yourself.  I know you can do this.

You're never too young to fight headlice.

Today I met a couple of delightful young women who just happen to have head lice.  Thankfully, head lice has not dampened their charming personalities. I was so disappointed that I couldn't stay and visit with them - they were watching campy scary movies. It would have been a hoot! (Hey, I think something like Dracula would be the perfect movie to pick head lice too!) Head lice has been a problem for these girls for a long time.  I truly understand how this can happen as head lice are not to be underestimated in their resilience.

When we are young, our parents take care of problems such as head lice; small children don't have the information, the patience, the stamina, or the drive to deal with it on their own. However, once we get to the age where we start taking care of ourselves more - taking charge of our own appearance, our own grooming - we can probably learn to take some responsibility for dealing with our head lice problems as well. 

My advice to these beautiful girls was to use the wet combing and blow drying techniques on alternating days until a full two weeks go by without ANY signs of bugs or new eggs.  (You can read about how to do these techniques on this blog.)  I felt these ladies were at the age where they could start to take charge of their own head lice problems (although Mom's extra encouragement is always a bonus!)  In fact, they could help each other out - it's always great to have a buddy to help deal with head lice.

Ladies, enjoy watching the bloodsuckers on the scary movies and good luck getting the bloodsuckers off your heads!  Call me if you have any questions. 

Flat iron? Bad idea.

I just received a comment via my Kijiji ad from a mother who tried using a flat iron to get rid of her daughter's head lice. She was surprised to still find 8 live bugs on the head after the ironing. So many people I meet try this, and I can't believe I have never written about it before. (So, thanks for the comment, L.)

My message is short but sweet. DO NOT use flat irons or curling irons to try to get rid of head lice. Head lice live right near or on the scalp. Your iron won't get close enough to kill them and if you try, someone is going to get burned. If you want a tool that is safer and more effective, use a blow dryer. (Don't do this without checking out more info here.)

Thanks for the call.

I received a call from an absolutely exhausted mother. She had been running on 3 hours sleep every night for the last 2 weeks. Her pre-teen daughter had head lice. They tried to get rid of it with Nix. They then tried Resultz. But they were still seeing live bugs on the head. The girl was still going to school, but her mother had pulled her from all her extra-curricular activities over this. Constantly cleaning, laundering, combing (with the Nix comb), and worrying, it was clear that this family had sacrificed everything to the The Louse.

I was so glad that she called. It is the best feeling in the world when you can give the news that the excessive cleaning can stop. I am overjoyed to tell a family that there are simple, inexpensive ways to deal with this problem. I tell them about what lice are and what lice are not. By asking specific questions, I can learn about what they know, clear up their misconceptions, and give them proven tools to get rid of head lice.

By the end of the call, the mother was almost crying tears of joy. I completely understood the marathon that she had been through. I validated her abilities and efforts and knew that she would be more than capable to utilize the new information to win the battle.

If you are dealing with the problem of head lice, the information on this blog is for you. But if you need to talk to a person, have questions, or just want to vent about head lice, give me a call. If I'm out, leave me a message and I'll call you back. I would be happy to talk to you. And to the woman, if you are reading this, thanks again for the call. Here's to catching up on your sleep!

If head lice really creep you out, don't look at these pictures.

Rick Speare, who was a professor and researcher at James Cook University, developed a great slide show on the biology of the head louse. Check it out here. The pictures are amazing and show an indepth look at the louse's specialized parts. (In this picture, I imagine louse saying, "I'm a survivor!") These pictures and explanations can help you understand how a head louse operates. Very interesting stuff, but it also just goes to show that any bug, when you look at it closely enough, looks sort of like something from "Alien".

You don't need a professional, but you just might want one.

If you have read this blog, then you know that I enjoy equipping people to deal with their head lice on their own. Though I offer my own lice removal services for a fee, I'm the first to admit that you don't have to go to some so-called expert or purchase expensive treatments in order to get rid of those pesky bugs and nits. If you are willing to put in the time and the effort, you can do it on your own.

But there may be times when you don't want to.

If you have questions about head lice, just call me and ask. If you are wondering about whether or not you should call in a lice removal professional, you may wish to read this older blog post about when to call in a professional. Click here to read more.

The age old question: "No-Nit" Policies - good or bad?

