Parents: Don’t Feel Bullied Because of Head Lice!
Parents: Don’t Feel Bullied Because of Head Lice!
Bullying is a common occurrence these days, unfortunately, but it’s not just children who are being bullied. A recent survey shows that parents can feel bullied, too, especially when it comes to head lice in the family.
Ben Silva, owner of Lice Clinics of Canada in Oakville & Kitchener, wants to help take the pressure off parents struggling with the stress and embarrassment of head lice.
“Parents are nervous about head lice because they think they will be shamed,” said Silva. “A OnePoll survey of 2,000 U.S. parents—conducted in conjunction with Lice Clinics of America—found that 52 per cent of parents feel judged by other moms and dads when their child comes home with head lice.
Part of the stigma includes the idea that head lice are associated with poor hygiene, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. The medical world has busted this myth, over and over, but the perception persists. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states, “Personal hygiene or cleanliness in the home or school has nothing to do with getting head lice.”
“Children get head lice from other people, plain and simple,” said Silva. “Head-to-head contact with a person who has head lice is the most common way to contract it.”
There’s also some evidence to suggest that head lice are actually a sign of cleanliness. Lisa Lewis, a pediatrician in Fort Worth, Texas, told Readers Digest. “Lice don’t adhere easily to oily, greasy, or dirty hair. They love to infest nice, clean, thick hair.” However, lice do not discriminate and will also infest dirty or oily hair, too.
One reason that parents dread head lice when lice enter their lives is that the bugs have become very difficult to treat. Traditional lice treatment products, if they work, require weeks of application and hours of tedious nitpicking.
Unfortunately, those traditional products rarely work. Many parents try and fail to treat head lice with those products because head lice have become immune to the chemical pesticides in them. “The most recent study in the Journal of Medical Entomology found that so-called ‘super lice’ comprise 98 per cent of head lice in most U.S. states,” said Silva.
The good news is that Lice Clinics of Canada in Oakville & Kitchener can help. The clinic is part of a network of more than 300 lice treatment centres in more than 36 countries offering head lice treatment using the Health Canada-cleared AirAllé medical device. The AirAllé has been clinically shown to kill live lice and more than 99 per cent of eggs using heated air to dehydrate them.
“Our Signature treatment takes about 90 minutes and is guaranteed to be effective,” said Silva. “This means you will leave our clinic lice-free in one visit.
“Many local health units don’t deal with lice anymore because research proves that lice don’t carry diseases.” “Head lice are not a health concern—more of a medical nuisance,” continued Silva. “A simple problem has finally met a simple solution—no more blaming or feeling shame about a mere inconvenience.”
To learn more, visit www.liceclinicsontario.ca, or call 519-208-5423.
