Nits

[Guest guest]

Last weeks letter section of the BMJ, No 7347,

" Experienced based treatment of head lice " page 1220

- written in response to a previous article that said

that bug busting was ineffective.

Several doctors advocate bug busting (wet combing with conditioner) in

favour of chemical controls and offer the following advice:

" Some combs are ineffective as they extract only adult lice.

Therefore, very fine tooth combs are recommended.

The two-piece comb (ITAX;Gadimex) has barely any

space between the teeth and can extract the smallest juvenile lice.

Protocol: wash hair and apply conditioner; bush and then comb hair

thoroughly; rinse. Every four days for at least two weeks until there are

not signs of nits. "

" Community Hygiene Concern (www.chc.org/bugbusting) provides kits and

instructions at reasonable cost. "

" On an Australian government website

(www.health.qld.gov.au/phs/shpu/9169_doc.pdf) dry combing with conditioner

is advocated as the most effective way of finding and treating head lice in

primary school children. "

" Tea tree oil shampoo followed by extraction of nits with conditioner and

comb every two to three days for a week or so. " However, there is a word of

warning from Nigel Hill a medical entomologist " Although many pharmacists

advocate tea tree oil as a cure for lice, most are unaware that, volume for

volume, it is more toxic to mammals than malathion. "

" Colin Dewar, a research psychiatrist recommends an extremely short hair

cut, followed by a sponge over with methylated spirits. Neat alcohol is

highly toxic to arthropods, with out causing any damage to the skin of

humans when used occasionally. " I don't expect that will be very popular

with many parents or children!

With regard to chemical control methods such as pyrethrin, permethrin and

malathion, the doctors either found them to be ineffective or if effective,

the children needed repeat treatments due to repeated reinfection which led

to increased resistance. (According to the earlier BMJ article, in

some areas of the UK, invitro levels of resistance to permethrin and

malathion may be as high as 87% and 64% respectively.) They found that bug

busting, although not immediately effective was more effective in the

long run as resistance can't occur. There was no mention of other concerns

about the use of organophosphates and other pediculicides.

The article states, " no evidence exists regarding the effectiveness of

herbal treatments in the curative treatment of lice " .

In view of all the positive responses from herbalists, wouldn't this be

an interesting topic for research or perhaps an article in our Journal on

herbalists experienced based treatment of head lice? Any offers?

best wishes,

Charlotte Stedman BSc (Herb.Med.), MNIMH

North London

charlotte.stedman2@...