Yes, this is a story about head lice. Inevitably you will be scratching your scalp by the end of the article. I have been scratching and checking my children obsessively for nits for the last week. There is nothing less exciting about heading back to school, then realizing that we have just increased our children’s exposure to lice.
Despite the common misconception that lice can leap tall buildings in a single bound, these crablike crawlers can’t jump from scalp to scalp. Brushes, combs, headphones, helmets and hats really have a very little role in the spread of lice. It’s really attributed to head to head contact, including tumbling, playing and hugging. Anyone can get head lice, but children are more often infested than adults. They have no respect for social class, hair length or hygiene. Brad Livingstone, pharmacist and owner of Randy’s Compounding Pharmacy & Nutrition Center, describes a common myth surrounding lice. “There is a big misconception that it’s a socioeconomic disease. Actually, lice prefer cleaner heads of hair over dirtier heads of hair.”
Lice don’t usually transmit disease but they can cause a lot of discomfort and embarrassment, so parents usually deal with head lice the moment they become aware of it. Judging from the methods some parents take to get rid of them you’d think they were the nastiest critters on earth. Unfortunately, some of the treatments for head lice can be more dangerous or uncomfortable than the bugs.
Lice: More than you care to know
Warning, if this is too much for you already, just skip this next paragraph… there are more details about these bugs than you may ever care to know. Seriously, you have been warned.
Lice are blood-feeding parasites (see, I warned you) that crawl but cannot fly, hop or burrow into the scalp. According to the National Pediculosis Association, Inc, they can not survive more than a day or so away from the human scalp. Females lay about six eggs a day and you can usually find these eggs, or nits, cemented to hair shafts right next to the scalp. It takes about a week for a nit to hatch, and another week for the females to mature and begin laying more eggs. The best way to diagnose whether you have lice is to actually find them on your head.
New EcoLicer Treatments
There are several over-the-counter shampoos and creams to treat outbreaks. Users must follow the directions carefully and reapply the treatment as directed. Some lice, however, seem resistant to the insecticides used in these products. A quick internet search will also provide a myriad of home treatment methods. As Livingstone describes, “there are tons of methods that work partially,” but you must methodically get rid of each and every louse and nit to get rid of an infestation.
Randy’s Compounding Pharmacy & Nutrition Center is able to offer a non-chemical and comfortable treatment option. Here, trained technicians are armed with the Lousebuster™ in a 3-tier service package they are calling Ecolicer ™.
Essentially, the Lousebuster ™ is a sophisticated blow-dryer looking tool that uses carefully controlled heated air to dehydrate the lice, thus killing them. No need to worry about toxic chemicals, possible resistance build-up, or smells. The worst side effect is the possibility of a bad hair day, but they will even conduct the treatment in your home if it’s more convenient. It is the most pleasant 30 minute treatment, if any treatment may be called “pleasant”, that I can think of.
The technicians are trained in the clinically proven, FDA approved technology. Brad describes the process further, “nothing has a 100% kill rate. The Lousebuster alone has a 98% kill rate of lice and eggs, but when combined with a thorough comb-out, it brings that number to 100%. This combo gives us the best odds of eliminating your head lice once and for all. That’s why we offer our guarantee”.
Nitpicky
Randy’s Compounding Pharmacy & Nutrition Center will be bringing information to our local schools to help educate school nurses and our school families. Their louse buster technicians are good resources for information and can help certify that a child is lice free.
The worst thing you can do when a child becomes infested is freak out. The best thing is to be methodical in any approach you take. If you need a helping hand, for nitpicking or otherwise, give Randy’s Compounding Pharmacy & Nutrition Center a ring.
Randy’s Compounding Pharmacy & Nutrition Center
Inside Ralph’s Thriftway
1908 East 4th Ave
Olympia, WA 98506
(360) 491-0607