A.Vogel Herbal Remedies

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Stop Scratching!

by Alison, on 11 May 2012, Herbal Remedies
Head Lice

How peculiar a feature is it of the human psyche that one of our smallest and least lethal enemies arouses the most extreme reaction? Just the word ‘nit’ has the power to tip a rational adult head first into a squirming, scratching maelstrom of paranoia.

Well maybe they have reason. Head lice will, if given the slightest encouragement, establish colonies on human heads, feasting at regular intervals on the ocean of blood available to them by mining into the tender scalp at their feet.

Head to Head with lice

Head lice have no wings and cannot jump, swim or fly – they rely on crawling from head to head, so you can only ‘catch’ them by getting up close and personal with an infested head.

Not only are the invading hordes hungry, they’re also hardy. The effectiveness of current synthetic treatments is declining as lice become more resistant to them. [1] This is because synthetic treatments have a single mode of action on head lice, so a simple genetic change in the lice can make them resistant to the treatment. [2] Unfortunately synthetics treatments may end up having more unpleasant effects on the human host than the parasite, with some of the chemicals used in these products now considered to present medical risks. [3]

Many parents are therefore turning to less toxic methods, hitting the nits with Neem head lice treatment.

Scientists first had their attention drawn to the powers of Neem when they witnessed a plague of locusts in India, and realised that the only trees left untouched by the winged ravagers were the Neem trees. Insects avoid this tree, the leaves and seeds of which are capable of doing great damage to insect life generally whilst, rather pleasingly, having no adverse effects on mammals, ladybirds or bees.

No resistance has ever been seen to Neem, despite years of use on 300 types of pests throughout the world. This may be because Neem affects the louse’s feeding mechanism so that it can’t take blood meals. [4] Being unable to take blood meals effectively means it can’t feed, and thus it can’t grow or breed, and soon dies. Lice can’t develop any defences against this multifactorial onslaught, which will meanwhile harm the human head not one jot.

However much you may dislike the fact, head lice infestation is an inevitable feature of a normal, active childhood, just like a snotty nose. Keep a cap on it with these strategies.

  • Check regularly for infestation, especially after sleepovers or parties, or any hat-sharing events! The eggs are whitish and tend to be clustered in the nape of the neck, on the crown of the head, and behind the ears
  • Don’t let children share hair brushes
  • Don’t panic over what may turn out to be dandruff or debris – if you can flick it off then it’s not nits
  • In case of an infestation, treat the whole family and repeat the treatment a week later to catch larvae that have hatched since the first time treatment

[1] Pray WS. US Pharm 2010; 35 (3): 10-15

[2] Burgess IF. Annu Rev Entomol 2004; 49: 457-481

[3] Med Lett Drugs Ther 1999; 41: 73-74

[4] Trumm, P. and Dorn, A. Phytoparasitica 2000; 28: 7-26

Reactions

  • Gill Schweizer, 403 days ago

    interesting article – but what neem products would you use for a 4 year old and a baby – would it just be the shampoo – how long would you leave it on for and how often repeat? my grandson is having recurrent infections and my daughter is worried about the amount of chemicals being used.

    • Alison, 400 days ago

      I would suggest using the regular Neem shampoo in place of your usual shampoo, using it as you would a normal shampoo, and then use Riddance if and when you see signs of lice. You can use Riddance on children of all ages, and in fact it’s important to treat the whole family to avoid immediate re-infestation. There are no chemicals in Riddance or the regular shampoo, and Neem doesn’t harm mammals and insects such as ladybirds and butterflies, but just the horrible ones like lice!

      • Anniza, 371 days ago

        hi i have three girls that have constant head lice, don’t waste your money on any more looitn it doesn’t work and it cost a fortune,i have just had recommended to me the nitty gritty nit comb, i used it today and i can honestly say its worth its weight in gold. wash hair as normal and rinse apply any cheap conditioner and use this comb, it removes everything and i mean everything, my youngest was infested with eggs that normal nit combs slid by, as from to day no eggs! the teeth are longer on this comb and each tooth has a extra piece rotating all the way down and it just takes the nits and lice away without pulling, if you want more info type the name into google and you will find out all the info you need, you won’t be disappointed if you buy one!References :

  • Andini, 371 days ago

    tell them to NEVER share clothes, hats, bruehss, hairbands, etc. with the other kids, check their heads regularly, wash their clothes often even if they don’t look dirty, if the kids have “nap time” or something like that at school, consider getting them their own private mats so they don’t share with other kids, get other mothers to check their kids’ heads often and talk to the school office about regular school-wide lice checks- in my old school, if the nurse found you had lice you weren’t allowed back in school until you got rid of it all (the school checked)- so consider getting the school to adopt a rule like that. in the event your kids DO get lice, keep them out of school until they get rid of it ALL (this usually takes a week or less if you catch the lice early) SH 206 is a GREAT shampoo to get rid of the lice. good luck!!! =)References :

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