Tonight I spoke with a mother who is dealing with head lice in her home (and based on what she has done and continues to do, it is my belief that she is most likely effectively dealing with head lice and her family is at no risk to anyone else). However, her out-of-school care centre is considering implementing a "no-nit" policy, a policy that would refuse to admit children if even one nit (louse egg or egg casing) is found on the child's head.

As a lice professional, I understand the desire for such a policy. There is nothing more frustrating than having a child come home from school or daycare with head lice again and again. You feel helpless, because if other children who still have head lice are allowed in the facility, you feel your children will always be at risk, no matter how diligent you are. I completely appreciate this feeling.

But, feelings are not always fact. And the fact is, "no-nit" policies do not reduce the chances of head lice in our child care centres. In fact, they can be harmful to our children. These policies can give us a false sense of security because a child can have an active lice infestation before any nits are noticed. Or, on the other hand, a child may have nits but may not have an active, living case of head lice. Or a case of nits may be misdiagnosed and a child may be sent home for dandruff or psoriasis. (I have seen all of the above). And then there is the impact that such a policy has on the ostracized child and the struggling family. I will never forget the call from the mother who lost her job because she had no child care - her child had had head lice and the daycare centre established a "no-nit" policy.

I have yet to read even one research study that supports the claims of "no-nit" policies. However, it is easy to find numerous studies showing that in reality, these policies can often do more harm than good. My most popular blog post by far is the post about this topic. It is entitled, "Should I keep my child out of school?" I encourage you to read this original post HERE. (And please read the healthy debate that ensues in the comments section.) This is a very sensitive topic for any parent that is dealing with or has ever dealt with this problem and the current Edmonton Public and Catholic school board policies regarding head lice are wide open for interpretation.

That said, some other reputable sources have established very clear positions against "no-nit" polices. Here are just a sample of them:

• Click HERE for the National Association of School Nurses (US) position statement on dealing with head lice in the schools.
  


• Click HERE for the guide book "Staying Healthy in Childcare" published by the Australian government.



• Click HERE to read the abstract from a study by the Department of Parasitology, Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School, Jerusalem, Israel. The conclusion of this study? "No-nit" policies should be abandoned.



• Click HERE to read the policy paper from Nova Scotia Public Health Services recommending against "no-nit" policies.



• Here's a quote from the policy statement of the Canadian Paediatric Association: "Exclusion from school and daycare due to the detection of the presence of ‘nits’ does not have sound medical rationale." It goes on to state that the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Public Health Medicine Environmental Group in the United Kingdom also discourage ‘no nit’ school policies. Click HERE to read the entire paper.



• HERE's a paper published in the journal Pediatrics stating that "no nit" policies are excessive.



• Time magazine had a 2010 article on the latest research against "no-nit" policies. Read it HERE.
  


• Read the 2007 International Guidelines for Effective Control of Head Louse Infestations HERE. This paper, published in the Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, is a collaboration of researchers from all over the world. Their verdict on "no-nit" policies is as follows: "The no-nit policy, based on the persistence of empty egg cases, is not justified and does more harm than good; therefore, we recommend that it be immediately halted

So, if a "no-nit" policy is not recommended in the fight against head lice, what can a school or day care centre do? It should:

• Learn how to identify an active case of head lice through proper screening. To diagnose an active case, a live louse (bug) must be found. Screening for head lice is best done by wet combing. Check out this blog post on checking for head lice.



• Inform parents and children if lice are found and reassure parents that this is not an issue about hygiene or neglect - head lice are a common fixture in our schools and centres.



• Give parents sound information about what lice are and are not, lice "shampoos" (most are ineffective and none are the cure), excessive house cleaning and laundering (which does nothing and is therefore an absolute waste of time and money), and treatments that work (such as regular wet combing with a proper come and directed blow drying.) Read articles on this blog for more research and information about these techniques.

In my experience, inclusion and knowledge go a lot farther in dealing with this problem then exclusion and misinformation. Instead of creating policies that only look like we are taking things seriously and make us feel like we are doing something in the fight against head lice, let's create policies and protocols that actually do something in the fight against head lice. We will not win this battle if we point fingers, insist upon exhausting and ineffective protocols (like lice "shampoos" and laundering), and continue to shroud this problem in shame. We need to openly share our concerns and frustrations in a way that supports and equips.

Good luck.