Study: 98% Of Head Lice In 42 States Now Resistant To Common Treatments

The Daily Caller ^ | August 2nd, 2016 | Kerry Picket

[Mariner]

Lice are becoming more difficult to eradicate in young children’s hair, according to a study released last week in the Journal of Medical Entomology (JME).

New evidence shows that head lice have developed resistance to two types of common over the counter insecticide treatments for lice infestation. JME studied 48 states and found that, on average, 98 percent of head lice in at least 42 states managed to grow gene mutations that enable them to become resistant to different insecticides other wise known as pyrethrins, pyrethroids, and permathrins.

[Mariner]

Kerosene still works.

As does 90% alcohol.

[WENDLE]

This is absolutely, without a doubt, FROM ILLEGAL ALLIENS!!

[VTenigma]

Beat me to it.

[Mariner]

Of course it is.

[HoneysuckleTN]

Olive oil.

[Fai Mao]

Shave the heads

[kalee]

I have heard mayonnaise works.

[Fungi]

Really? I have never read that. It works?

[Stentor]

Shave the heads

Of the illegal aliens.

[Fai Mao]

No, just the kids with lice.

Then spray mattresses and pillows, use a bug bomb in the bedroom and thoroughly wash all bed linen.

I’ve dealt with kids that had lice in 3rd world conditions they aren’t that hard to deal with.

[BradyLS]

So glad we have head lice and bedbugs under control in the shiny future of 2016. /s

[stars & stripes forever]

Would diatomaceous earth do the trick?

[stars & stripes forever]

Would diatomaceous earth do the trick?]

YES. Dr. Mercola lists several natural remedies...

You Don’t Need Drugs to Get Rid of Head Lice

While medicated shampoos are touted as the best way to get rid of head lice, you have to decide whether you really want to slather your child’s hair up with pesticides… especially when they may not kill the lice and there are other effective alternatives.

For starters, coat your child’s hair in olive oil or coconut oil. This is often said to work by asphyxiating the lice, although this is controversial. Some research even suggests that depriving lice of oxygen by putting them underwater for eight hours is not enough to kill them, and one study found applying olive oil did not result in significant lice mortality.8

Coconut oil, on the other hand, appears to be a useful lice treatment option, as it’s been found to lead to 80 percent mortality in head lice after four hours.9 A spray made of coconut and anise was also found to work better at killing head lice than a permethrin lotion.10

Coconut oil (as well as olive oil) is also useful because it lubricates the hair, making it easier to remove lice and eggs. And this is key. Using an extra-fine-toothed lice comb to manually remove lice and eggs is one of the most effective tools available.11 You can also remove the insects with your fingers.

In fact, a growing number of “nitpicker” companies have popped up in recent years, which will manually remove lice from your child’s hair for a cost of $90 to $250 an hour. Many combine the combing/brushing with an oil application to make removal easier, and again this is something you can do yourself at home. You may need to repeat the treatment two or three times to be sure you’ve removed all newly hatched lice.

3 More Natural Lice Treatments to Try

There’s really no reason to apply neurotoxic pesticides to your child’s head. Many will find a combination of coconut oil and manual removal to be quite effective, but you can also try:

1. Diatomaceous Earth (DE)

Diatomaceous earth is made form tiny fossilized water plants called diatoms. The diatoms are ground up to make a fine, chalky powder that’s rich in minerals and toxic to insects. DE works because it absorbs fats from the insects’ protective outer coating, drying them out, and killing them.

DE is non-toxic to humans, although you should be careful to avoid breathing in the dust, especially for a prolonged period. For lice treatment, first place a t-shirt upside down over your child’s head so the collar forms a seal around the scalp.

Apply diatomaceous earth to your child’s hair, being careful to keep the dust inside of the t-shirt “bag.” Tie off the open end of the t-shirt and massage the DE into your child’s scalp. Allow it to sit overnight, then shampoo it out the next day. This should be followed by a thorough combing with an extra-fine comb. You may need to repeat the treatment once a week for three weeks.12

2. Tea Tree Oil

Tea tree oil has been long valued for its antifungal, antibacterial, and antiviral properties, however it’s also very effective at killing head lice. An application of 1 percent tea tree oil killed 100 percent of head lice after 30 minutes in one study.13 One option is to mix several drops of tea tree oil with the coconut oil you apply to your child’s scalp. You can also find tea tree oil shampoos that may be effective (especially when combined with the DE treatment described above).

3. Hot Air

Various devices are available that kill head lice using hot air. Once such device, the LouseBuster, killed nearly 100 percent of lice eggs and 80 percent of hatched lice, even when operated at a comfortable temperature, it’s slightly cooler than a standard blow dryer.14 The LouseBuster is sold to nurses, schools, and hospitals, as well as so-called “lice salons” that specialize in non-toxic lice removal.15 According to the journal Pediatrics:16

“Our findings demonstrate that one 30-minute application of hot air has the potential to eradicate head lice infestations. In summary, hot air is an effective, safe treatment and one to which lice are unlikely to evolve resistance.”

Head lice is, unfortunately, quite common, affecting 6 million to 12 million US kids every year.17 But if your child gets sent home from school with a case, don’t panic – and don’t rush to the drug store for toxic lice removal shampoos. By using one or more of the natural methods described above, you should be able to quickly rid your child’s hair of lice without the use of dangerous chemicals. And if you’re not up for tackling the job yourself, there are many professional lice removal salons that will do it for you (just be sure to choose one that uses only chemical-free methods).

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2015/09/02/mutant-head-lice.aspx

[Duchess47]

It seems like it would. I just read today that Tea Tree Oil either in the shampoos or in spray bottle sprayed on the hair works.

[FlingWingFlyer]

Same as the illegal aliens who keeping bringing it in.

[Fiji Hill]

Back when I was in grade school five decades ago, we used to tease each other about having “cooties,” which, of course, were imaginary. Thanks to illegal immigration, “cooties” are now a reality in America.

[doc maverick]

You can thank the stupid libbies and regulations from governmental agencies for this.
They do not allow chemicals that might even kill a flea anymore.

[Duchess47]

You beat me, I should read the whole thread. :) Lots more information in your post also. Thanks. (I have a grandson in school)

[windcliff]

ping

[HoneysuckleTN]

Olive oil works. I would think any oil would. Drowns the suckers and makes the sticky nits easier to remove with a fine-toothed comb. I used it on my daughter's hair many years ago.

Mayonnaise is mostly oil, so I imagine that would work, too!