Jerusalem Post August 2009
- (Tue, 06 Oct 2009 19:37:59 +0000)
Click on the link to read this incredible article by leading parasitology expert Dr. Kosta Mumcuoglu, senior research associate at the University-Hadassah Medical School.   He discusses lice removal, US nit/no nits policies and most importantly lice prevention and how using "a few drops of rosemary oil that most lice can't stand." 

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1251145126400&pagename=JPArticle%2FShowFull

TEA TREE OIL MORE EFFECTIVE THAN PERMETHRIN
- (Mon, 17 Aug 2009 00:00:00 +0000)
New clinical research has shown that a tea tree oil based solution is more effective than chemical insecticides when it comes to treating head lice Tea tree oil more effective than chemical insecticides Australia’s original tea tree oil comes out tops in revealing new research New clinical research has shown that a tea tree oil based solution is more effective than chemical insecticides when it comes to treating head lice.(1) According to researchers at James Cook University in Queensland, tea tree oil was able to achieve and maintain a 90% kill rate over a three hour period, compared to just a 82% kill rate when permethrin, a common insecticide, was used. The tea tree oil treatment was rated number one in the independent research conducted by human parasitology expert Professor Richard Speare at the Anton Breinl Centre for Public Health and Tropical Medicine. The findings were published in journal of Medical and Veterinary Entomology. “Studies have shown that a number of common chemical treatments are now ineffective due to increasing resistance of head lice. Coupled with the fact that many parents just don’t want to use toxic treatments on their children, natural head lice treatments are proving popular alternatives” says Dr Anthony Cunliffe, GP. “The findings from this research highlight the efficacy of tea tree oil for both head lice treatment and prevention. Tea tree oil has been used as an effective medicine by Aboriginals for thousands of years - and unlike insecticidal chemicals, it doesn’t leave toxic residue on the scalp or hair and is gentle enough to use on children.”

Associated Press
- (Thu, 19 Feb 2009 00:00:00 +0000)
Schools are no longer nitpicky about head lice

By DESIREE HUNTER – 20 hours ago

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — For generations, children with signs of head lice were summarily sent home by the school nurse to their everlasting shame. Now schools have become less nitpicky.

With the backing of some major health organizations, a majority of schools across the country are allowing youngsters to stay in class if they have nits — that is, lice eggs — but no crawling lice in their hair.

It's a change recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the National Association of School Nurses, and it has been welcomed by many educators and parents, who worried that students were missing too much school, moms and dads were missing work, and children were being made to feel ashamed.

"Our children miss enough school without having to add this to it. The no-nit policies are as much a nuisance as the pests that we're dealing with," said Astrid Cruz, a mother of three from Palm Coast, Fla.

When Cruz's daughter got lice in second grade and was removed from class under the school's no-nit policy, Cruz had to beg administrators to let the girl ride the school bus home. They relented, but made the girl and her siblings ride alone — and the driver sprayed the seats down with Lysol afterward. When more nits were spotted, the girl had to miss school and go to work with Mom.

Other parents, like Debbie Cornell, want to see schools go back to taking a hard line against head lice.

Cornell grew frustrated when her daughters each got head lice twice last school year. Their San Francisco private school lets kids with nits stay in class, a policy she blames for her daughters' infestation.

"I wanted to go to the school wearing a T-shirt that said 'Got Lice?' and have rice in my hair," she said. "I was like, `Come on, people, get with it!'"

The U.S. has anywhere from 6 million to 12 million cases of head lice each year, though that is only a guesstimate, said Dr. Barbara Frankowski, a Vermont pediatrician who has studied the subject. It is not clear whether there have been more infestations in recent years as a result of the new, more relaxed policies.

The switch came after a 2002 pediatrics academy study said students with nits shouldn't be kept out of class. The real problem, according to the medical experts, is the lice, not their eggs.

"Nits don't spread. They don't jump from one person to another," said Amy Garcia, executive director of the National Association of School Nurses. "So to withhold a child from school due to nits really interrupts the educational process."

Once nits hatch, they generally take 7 to 10 days to become full-grown adults that can lay eggs and begin the cycle all over again.

About 60 percent of schools now allow children with nits to stay in class, Garcia said.

The pediatrics academy also says that kids who are found to have crawling head lice should be allowed to stay in school for the rest of the day but discouraged from close head contact with others. But not many school districts have gone that far.

Getting rid of head lice often requires a strong anti-lice shampoo to kill the crawling bugs, and a fine-tooth comb to pick the nits out of the hair. But the safety and effectiveness of some shampoos are questionable, and removing all the nits can take days.

The dangers of lice are small, Frankowski said. Lice have not been found to carry disease, though excessive scratching can lead to infections.

"It's a frustrating thing, but if you kind of put it in perspective with all the things that can happen sending your child off to school every day — heck, the school bus can go off the road," Frankowski said.

IPARENTING.COM interview with Risa
- (Mon, 27 Oct 2008 00:00:00 +0000)
Click here to read the iparenting.com article in which Risa Barash, owner of Fairy Tales was recently interviewed: http://www.babiestoday.com/articles/general-health/head-lice-and-babies-6252/

Health Food Oil Is Effective Lice Treatment
- (Wed, 03 Sep 2008 00:00:00 +0000)

Dec. 15, 2005 - A safe and cheap volatile oil available in pharmacies and health food stores has been proven by Israeli researchers to be effective head lice repellent, The Jerusalem Post reported. The latest issue of the Israel Medical Association Joi/rna/(IMAJ) reports on the use of citronella against head lice, proven in a double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized trial on 200 children in four Jerusalem schools. Dr. Kosta Mumcuoglu, a senior parasitologist at the Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School and long-time head lice researcher, and colleagues from Hadassah, HU, the medical school, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and the Health Ministry conducted a trial over four months. While 4% of the children who had citronella treatment didn't like the odor (which could be eliminated by adding more fragrances) and 1% complained of a slight itching or burning sensation, the volatile oil was very effective in keeping head lice away compared to placebo. The team concluded that citronella's use could significantly lower the incidence of reinfestations and minimize the cost on pediculicides, combs and products for nit removal, as well as the time spent on treatment and removal of lice eggs. It would also eliminate the stigma and social isolation associated with lice infestation, they said.

What is a Nit?
- (Tue, 01 Apr 2008 00:00:00 +0000)

• Nits (the eggs of the head louse) are small yellowish-white, oval-shaped eggs that are glued to the side of a hair shaft at an angle.
• Nits must be laid by live lice.  You cannot catch nits.
• Once laid, it takes 7-10 days for a nit to hatch, another 7-10 days for the female to mature and begin laying her own eggs.
• Head lice are clear in color when hatched, and then quickly develop a reddish-brown color after feeding.
• Head lice are about the size of sesame seeds.
• Head lice have six legs equipped with claws to grasp the hair.
• Head lice are crawling insects.  They cannot, hop, jump or fly.
• Head lice do not live on pets.
• Head lice are small, wingless insects which feed on human blood.  They need human blood in order to survive.
• Head lice live for approximately 30 days on a host and a female louse may lay up too 100 nits (eggs).
• Head lice cannot live without a human host.  In most cases, a head louse will not survive for more than 24-36 hours off of its host.