head lice

[onencgirl]

We have a fairly new policy at school this year that if we find a child has head lice they are not sent home anymore. The school board says it is not necessary to be sent home. The parents are contacted about it and that's it.

I know when my kids were growing up they were sent home and not allowed back until they checked out clear. Thank god I never had to deal with any.

Does anyone heard of this new way of dealing with lice?

[lisaflex]

that to me is sheer craziness.....dont lice jump from head to head/person to person? or maybe because the child has alrady been there that day, they figure, it doesnt matter? we dont have that policy at dd school...they get sent home. thank goodness we have never had it...yet, that it....

[Palooka]

No, lice do not jump. I know it's common here for them to go to school in junior high and high school with them. In grade school they get sent home, unless they changed that since my last was in grade school.

They are horrible in the fall.

[hotprincesscm]

Yeah they arn't sent home anymore. I am a hairdresser and I have actually had a pediatrician tell me, because they don't cause "harm" to anyone, that no matter how contagious they can't send kids home anymore. Lice DO NOT jump....but are contagious because usually small children share things like hats, headbands, etc...or one child will lean their head on a school bus seat then the next child will do the same thing....Smaller children are in closer proximity to one another as compared to the older children in Middle school and high school. The lice are extremely difficult to get rid of, on a person and in the home....they get into clothing, furniture, stuffed animals, pillows bedding, carpets, etc....I don't care if my children ever got headlice, I wouldn't send them to school, whether they were allowed there or not. I use preventative hair products on my kids, so hopefully they will never get them!

[Luckybustert]

It just seems common sense to me that if it's contagious you (the generic you...not directed at anyone here) send them home and ask them not to return until the problem is cleared up....doesn't matter whether it's colds, flu, chicken pox, head lice, whatever...the point is that it's contagious and by being there you are potentially forcing others to get something they'd rather not have just so you can continue to be at school, work, wherever....to me that's a very selfish approach.

[Dancing Lotus]

I would hope my school would send them home. It's so hard to get rid of it that is seems common sense to protect others from it.

[AmyBoz]

It's the new policy and it is spreading. States were finding that kids were missing so many days of school for lice infestation, they decided that since it doesn't hurt anyone, they would keep them in school. I wish they would do more to help families with lice prevention.

[annymoll]

Give it time and bedbugs won't be an issue either, just something we must tolerate so as not to make it uncomfy for anyone. Grrrrr. Keep your kids home and treat them. No one should have to require you to do what common sense should dictate, lack of common sense says,"Sure, bring them on to school anyway.It's not my problem."It gets old and costly to pay for lack of common sense.And now my head is itching.

[Palooka]

I would assume the parents would treat this problem religiously, even if the kid is still going to school. Otherwise they will be in for a bigger problem.

It takes a few follow ups to get rid of these and most don't know how to pull every single nit out of the hair. That is the only way that really works and even they say products like Rid, they are pretty much immune to.

[HappyMama]

These commercial products are very dangerous to children, and it amazes me how some will put it on their children's heads for too long of periods or worse if the kids don't have it to prevent it... In the natural health care field , you would be amazed what is seen . Kids with leukemia from over exposure to these over the counter products. For various reasons I will not say more, except research pesticides, and research research research before exposing yourself and family. Yes do what it takes to get rid of the situation, but in a healthy positive way.

There are many natural products that will do the job just as well. Olive oil or mayonnaise will kill lice. There are so many healthy viable options to maintain health and rid of these things.

There is absolutely no need to expose children to any pesticide to treat head lice." Marion Moses MD, Designer Poisons

" Panicked parents who would not normally expose their children to potentially hazardous materials will apply pesticides in haste, sometimes well beyond the recommended frequency and dosages." Common Sense Quarterly Report (BIRC), Fall 1998

" Never assume a pesticide is safe. Anything designed to disrupt a living organism-plant or animal-may also prove harmful to humans or other animals in unexpected ways." Theo Colborn, Ph.D., Our Stolen Future

" Preparations like Rid and Kwell...are definitely toxic to people." Dr. Andrew Weil, MD, Author of Ask Dr. Weil, Spontaneous Healing and Eight Weeks to Optimum Health



Here is a list of some of the ingredients in most of these over the counter lice products:

TWO TYPES OF PESTICIDES IN TODAY'S HEAD LICE PRODUCTS
There are two main pesticides used in most head lice products available today: lindane and pyrethrins.

LINDANE
For many years, lindane (Kwell), an organochlorine pesticide available only by prescription, was the treatment of choice for head lice. It is still recommended by many medical personnel who have not taken the time to acquaint themselves with its potential health hazards to humans.

Lindane is absorbed through the skin and into the blood stream. Once absorbed, it can be carried throughout the body to the tissue (mainly fat) and organs. In pregnant women, it can travel across the placenta to the developing fetus. Due to its toxicity and lack of effectiveness, it should not be used under any circumstance.

