Are Mutant Lice Headed Your Way?
September 02, 2015
Story at-a-glance
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In the US and Canada, 99.6 percent of lice tested had
developed gene mutations making them resistant to common
over-the-counter lice shampoos
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Lice from 25 of 30 states sampled were also found to
carry resistant genes
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In California, Florida, Maine, and Minnesota, every
insect sampled was resistant to the toxic pesticide
permethrin, a common active ingredient in lice shampoos
By Dr. Mercola
Only one thing sends more shivers down the spines of school-aged
children’s parents than head lice… and that is mutant head
lice. Research from 2014 of lice samples from the US and Canada
showed almost all of the insects (99.6 percent) had developed gene
mutations making them resistant to common over-the-counter lice
shampoos.1
Such shampoos often contain the toxic pesticide permethrin… which
should not be placed anywhere near a child’s scalp due to the health
risks alone. But now it appears the chemicals will no longer be very
effective either.
Pesticide-Resistant Lice Widespread in the US
The researchers from the above-mentioned study conducted another
study this year that was presented at the American Chemical Society
meeting in August. They sampled lice from 30 states and found lice
from 25 of them carried the resistance genes.
In California, Florida, Maine, and Minnesota, every
insect sampled was resistant. The problem with resistance was first
detected in the 1990s and has been growing since. As CNN reported:2
“The insecticides in these products are supposed to work
by getting into the nerve cells of lice and changing the cells'
chemistry in a way that leads to muscle paralysis and eventually
death.
However, there are lice that randomly have mutations in
genes that make them less susceptible to these insecticides,
said Richard Pollack, a public health entomologist at Harvard
University.
It is not clear how, but it could be that these genetic
changes cause insect nerve cells to take up less insecticide or
to pump more of it out of the cells. When these insecticides are
used a lot, the naturally resistant, probably rare, lice have a
survival advantage.
Just like how bacterial populations can become resistant
to antibiotics, these lice take over the population, Pollack
said.”
The study was funded by pharmaceutical company Sanofi, which owns
Sklice lotion, a newer generation lice-fighting product that
contains the anti-parasitic drug ivermectin (and may cost up to
$200, plus the doctor’s visit for a prescription).
But although these newer products will be touted as the solution
to the mutant head lice, it’s likely only a matter of time before
they develop resistance to the newer chemicals too. CNN noted:3
“There may be lice that harbor some level of resistance
to these newer products and they would eventually take over the
population if the other products became widely used, Pollack
said. ‘I do expect that we will see resistance to any product
with the exception perhaps of combing and heat and smothering
the lice,’ Pollack said.”
Why Pyrethroid Insecticides Should Be Avoided…
Pyrethroid insecticides such as permethrin are the active
ingredients in most over-the-counter lice shampoos. Pyrethroids —
synthetic chemicals derived from natural chemicals found in
chrysanthemums — have risen in popularity over the past decade.
There are currently more than 3,500 commercial products containing
this insecticide.
This includes items like roach sprays, flea bombs, and dog flea
or tick collars and medicated shampoos. Lice shampoos may also
contain pyrethrins, which are botanical insecticides derived from
chrysanthemums.
Both pyrethroids and pyrethrins have similar chemical structures
and act in a similar manner. According to the US Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA):4
“Most pyrethrins and some pyrethroid products are
formulated with synergists, such as piperonyl butoxide and
MGK-264, to enhance the pesticidal properties of the product.
These synergists have no pesticidal effects of their own but
enhance the effectiveness of other chemicals.”
This is the case with RID lice shampoo, which contains 4 percent
piperonyl butoxide along with pyrethrum extract equivalent to 0.33
percent pyrethrins.5
Animal studies suggest pyrethroids cause neurological, immune, and
reproductive damage. Canadian research also suggests pyrethroids may
be associated with behavior problems in children.
The study tested urine samples from 779 Canadian children, aged 6
to 11, and the parents answered questions relating to their child's
behavior. Almost all (97 percent) of the children had pyrethroid
breakdown products in their urine.6
A 10-fold increase in urinary levels of one specific pyrethroid
breakdown product doubled the child’s risk of scoring high for
parent-reported behavioral problems, such as inattention and
hyperactivity.
A previous study also found that toddlers who had been exposed to
pyrethroids while in utero had lower development scores compared to
unexposed children. According to a 2006 EPA review, animal research
has also shown that even low levels of some of these compounds have
an adverse effect on:7
Immune function |
Nervous system development |
Behavioral development |
Thyroid |
Liver |
Reproductive hormones |
Some pyrethroids act as
endocrine disruptors by mimicking estrogen. Such
hormone-disrupting chemicals can raise your levels of estrogen,
thereby promoting the growth of estrogen-sensitive cancers such as
breast cancer.
