Lice: A Surprisingly Widespread Problem & the Shockingly Dangerous Conventional Solutions
by www.SixWise.com

Head lice affect some 6 million to 12 million people in America every year, and though it's a year-round problem, outbreaks tend to occur at the beginning of the school year (when kids spend more time in close contact with one another) and when temperatures reach between 75 and 98.6 °F-the optimum for head lice. So as the spring and summer months approach, be on the lookout for these pesky critters.

According to Dirk M Elston, MD, with the Department of Dermatology, Geisinger Medical Center, head lice infestation among school children has reached epidemic proportions in many parts of the United States.

However, contrary to popular belief, lice do not discriminate against "the poor" or "the dirty" by infesting them more. In fact, Dr. Lois Dusdieker, associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Iowa College of Medicine, says, "A case of head lice should carry no social stigma, because just about every child gets head lice at some time."

And as for the myth that lice like "dirty hair"? "Head lice prefer a clean, healthy scalp, adult or child," says Dusdieker. The bottom line? No one is immune to catching head lice. Fortunately, though, head lice are annoying and unpleasant to think about, they don't cause any major harm, unless you scratch so much that a secondary skin infection develops.

The most common symptom of head lice is itching, which occurs after a person becomes sensitized to the lice saliva and essentially has an allergic reaction to it as they feed (lice feed on human blood). However, this typically doesn't occur for two or three months after the lice first hit your head, and it's possible to catch one or two lice and not even know that they're there for years!

Most people only realize that they have head lice when the itching starts, and by that time there may be a dozen lice on the scalp (typically there are no more than that at any given time). It's because lice can exist on a head for months with no symptoms that schools often perform routine "nit inspections." Nits are the tiny white eggs that lice lay. Finding nits in the hair, before many lice have hatched, makes it easier to treat the condition and keep it from spreading.

The Problem With Conventional Lice Shampoos

One reason why pediculosis, the technical term for infestation with head lice, is a growing problem is because the lice are becoming resistant to common, pesticide-based treatments. Some even say that a strain of "super lice," resistant to chemical treatments, have emerged.

But perhaps even more startling is how dangerous these pesticide-based shampoos are to our children. "Preparations like Rid and Kwell ... are definitely toxic to people," says Dr. Andrew Weil, MD. That's because they contain pediculicides, which are potent pesticides and insecticides designed to poison lice, but that can be absorbed directly into your child's scalp.

Here are some of the more commonly used head lice pesticides used in common treatments like RID, Kwell and Nix:

Lindane: Used in Kwell prescription-only lice shampoo, lindane is a neurotoxin that is absorbed through the skin. Says Ann Heil, a senior engineer with the Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County, "Lindane belongs to the same family of chemicals as DDT and PCBs, which have been banned in the United States."

Yet Lindane, which has been banned in more than 50 countries and in California, is still available in the United States. Lindane is absorbed through the skin and affects the nervous system. The United States Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry reports that lindane can cause:

• Liver and kidney damage
• Immune system damage
• Toxicity to the central nervous system
• Death

Lindane can also cause seizures and this cancer-causing chemical has been linked to higher rates of childhood brain cancer.

Malathion: An organophosphate that's used in the prescription-only lice remedy called Ovide. According to the EPA, this chemical can overstimulate the nervous system and cause nausea, dizziness, confusion, and, at very high exposures (such as those from major spills or accidents), respiratory paralysis and death.

Pyrethrums and Pyrethoids: Pyrethrum is derived from the chrysanthemum flower, yet pyrethrins, used in Nix lice shampoos, are pesticides that have been deemed dangerous enough to be banned from agricultural use in food production. They may cause pneumonia, muscle paralysis, vomiting, asthma, and death due to respiratory failure. Pyrethroids, the synthetic chemical counterparts used in RID lice treatments have similar effects.

A Natural and Safe Solution

Because today's conventional lice treatments are both dangerous for the chemicals they contain and increasingly ineffective due to lice developing resistance to them, we strongly urge you to avoid the conventional lice treatments!

NOTE: If you are a parent or grandparent, please email this important article to your school's administrators, as schools are one of the largest consumers of dangerous pesticides!

After extensive review, we highly recommend you use Lice B Gone™, a safe, non-toxic, 100 percent pesticide-free multi-enzyme shampoo made from natural plant sources. This extra-strength formula has been clinically proven to effectively remove lice and nits without harmful pesticides or irritating chemicals.

Remember that lice, though irritating, will not cause serious harm to you or your child-but the conventional lice treatments very well could. For this reason, we urge you to forward this article about the potential dangers of conventional lice shampoos to your friends and loved ones (especially those with kids), and to school administrators, so that a minor (albeit annoying) problem does not turn into a serious health issue.

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Recommended Reading

The Dangers of Pesticides and the EPA's Harrowing Plan to Test Them on Kids

That Little Mouse in Your House is Even MORE Dangerous Than We Thought

Dog Bites, a Shocking U.S. Epidemic (Especially Among Kids)

Sources

Harvard School of Public Health

EMedicine: Lice

Head Lice: Myths of the Bug

L.I.C.E.

Lindane Education and Research Network

Dangers of Pesticide Lice Treatments