Head Lice To Dead Lice [Mass Market Paperback]

Joan Sawyer (Author), Roberta MacPhee (Author)

Book Description

A terrific treatment plan for a lousy problem.

The head-count on lice infestations is growing each year, yet head lice have become resistant little buggers, immune to many of the traditional treatments. So how can you treat a child's head lice infestation while keeping your home, your own head, and your child's self-esteem intact? Now there's an answer for the millions of families plagued by persistent lice. Based on their award-winning, acclaimed video, Joan Sawyer and Roberta MacPhee-- otherwise known as the "Lice Ladies"-- present panicked parents with a safe, effective five-step treatment plan to end stubborn cases of head lice once and for all. In an informal, easy-to-read, and often humorous voice, the Lice Ladies offer help for families bugged by lice, including:

* Bug Off! Their famous "Head Lice to Dead Lice" plan for treatment and prevention of head lice infestations
* An itchy subject: the social, emotional, and legal issues associated with head lice
* Lice through the ages: a history of lice and their treatments, including chemicals, oils, and folk remedies
* Nitpicking: how to effectively check for, comb through, and pick out lice
* Housekeeping: how to keep your home lice-free (without becoming obsessive-compulsive)
* Other essential tips on what parents, kids, and schools can do to banish and prevent head lice, including a helpful resource list of doctors, organizations, public health departments, websites, and more.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"[Sawyer and MacPhee] have made a 'lousy' subject socially acceptable with good humor and excellent pedagogy."--Dr. C. Everett Koop, former U.S. Surgeon General

From the Author

From the authors Joan Sawyer & Roberta MacPhee, [e-mail]

Hello from Lice Ladies Joan Sawyer and Roberta MacPhee. We wrote this book version of our award winning video, Head Lice to Dead Lice: Safe Solutions for Frantic Families (also available on Amazon.com) at the request of our editor at St. Martins Press, who tracked us down after finding our information on the web. For the past two years, we have run the American Head Lice Information and Resource Center. We have spent hours on the phone counseling frustrated parents, school nurses and pediatricians on how to use olive oil as part of a comprehensive program (the Five-Step Battle Plan) to eliminate persistent head lice infestations.

We hope this book will get the information out more efficiently and that finally, we can get off the phone. We have included everything we've learned over the past three years about head lice.It all started a few years ago when Joans family experienced a nightmarish encounter with the little critters. No matter what they did (overdosed the kids with chemicals, moved out of the house and hired a visiting nurse to help) Joan could not get rid of them. She felt like she was in the Twilight Zone until research revealed that the problem was not with Joan, her house or her kids. The problem was that the chemical companies would not admit that their pediculicides were no longer killing all the lice. It seems that head lice have, predictably, developed a chemical tolerance to permethrin (Nix) pyrethrin (Rid, Pronto, etc.) and Lindane (Kwell- a powerful neuro-toxin that you do not want to use anyway). And who could blame these companies? After all, the lice industry brings in $200 million dollars a year and growing because when a pediculicide does not work, most people think it is their own fault and go out and buy more chemicals.This is causing serious stress to more than 12 million American families a year who are missing critical days of school and work because they can not get rid of head lice. Some kids have even been removed from their parents custody because the kids have missed so much school. And none of this is necessary. You can get rid of head lice by smothering them with olive oil. But you need to know how to do it right. You can not just dump olive oil on your head and pray. You are smothering them, not killing them on contact with a pesticide. And smothering head lice is a process. The challenge with head lice is to clear the entire infestation, which includes three distinct growth stages, each with its own complex survival mechanisms developed over thousands of years of adaptation. Female adult lice lay eggs every day, so that each day a new generation hatches on the head. Therefore, the infested head must be treated correctly with olive oil at specific times over the 21-day life cycle of the louse in order to kill each generation at its most vulnerable stage, and before it is old enough to lay eggs of its own. Besides the Five-Step Battle Plan we have answered all the questions we are constantly asked. We have included chapters on prevention, school and community management and an interview with Mary Ward, professional nit picker (featured in National Geographic Magazine.) We have also discussed the controversy surrounding just how much cleaning is necessary, and some of the social issues around head lice.We hope that after reading this book, you will no longer waste your money on expensive and ineffective chemicals or unnecessarily elaborate oil based remedies and that you will get rid of your head lice, save your money and get on with your life. And for those of you who are smart enough to read up on this problem before lice infest your family, we hope you will have enough information to prevent head lice from ever invading your nest. Best of luck, The Lice Ladies (Joan Sawyer and Roberta MacPhee)

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks (November 15, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312972601
• ISBN-13: 978-0312972608
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #339,023 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nitpicker review, November 23, 1999

By 

Wendy Beck - See all my reviews

This review is from: Head Lice To Dead Lice (Mass Market Paperback)

I run a professional nit removal and head lice treatment service located in Roslyn, N.Y. We have been treating people with head lice for about 2 years and we use this book as our guideline. It is a wonderful book. The video is great too!

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars it works, it works, it works, and no dangerous chemicals, November 10, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Head Lice To Dead Lice (Mass Market Paperback)

If you have a lice problem, go out and buy this book. If you don't want to use dangerous chemicals on your kid's heads this is simply the only solution. This book is well written, clear and it is not trying to sell you anything. When you are overwhelmed with panic about an infestation, start reading and laugh again. Thank you for making this book.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The ONLY way to really get rid of these little nuisances, January 11, 2001

By 

Ned Meacham (Yakima, WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Head Lice To Dead Lice (Mass Market Paperback)

The information is presented in an entertaining while very informative way. Quit fighting the same old over-the-counter routine...get this information so you can eliminate these critters for good, and KNOW with complete confidence that it's going to work Greatly. Then you can share what you know with others who you may find, need it as well :O)