"Twenty years ago, clinical trials showed that nearly 100 percent of
adult and juvenile lice were killed by shampooing with permethrin (in
Nix) and pyrethrins (in Rid)."
"Since then, however, lice have evolved. They've gotten tougher.
Technically speaking, it's incorrect to say that the insecticides have
caused lice to toughen up. Rather, some lice randomly mutate in a way
that provides resistance to insecticides, and the mutants are the ones
that survive, says John Clark, a professor of toxicology who studies
lice at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. "If one of these
mutations leads to insensitivity so that the compound no longer kills
the individual," he says, "then that individual becomes resistant. It
survives, reproduces, and then that mutation is basically fixed in the
population." Survival of the fittest."
"The truth is that when I used an insecticide the first time, I was
helping select for a stronger louse. Any lice that survived my son's
treatment may have had a mutation that made them harder to kill the next
time."
The Head Nitpicker
"Fortunately, there's a better way, as demonstrated by Abigail
Rosenfeld, a professional nitpicker extraordinaire who was profiled in
The New Yorker several years ago as "The Lice Lady." Rosenfeld, who
lives in Brooklyn and started picking nits for her family and friends
when she was 13, sums up her simple method this way:
"Rosenfeld offered to share her technique because she is a kind
person, someone who radiates compassion, exactly the woman you'd want to
go to if your head or your child's were crawling with insects. Quite
simply, she loves children. Rosenfeld, an Orthodox Jew, has 13 of them.
Her youngest is 2, and her oldest, at 22, is married with a child of her
own."
"Miriam says she was happy with the results. "Abby removed all of the lice and nits, educated us on what to do at home, and most
importantly, gave me the confidence and tools to continue the difficult
treatment..."
Read the complete article http://family.go.com/parenting/pkg-school-age/article-826294-lice---how-to-get-rid-of-lice-t/
Back to top
NY METRO PARENTS
The Lice Lady
"My son’s scalp was pink and
tender from nit-picking. My own head felt prickly by association and despite
the school nurse’s assurance that I was clean,
I felt just the opposite."
'For 20 years, she’s been
dispensing lice advice and keeping Brooklyn kids
nit-free, one head at a time. “The Lice
Lady,” she said, laughing. “That’s what they call me.”
'A mother of 13 (her youngest is
one), she started fighting the good fight when a local teacher told her about a
child who had missed three weeks of school because she had severe head
lice. Rosenfeld said cleaned the child
up and sent her back to her school where the school nurse nearly fell over in
amazement. She said the nurse had never
seen a child with such a head teeming with critters cleaned up so quickly."
She pooh-poohs the home remedies
as ridiculous. “They’re just
making a mess with their kids and themselves. It’s not pleasant for anyone,” said Rosenfeld.
Nor does she recommend over the
counter or prescription medicated shampoos. Her theory: if they’re not safe for pregnant women, babies or small
children, they’re probably poison.
Posted on March 06, 2007 - by
Mary MacRae Warren
Read the complete article
http://www.nymetroparents.com/blogs/viewblog.cfm?blogid=1224
Back to top
TIME OUT NEW YORK KIDS
Bug thug
It starts mysteriously, with a sudden head-scratching habit, followed by the
dreaded call from a school nurse announcing a rampant case of head lice (a.k.a.
pediculosis). Even veteran moms panic when faced with removing these creepy
crawlers from their kids’ heads. But the bugs don’t faze Abigail Rosenfeld,
self-proclaimed “Lice Lady” of Brookyn. Rosenfeld, the proud
mom of 13 children ages one to 21 (wow!), travels to homes in the tristate area
to rid kids of lice—without chemicals and usually within an hour. Her secret:
baking soda, conditioner and a fancy European comb that effectively separates
the varmints from the scalp.
Read the complete article http://newyorkkids.timeout.com/articles/around-town/22582/come-to-me
Back to top