LiceDoctors Advises Parents to Avoid Use of Chemical Lice Treatments

NEW YORK - July 29, 2017 - PRLog -- LiceDoctors Lice Treatment and Nit Removal Service strongly recommends that families forgo the use of chemcials to treat lice cases. 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, "We have seen thousands of clients who have been treated with chemical lice shampoos and these products have not worked. 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 300,000 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.

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."

Wendy Beck, also owner of LiceDoctors, adds that "In addition  chemical lice shampoos 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."

Sokoloff adds, "We have heard from families that they have experienced head aches from these chemical producs...and that is just an obvious short term outcome. Who knows if there are any long term health effects?"

A study was conducted at Southern Illinois University last year that confirmed that lice are resistant to chemicals in at least 45 states. Dr. Yoon reported that lice have mutated due to over-exposure to chemical treatment and are now immune to these treatments; these lice have been dubbed  "super lice".

LiceDoctors, the largest head lice treatment service in the U.S, makes house calls to families all over New York City  The company uses an olive oil based protocol that acts as a suffocant by getting into the breathing apparatus of the louse. Technicians are experts at identifying ingand extract nits and they 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. LiceDoctors is the only New York lice treatment service with a medical doctor on staff.  For further information on LiceDoctors in New York City, call day or night, 7 days a week at 646-381-2657 or go online to https://www.licedoctors.com/new-york/manhattan-lice-treat...