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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (March 1, 2018)
March 2018 - EASTERN OREGON PARENT - 13 Treatment and prevention of a lousy situation By SUZANNE KENNEDY “My head itches.” These three words are guaranteed to strike fear into the hearts of parents everywhere. Lice. Just the mention of the word makes you itch. You’re probably scratching your head right now. Lice don’t spread dis- ease, but having to deal with them is an incred- ibly time-consuming and emotional experience. There are many rumors and myths out there … so let’s set the record straight. Lice are tiny, wingless parasites that crawl very quickly. They can’t fly, hop or jump from person to person. They survive by feeding on the blood of a human host. Once off their host, they will only survive for a day or two. With more than 12 million reported cases of lice in the US each year it’s estimated that 1 in 4 children will deal with them some time in their life. Surprisingly, lice like clean hair more than dirty hair, and don’t care if it’s dyed or bleached. You can often see the distinctive teardrop shaped lice eggs (nits) along one side of a hair shaft. They look like grains of sand and can often be mistaken for dandruff; however, nits stick to the hair shaft and can’t be blown off, like dandruff. According to Lice Knowing You, Inc., 90 percent of any infestation is on your head and 10 percent is in your environment. The head should be your focus, but you should do some things to guard your home against re-infestation. Wash all the bedding of the ed by a super-sticky substance that makes the egg stick to the hair. Pesticides like Rid and home remedies like olive oil saturation still require manual removal. Gather your weap- ons: paper towels, a metal lice comb, a spray bottle filled with water, 3 or 4 claw hair clips, latex gloves (or similar), a flashlight, Family Health checked hair separate from the unchecked hair. Use the flashlight on the front and back of each small, thin section. Because the nits are sticky, they shine under a flashlight beam. They are only about the size of the point on a dull pencil. Pick out any lice or nits by pinching them with your fingernail and pull- ing them all the way off. They will look like tiny black dots on infected person, includ- the tissue. Move through ing blankets and mattress Lice Prevention the rest of the sections. pads, in hot water. If Discard the paper • Do not share hair accessories: rubber bands, the infestation is severe, towels or tissues carefully. headbands, brushes and combs. vacuum and quickly iron Do this once a day or once the mattress. Place stuffed • Long hair should be kept in braids or ponytails. every other day until you animals in the dryer on find no nits or lice. Once • Do not share hats, coats, hoodies, sweatshirts, high heat for 30 to 40 you find no nits or lice for scarves, etc. minutes, or a bag them a week or two, you are and stick them in the • Children should not hang coats next to each probably okay. freezer for 8 to 12 hours. other, but rather put them in a backpack if cub- If you are willing to Hair accessories such as bies are not available. Never put coats in piles! travel to a major city, combs, brushes, hairbands, you can visit a clinic or • Head-to-head contact is the most common way headbands, helmets, etc. salon created for the sole head lice are passed. While lice prevention should be bagged and purpose of helping your products are not completely foolproof, they can put in the freezer for 8-12 family get rid of lice. Lice be effective in keeping lice away. These rely on hours. Vacuum and wipe Knowing You, Inc. is such essential oils, which have been proven effective off all furniture where the a place in Portland. Their in repelling head lice. infested person sat, includ- staff is knowledgeable and ing car seats, couches and • The number one method of prevention is to do friendly and able to talk carpet. The good news — once-a-week head lice checks. even the most desper- you only need to do each ate mothers down off the of these things once. ledge. Their products are proven and a regular comb. Thoroughly Meanwhile, back on the head. effective and pesticide free. Visit wet the hair and comb out all the You must manually remove every tangles. Divide and clip the hair into liceknowingyou.com for more infor- louse and nit off the head. Leav- mation. 4 to 6 sections. Start at the front ing even one can lead to another ________ infestation. The bad news – there is of the head and work your way back. In each section, comb the no product out there that kills the Suzanne Kennedy is a former middle hair in all different directions with nits. Manual removal is the only school teacher who lives in Pend- the lice comb, wiping it on paper sure way to get rid of a head lice leton with her husband and four towel each time. Then go through infestation. Nits are protected in children. that section bit by bit, keeping the their little sacs, which are surround-
