Head Lice

HEAD LICE

The information in this article is intended as a helpful guide only. It is not intended to be used as a substitute for professional advice. If you have any questions about your medications and what is right for you see your doctor, pharmacist or other health care professional.

We seem to be getting a lot of lice questions again. We are selling more lice treatments again. We are getting phone calls from schools with treatment questions. I thought is was time for another lice review.

What are lice? Head lice are parasites that live in humans’ hair. The scientific name for them is Pediculus Humanus, and they are wingless insects with six legs. They are tiny grey insects that are the size of a pinhead and can barely be seen with the naked eye. They multiply very quickly. Females lay 7 to 10 oval and whitish eggs called nits every day. Seven to ten days later, the nits hatch and are called nymphs. The nymphs mature in 10-14 days and lay more eggs. So the whole life-cycle is about 30 days.

So how is head lice transmitted? Lice are transmitted directly by close contact from one infested scalp to another and indirectly by sharing personal articles that come in contact with the head, i.e. brushes, hats, etc. Children from 3 to 10 years old are the most affected age group. However, anyone can get lice, regardless of sex, race, age, hair length or socio-economic status.

There are a lot of myths and misconceptions about head lice. Lice is not a sign that your child’s hair isn’t clean. Lice actually prefer clean hair. Lice cannot fly and lice cannot jump. Lice can only survive on humans; therefore you cannot get lice simply by being in contact with pets, sand, grass, trees or plants.

What are the symptoms of having lice? Persistent itching, especially around the ears and back of the scalp. There can be small sores, or small scabs on the person’s scalp or neck. If these sores get infected, there can be pus.

How do you recognized head lice? First you should see nits (the eggs) attached to the base of the hair shafts on the warmer parts of the scalp (the back and sides). The egg or nit is oval and glued to the hair. Nits are laid close to the scalp for warmth, usually around the ears and the nape of the neck. Live nits are brownish in color, and dead ones are whitish. Dandruff, hair casts, and hair spray globules are sometimes mistaken for nits. You can tell that they are not nits because they can be easily removed, while nits are firmly cemented to the hair and can only be removed with the fingernails or a fine toothed nit comb. Nits found more than 1.0 cm from the scalp have grown out with the hair and have either hatched or are dead. The nymph is a miniature replica of the adult louse, but it cannot reproduce. It goes through three stages before becoming an adult. And then there is the adult. It is approximately 1-2 mm in length. It is elongated in shape, greyish, has six claw like legs, and no wings. It avoids light by staying away from the top of the head and is usually found around the ears and nape of the neck.

The main product used to treat head lice is permethrin (one of the brand names is Nix). It actually sticks around for up to ten days after use to kill any more lice that hatch. It is generally the product of first choice because is very good at killing the eggs, it has low toxicity and it sticks around for about 10 days. Although it is not absolutely necessary to do a repeat application, it is often recommended that one uses the permethrin again in 7 to 10 days. There is a similar product to permethrin on the market and it contains natural pyrethrins (one of the brand names is R&C Shampoo). It is not as good as permethrin at killing the eggs. It doesn’t hang around after application. It must be reapplied in 7 to 10 days for it to be effective. Both permethrin and pyrthrins can cause allergic reactions in ragweed or chrysanthemum sensitive individuals. There are older products that contain lindane available as well. Lindane is not as good as permethrin at killing eggs. It doesn’t stick around so you must do a second application in 7-10 days for it to be effective. About 10% of the lindane actually goes into the rest of your body and it can accumulate with repeated exposure. It can cause seizures and other neurologic disorders so lindane is not my favorite product.

Because of the perceived lack of effectiveness of some of the commercially available products, the Dauphin Clinic Pharmacy has developed an all natural oil lice treatment. It coats the hair and suffocates the lice. It can be used as an alternative to the commercially available products.

