DEAR DR. DONOHUE: It seems that head lice have become a problem in schools. My daughter is 6 years old and has acquired head lice many times in day care and in public schools. We fear that treatment is toxic. I want to know if it can cause long-term health problems. Is there a lice season? When lice hatch from the egg, how many days before they start laying eggs? I wish the public were more educated on head lice. We all need to work together to stop outbreaks. – C.L.

ANSWER: Few things fill mothers with greater revulsion than the news that their child has head lice. Lice aren’t an indication of delinquent housecleaning. They’ve been with us since the dawn of civilization, and they’ll stay with us unless C.L.’s call to action is heeded.

The most-used anti-louse medicine is permethrin (Nix and many other brands). It is safe for child use. It has no long-term health consequences. Another popular louse medicine is pyrethrins (RID and others). It too is safe to use. Malathion (Ovide) shouldn’t be used in children younger than 6. Lindane (Kwell) is held in reserve and used when other medicines fail. It’s only for those who weigh more than 110 pounds.

Lice don’t have a special season. They can appear at any time of the year. The female louse lays seven to 10 eggs a day – a considerable number over her life span of 20 to 30 days. The eggs are firmly glued to a hair as “nits.” The eggs hatch in a week or so, and the young louse matures in two to three weeks, when it begins to lay eggs.

Lice live for only about two days apart from a human host. They don’t live forever on carpets and furniture. All that need be done is to vacuum those furnishings. The hot water of a washer and the high heat of a dryer kill lice. Toys, stuffed animals and anything else that can be washed should be put in a plastic bag for two weeks to make sure all the critters have departed from the face of the earth.

Some parents in your daughter’s schools aren’t paying attention to their child’s head and their child’s scratching of it.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: If a man suffers from a heart problem in middle age, can he still live an average life span of, say, 76 years? – L.J.

ANSWER: What kind of heart problem? How is it being treated? What’s the man’s general health? Does he have other health issues, such as diabetes, high blood pressure or kidney disease?

Many middle-aged men and women have heart problems, even heart attacks, and live much longer than 76 years. Not only does life span depend on the heart problem, but it depends on how well the person is taking care of that problem.

The booklet on heart attacks describes the details of North America’s No. 1 killer. Readers can order a copy by writing: Dr. Donohue, No. 102, Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. Enclose a check or money order (no cash) for $4.75 U.S./$6.75 Can. with the recipient’s printed name and address. Please allow four weeks for delivery.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I have a dumb question. If an adult woman who has menstrual periods had her ovaries removed, would she still have periods? – L.E.

ANSWER: It’s not a dumb question. The unasked question is the dumb question.

Without ovaries, there are no menstrual periods. The menstrual blood is the shed lining of the uterus. During a menstrual cycle, hormones – estrogen being the principal one – foster growth of the uterine lining in preparation for harboring a fertilized egg. When no egg is fertilized, the lining is shed.

Removing the source of eggs and estrogen – the ovaries – puts an end to menstrual cycles.

If there are no contraindications for doing so, a woman who has her ovaries removed before the age of 51 – the average age for menopause – is put on hormones until that age to preserve her bones. Estrogen loss promotes osteoporosis.

Dr. Donohue regrets that he is unable to answer individual letters, but he will incorporate them in his column whenever possible. Readers may write him or request an order form of available health newsletters at P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. Readers may also order health newsletters from www.rbmamall.com

Copy the Story Link