Head Lice - Check Yourself Daily
The head louse is a wingless insect that lives on the human scalp and feeds exclusively on human blood. It has lived with us for thousands of years as a species, and most of us have experienced the frustration of having them as parasites at some point in our lives, most often when we were children, when we were most susceptible to being infected. Every year, between six and twelve million Americans deal with having head lice or body lice.
It is quite simple to diagnose for head lice. You can look for the shiny white eggs in the hair or the presence of lice bites. However, the best way to check if a person has head lice would be to use a lice comb. The lice comb can be examined after combing their hair thoroughly, for any presence of lice.
If you are worried about head lice in your child please check their heads on a regular basis. That is the best way to prevent the problem. Schools in the United States generally have a policy that states that a child with head lice must remain at home until the problem has been cleared up.
This can stop kids from spreading lice, but occasionally they are not exposed for an extended period of time. In this case the youngster could have spread them. It's imperative to test your own child frequently, particularly if they are between four and twelve years old.
If your child is doing a lot of head and scalp scratching, it might be a sign of head lice. If your child does have lice, you'll have to clean all bed clothes and towels frequently. Don't send your child back to school until you're sure all the nits are gone because lice are easily transferred to others. Keeping your child's hair in a shorter style makes it easier to check the scalp and may help prevent the problem.
There are a number of treatment options available if your or you child is infested with lice. You can use silicone based lotions on the market, natural products or even hot hair to kill them and remove the problem. Whichever treatment option you use, it is important to note that no treatment method is one hundred percent effective and constant vigilance is required during treatment to prevent a relapse.
Between six and twelve million people in the U.S. alone struggle with infestations of head lice and body lice each year. Lice date back to ancient times, and they have lived as parasites on our bodies and scalps ever since. An adult louse has no wings, so when he finds a head to live on, he's there to stay. His only food is human blood. Living on the scalp means he always has a ready food source. It's a rare person who has never had to deal with lice with children being the most susceptible to infestations.
Published February 16th, 2008