About 9% of each lindane dose is absorbed through the skin. It is 10 times more soluble in brain tissue than in blood. Routine administration to children and geriatric patients has led to neurotoxic disorders. Lindane is highly carcinogenic in rats and mice and can cause aplastic anemia, a precursor or leukemia, and other blood disorders.

In Designer Poisons, Marion Moses, MD says 'Lindane should be banned; it should not be allowed for any use whatsoever". She also talks about other adverse health effects possibly caused by using lindane to treat head lice:
o Children treated with lindane for head lice compared to those who were not were almost five (5) times more likely to have brain cancer.
o Brain and nervous system damage has resulted in deaths in infants and children after lindane application to the skin.
o Lindane can cause irritant reactions, rashes and allergic reactions with the following symptoms: convulsions, seizures, headaches, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, incoordination, tremors, mental confusion and jerky muscular movements.

In Is This Your Child's World, Doris Rapp MD states that some women who have elevated levels of lindane from lice treatments in their blood have habitual abortions, unexplained infertility, menstrual disorders and premature menopausal symptoms.

The National Pediculosis Association, Inc. (NPA) says that, "Lindane is a nerve poison that also causes cancer...so why are we prescribing it for our children?" Their database has over 500 adverse event reports related to the use of lindane. Even worse, they say it can be unsafe even when used as directed. Children who have been treated repeatedly for head lice may be more at risk of adverse events with additional chemical exposures. Seizures, behavioral changes, attention deficit disorders, cancer, skin disease and even death have been reported to the NPA's registry.

In addition to the NPA, the Consumers Union, the Public Citizens Health Research Group and the Cancer Prevention Coalition have called for a ban on lindane-based shampoos and lotions. Currently it is classified by the US Health Department's Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) as a hazardous substance that contaminates at least 144 Superfund sites (places designated by the EPA as the most hazardous of hazardous waste sites). Eighteen foreign countries have banned its use. This should be sufficient evidence to cause one to NEVER, under any circumstance, use a lindane based head lice product.

PYRETHRINS (found in Nix, Rid, Clear, Pronto, End Lice, Eliminite)
Pyrethrum and pyrethrins are pesticides made from flowers (a type of chrysanthemum). Synthetic pyrethroids (permethrins) are chemical imitations of these natural products. Synergists are chemicals added to increase their killing power.

Any pesticide can theoretically cause allergic reactions, although some are more likely than others. Products made from a member in this family of pesticides are likely to precipitate allergic reactions, particularly for people with allergies, asthma or chemical sensitivities. One reason is that they cross-react with ragweed and other plant pollens.

In Designer Poisons, Marion Moses, MD suggests that these types of pesticides attack the brain and nervous system. She further states that they can irritate the eyes, nose and throat and cause skin itching, burning, rashes, stinging, tingling and numbness. Taken internally, signs of poisoning include tremors, salivation (drooling), vomiting, diarrhea and irritability to sound and touch.

ACTIVE INGREDIENTS / INERT INGREDIENTS / SYNERGISTS
In addition to the active ingredients in head lice products (pesticides), there are other ingredients as well.

INERT INGREDIENTS These are added to pesticides to dissolve, emulsify or stabilize them or to facilitate the spreading, sticking and penetration of the pesticides. Quite often, some of these inerts are as dangerous as the pesticide. Many times their name is not on the label and are only listed as a total percentage of the product. The only way to find out is to request a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) from the company.

PIPERONYL BUTOXIDE (found in Rid, Clear, Pronto, A-200, End Lice) This synergist is an active ingredient in many of the pyrethrin pesticide family head lice products. Two recent reports in open literature show that it causes cancer and birth defects in rats.

Sorry so long....and off my soap box now...lol

[Palooka]

Olive oil is the best because the lice can't breath and die. You still have to pull the nits(eggs) out though.

[annymoll]

Still waiting for the inevitable suggestion to douse the head in kerosene, which scares me even more than Lindane.And now I have Miranda Lambert lyrics AND an itchy head to contend with. Goodbye lice thread.(P.S.- once the policy affects teachers and the board members and family with a passion, they may revise the policy.)

[AmyBoz]

We use FairyTales products, which are all natural. They have a mousse to help when your child actually gets lice, as well as preventative shampoo and conditioner. It was going around here for about a year. One kid would come home each week with a note that someone new in their class had it. Dd finally wound up with it (the boys hair is shaved close to the head...they aren't getting it) and we tried Nix, olive oil, etc. Nothing worked. Finally got the Fairy Tales mousse and the super duper awesome nit comb that came with it and it worked perfectly. Now, to make sure it never comes back, we use the shampoo and conditioner (it's all natural) and so far, she's never been reinfested.

[Palooka]

Amy, where do you find those products at?

[Palooka]

Still waiting for the inevitable suggestion to douse the head in kerosene, which scares me even more than Lindane.And now I have Miranda Lambert lyrics AND an itchy head to contend with. Goodbye lice thread.(P.S.- once the policy affects teachers and the board members and family with a passion, they may revise the policy.)

Ain't it funny when you talk about lice your head starts itching. lol

Hope you don't have licemares tonight.