And remember, when you apply these chemicals for lice treatment,
they go right through your child’s scalp and into his or her
bloodstream. Worse still, multiple treatments are often recommended
to be effective (and now even that is highly questionable).
You Don’t Need Drugs to Get Rid of Head Lice
While medicated shampoos are touted as the best way to get rid of
head lice, you have to decide whether you really want to slather
your child’s hair up with pesticides… especially when they may not
kill the lice and there are other effective alternatives.
For starters, coat your child’s hair in
olive oil or
coconut oil. This is often said to work by asphyxiating the
lice, although this is controversial. Some research even suggests
that depriving lice of oxygen by putting them underwater for eight
hours is not enough to kill them, and one study found
applying olive oil did not result in significant lice mortality.8
Coconut oil, on the other hand, appears to be a useful option, as
it’s been found to lead to 80 percent mortality in head lice after
four hours.9
A spray made of coconut and anise was also found to work better at
killing head lice than a permethrin lotion.10
Coconut oil (as well as olive oil) is also useful because it
lubricates the hair, making it easier to remove lice and eggs. And
this is key. Using an extra-fine-toothed lice comb to manually
remove lice and eggs is one of the most effective tools available.11
You can also remove the insects with your fingers.
In fact, a growing number of “nitpicker” companies have popped up
in recent years, which will manually remove lice from your child’s
hair for a cost of $90 to $250 an hour. Many combine the
combing/brushing with an oil application to make removal easier, and
again this is something you can do yourself at home. You may need to
repeat the treatment two or three times to be sure you’ve removed
all newly hatched lice.
3 More Natural Lice Treatments to Try
There’s really no reason to apply neurotoxic pesticides to your
child’s head. Many will find a combination of
coconut oil and manual removal to be quite effective, but you
can also try:
1. Diatomaceous Earth (DE)
Diatomaceous earth is made form tiny fossilized water plants
called diatoms. The diatoms are ground up to make a fine, chalky
powder that’s rich in minerals and toxic to insects. DE works
because it absorbs fats from the insects’ protective outer
coating, drying them out, and killing them.
DE is non-toxic to humans, although you should be careful to
avoid breathing in the dust, especially for a prolonged period.
For lice treatment, first place a t-shirt upside down over your
child’s head so the collar forms a seal around the scalp.
Apply diatomaceous earth to your child’s hair, being careful
to keep the dust inside of the t-shirt “bag.” Tie off the open
end of the t-shirt and massage the DE into your child’s scalp.
Allow it to sit overnight, then shampoo it out the next day.
This should be followed by a thorough combing with an extra-fine
comb. You may need to repeat the treatment once a week for three
weeks.12
2. Tea Tree Oil
Tea tree oil has been long valued for its antifungal,
antibacterial, and antiviral properties, however it’s also very
effective at killing head lice. An application of 1 percent tea
tree oil killed 100 percent of head lice after 30 minutes in one
study.13
One option is to mix several drops of tea tree oil with the
coconut oil you apply to your child’s scalp. You can also find
tea tree oil shampoos that may be effective (especially when
combined with the DE treatment described above).
3. Hot Air
Various devices are available that kill head lice using hot
air. Once such device, the LouseBuster, killed nearly 100
percent of lice eggs and 80 percent of hatched lice, even when
operated at a comfortable temperature, it’s slightly cooler than
a standard blow dryer.14
The LouseBuster is sold to nurses, schools, and hospitals, as
well as so-called “lice salons” that specialize in non-toxic
lice removal.15
According to the journal Pediatrics:16
“Our findings demonstrate that one 30-minute
application of hot air has the potential to eradicate head
lice infestations. In summary, hot air is an effective, safe
treatment and one to which lice are unlikely to evolve
resistance.”
Head lice is, unfortunately, quite common, affecting 6
million to 12 million US kids every year.17
But if your child gets sent home from school with a case, don’t
panic – and don’t rush to the drug store for toxic lice removal
shampoos. By using one or more of the natural methods described
above, you should be able to quickly rid your child’s hair of
lice without the use of dangerous chemicals. And if
you’re not up for tackling the job yourself, there are many
professional lice removal salons that will do it for you (just
be sure to choose one that uses only chemical-free methods).
© Copyright 1997-2015 Dr. Joseph Mercola. All Rights Reserved.
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