Originally published August 15 2005
Wet combing more effective than chemicals for treating lice
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
As the countdown to the new school year begins, parents may be interested to know that according to a new study, fine combing wet hair is a much more effective way of eliminating head lice than over-the-counter chemical treatments.
People who used wet combing were four times more likely to rid themselves of head lice than those who used insecticide products, they found.
Wet combing works by removing the adult lice, thereby stopping them laying any more eggs which should eventually stop the infestation.
Frequent, repeated use of insecticide products is not recommended and lice are beginning to develop resistance to these chemicals, called pediculicides.
Nigel Hill and his team asked the parents of 126 children aged 2-15 with head louse infestations to use pharmacy-bought insecticide products or the wet combing method, called Bug Busting, after washing the hair with normal shampoo and conditioner.
Overall, 56 of the children were treated using the Bug Busting method and 70 using over-the-counter delousing products.
The researchers then checked how many still had head lice two to four days after the volunteers had finished their treatment.
The cure rate of the Bug Busting method was far higher than that of the chemical treatment - 57% compared to 13%.
The authors said: "For every two or three people using the Bug Buster kit rather than pediculicides an extra person would be cured."
In the UK, experts generally recommend a further dose is used a week later to catch any eggs that evaded the first treatment and have hatched.
Dr Richard Roberts, consultant in clinical disease control at the National Public Health Service for Wales, said: "This shows that Bug Busting can work.
He said some parents might get on better using the lotions, while others who have more time to dedicate to combing out the lice, which can take up to half an hour if the child has very long hair, might prefer non-chemical Bug Busting.
Also, pregnant women and children under the age of one should not use the chemical lotions, he said.
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