Lice invade school, yikes!
Dear Dr. Donohue: An outbreak of lice hit my 8-year-old son’s school. He brought home a sheet of instructions about what to do for any infected child. He was infected. He catches everything. We followed the instructions, but he hasn’t been allowed back into school. They say he still has lice. What are we supposed to do? He’s not scratching like he was. — C.P.
Answer: Mothers are horrified to learn their child has picked up lice, usually at school. Sometimes schools enforce unreasonable regulations for permitting children to return to classes, and sometimes they have inspectors far too zealous in their search for undercover lice. Maybe your son is a victim of lice phobia.
Head lice spread via close contact of the uninfected with the infected and through sharing hats and combs.
A female louse is a true reproductive machine. She lays more than 100 eggs, called nits, which stick to hairs. In eight to 10 days, the nits hatch and rapidly mature into adults. When the adult louse pierces the skin to obtain a blood meal, she simultaneously salivates. The saliva induces an intolerable itch. Adult lice can live for 30 days on the scalp. On inanimate objects — clothes, bedding, toys — they live only about three days.
There are four commonly used medicines — Nix, Elimite, Rid and Ovid — that usually eliminate the pests if directions for application are followed to the letter. Most of these products require a second application seven to 10 days after the first application. The second course takes care of hatching nits.
In Britain, it’s a common practice not to use medicines. The infected person’s hair is wetted, and a fine-toothed comb (a louse comb, if you will) is run through the wet hair to dislodge lice and nits. This procedure is repeated four days in a row. The comb is washed in hot, soapy water after each use. Adopting this treatment might get your son back to his school desk.
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Dear Dr. Donohue: At bedtime I have to take a large pill. I can’t get it down. I take a swig of water and throw my head back while swallowing. The darn thing sticks in my throat every time. Any hints? — W.P.
Answer: Stop the head throwing. It’s making it impossible for the pill to go down freely. If you want to bend your head, bend it slightly downward toward your chest when you swallow. That opens up the throat, and the pill can slip down.
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Dear Dr. Donohue: I love water aerobics. They’re easy on my knees and hips. However, the pool water is so cold that I shiver most of the time, even though I am active. What’s the proper temperature for pool water? — K.K.
Answer: Most people find a water temperature between 83 and 86 degrees Fahrenheit (28 to 30 C) to their liking. Water in those temperatures is not cold enough to chill you nor warm enough to interfere with body heat transfer, heat being generated by the exercising muscles.