Some non-medication measures should be taken when a family member gets lice. Combs and brushes should be soaked in alcohol or Lysol for one hour; or they can be soaked in water 65oC or hotter for 10 minutes. Bedding, towels, and clothing should be washed in hot water and dried in a dryer for 20 minutes to an hour. It is actually the heat from the dryer that kills the lice. Other items may be dry-cleaned or stored in a sealed plastic bag for 2 weeks. Lice can’t live away from human contact for very long, so the two weeks allows the eggs to hatch and the new lice to die. Some people have even stored these plastic bags full of teddy-bears etc. in the freezer. Vacuuming of carpets and furniture is also a good idea.

The eggs, or nits, are very difficult and tedious to remove because they are cemented onto hairs. Hold the hair at its end and comb towards the scalp with a fine toothed comb or tweezers. Vinegar and water in a 1:1 ratio can be used to help dissolve the cement that holds the nits onto the hair.

As always if you have any questions or concerns about these products, ask your pharmacist.

Bowl of Hygeia

Bowl of Hygeia

By Dauphin Clinic Pharmacy Staff

We now have this and most other articles published in the Parkland Shopper on our Website. Please visit us at www.dcp.mb.ca

The information in this article is intended as a helpful guide only. It is not intended to be used as a substitute for professional advice. If you have any questions about your medications and what is right for you see your doctor, pharmacist or other health care professional.

We have received quite a few questions at the pharmacy about the award Myles won. In case you missed the ads in the paper, Myles Haverluck, owner of the Dauphin Clinic Pharmacy was awarded the Bowl of Hygeia award on April 16, 2005. The Staff at the Dauphin Clinic Pharmacy would like to congratulate Myles on this prestigious award.

The Bowl of Hygeia symbol comes from Greek mythology and is the most widely recognized international symbol of pharmacy. Hygeia was the daughter and assistant of Aesculapius (sometimes spelled Asklepios), the god of medicine and healing. Hygeia’s classical symbol was a bowl containing a medicinal potion with the serpent of wisdom (or guardianship) partaking it. This is the same serpent of wisdom that appears on the caduceus, the staff of Aesculapius, which is the symbol of medicine.

The Bowl of Hygeia award is given each year to one pharmacists in each Canadian province, each US State, the District of Columbia (i.e. Washington, DC), and Puerto Rico. The Award is given to a pharmacist to recognize their outstanding community service. The Bowl of Hygeia has been awarded since 1958 and is generally recognized as the most prestigious award a community pharmacist can receive.

Myles is well recognized as a community lead in Dauphin. The staff at the pharmacy have imperfect memories, so this list is incomplete, but here is our best effort to list some of Mr. Haverluck’s community service:
- Strategic Planning for Dauphin Medical Group and Dauphin Clinic Pharmacy
- Chairman of Parkland Mental Health Advisory Council
- Member of Provincial Mental Health Council to Minister of Health (Don Orchard)
- Public speaking and interactive seminars with: High School Career Days, Senior Citizen Groups, Church Groups, Addictions Foundation of Manitoba, Mental Health, Diabetic Groups, Canadian Diabetes Association, Fibromialgia, LPN associations, Arthritis Self Help, Second Year Family Medicine Residents
- Written articles for the local paper
- Canadian Red Cross board
- Handivan Board
- Economic Development Board
- Annual Golf Tournament with proceeds going to local charities
- Dauphin Clinic Pharmacy Cash Spiel Title sponsor
- Countryfest Corporate Sponsor
- Jeus Manifest Sponsor
- Dauphin Kings major sponsor
- Figure skating competition donations
- At one time or other supported all the schools in the Parkland Area – e.g. Speakers for career day, donations for sports teams
- Sponsor of Dauphin Agricultural Society Fair
- Contribution to Dauphin Festival of the Arts – trophies and awards
- Spring Lunch Tour – pharmacy staff travels to several Dauphin Seniors complexes, and community centers in communities up to an hour away. We cater and serve lunch to the seniors who come to enjoy the socialization and health issues discussions.
- Member of the Kinsmen Club of Dauphin – motto “Serving the community’s greatest needs.”
- Member of the K-40’s Club of Dauphin

So again, congratulations to Myles Haverluck for his award.

As always if you have any questions or concerns about these or other products, ask your pharmacist.