Schools Exacerbating Lice Problems By Advising Parents To Use Chemicals

EVANSTON, Ill. - Dec. 10, 2014 - PRLog -- LiceDoctors Head Lice Treatment and Nit Removal Service says that It is time to talk lice. It is estimated that between 6 and 12 million school-aged children get head lice each year. That estimate does not reflect the "hidden" cases-- those that crawl (not fly) under the radar for a number of reasons including fear of stigma, going undiagnosed, and those that are simply unreported. Then there are the additional family members, younger children and adults, who have likely contracted the case from the school-aged child.

According to Karen Sokoloff, owner of LiceDoctors, "head lice are the second-leading cause of school absenteeism after the common cold. Yet, despite the high incidence of infestations, schools have done little to ameliorate problem. What they have done in many cases is to address the end result of missed school time by loosening the criteria for readmission after a lice diagnosis; many schools now allow students with nits (lice eggs)  back into school after one treatment with a chemical lice treatment product and advise parents to do loads of laundry and to spend hours on housecleaning."

According to LiceDoctors, the school nurse and administration, in so doing, are exacerbating the problem. Why? The lice treatment company, which is the largest in the U.S., says that by disseminating information that is simply wrong. "Very often chemical treatments are not effective. Head lice have mutated and are often resistant to chemical lice treatments that are on the market. We have empirical evidence, having treated over 100,000 cases of head lice, many of whom had attempted to self-treat with either or both over-the -counter or prescription pediculides. Often, we find live lice crawling in the hair after people have used these products." according to Sokoloff.

Wendy Beck, also owner of LiceDoctors, adds that "In addition these products do not claim to penetrate the shell of the nit to kill the baby bug (nymph) inside, which is good because the shell is impermeable. The manufacturers supply a small, often ineffective, comb and inform consumers that they must remove all nits for the hair. In fact, this is like asking Sisyphus to push that rock uphill with one finger. The nits are small and camouflage in the hair making them very hard to find especially for the untrained eyes. Second, on the day of treatment the newly hatched ones will be microscopic so good luck getting those out. Even if you do a follow-up treatment a weeks later, often people end up leaving a couple of nits in the hair. As soon as those nits hatch, the case starts all over again. Thus people get stuck in what seems like a never-ending cycle."

Some families end up using the chemicals several times in a desperate and futile effort to eliminate lice. Every day thousands of children are being exposed to permethrin or other, chemicals that according to Beck "may have long term effects and often do nothing to get rid of the infestation. Every day, children are missing school, and parents are missing work. Then there are the schools that allow students into school with nits that, while not contagious as nits, without proper treatment will hatch and spread to other students or to friends whose schools have not dropped their "no nit" policies. Every day families are dealing with the frustration of wasting money on failed treatments, laundry, doctor visits, cleaning crews."

LiceDoctors insists that it is time for schools to stop advising families to use chemical treatments. It is time for doctors, who do not learn about head lice (pediculosis)'to stop referring parents to these chemicals.  It is time for parents to stop buying chemical treatments. They ask "what are we waiting for?"

Karen Sokoloff and Wendy Beck are owners of LiceDoctors, the largest head lice treatment service in the U.S.  The company uses an olive oil based protocol that acts as a suffocant by getting into the breathing apparatus of the louse. Technicians who are intensively trained to identify and extract nits employ a comprehensive strand by strand nitpicking strategy and then advise clients to do a simple follow-up plan to address any nits that may have been microscopic on the day of treatment.  For further information on LiceDoctors visit the web site at www.licedoctors.com or call 800-224-2527.