Scabies and Lice

Scabies and Lice

by Djehuty Ma'at-Ra
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Scabies is medically defined as: "A contagious disease caused by Sarcoptes scabiei, the itch mite, characterized by intense itching of the skin and excoriation from scratching. The mite, transmitted by close contact with infected human or domestic animals, burrows into outer layers of the skin where the female lays eggs. Two to 4 months after the first infection, sensitization to the mites and their products begins, resulting in a pruritic popular rash most common on the webs of fingers, flexor surfaces of wrists, and thighs. Secondary bacterial infection may occur. Diagnosis may be made by microscopic identification of adult mites, larvae, or eggs in scrapings of the burrows." - Mosby's Medical Dictionary, 3rd edition, p. 1052

The mites that cause scabies are small eight-legged parasites (in contrast to insects, which have six legs). They are tiny, just 1/3 millimeter long, and burrow into the skin to produce intense itching, which tends to be worse at night. The mites that cause scabies are not visible with the naked eye but can be seen with a magnifying glass or microscope.

So basically and technically, scabies is a parasitic infection and should be addressed accordingly.

Lice are defined as: "Louse (lice is plural) a small, wingless, parasitic insect of the order Anoplura that is the carrier of such disease as relapsing fever and typhus. Lice are common parasites on the skin and may cause intense pruritus. " Mosby's supra, p. 704

Pruritus is the symptom of itching, an uncomfortable sensation leading to the urge to scratch. Scratching often results in secondary infection. -Mosby's supra.

A louse bite is "a minute puncture wound produced by a louse that may transmit typhus, trench fever, and relapsing fever. Secondary infection may result from scratching the affected area. Head and body lice are the most common and are frequently found among schoolchildren." Ibid

Lice live among human hairs and feeds on extremely small amounts of blood drawn from the scalp. Although they may sound gross, lice (the plural of louse) are a very common problem, especially for children ages 3 years to 12 years (girls more often than boys).

Lice aren't dangerous and they don't spread disease like the mites who cause scabies, but they are contagious and can be very annoying. Their bites may cause a child's scalp to become itchy and inflamed, and persistent scratching may lead to skin irritation and even infection.

Unlike the mites that cause scabies, lice can be seen by the naked eye.

Lice eggs are called nits. These look like tiny yellow, tan, or brown dots before they hatch. After hatching, the remaining shell looks white or clear. Lice lay nits on hair shafts close to the skin's surface, where the temperature is perfect for keeping warm until they hatch. Nits look sort of like dandruff, only they can't be removed by brushing or shaking them off. Unless the infestation is heavy, it's more common to see nits in a child's hair than it is to see live lice crawling on the scalp. Lice eggs hatch within 1 to 2 weeks after they're laid.

The adult louse is no bigger than a sesame seed and is brownish tan (although lice may look darker on people with dark hair). Baby lice are called nymphs. Nymphs are smaller and become adult lice about 7 days after they hatch. Most lice feed on blood about every 4 to 6 hours, but they can survive up to 3 days off the scalp.

For some kids, the irritation is mild; for others, a more bothersome rash with crusting and oozing may develop. It's also not unusual for kids to develop some swelling of their lymph glands. Excessive scratching can also lead to a bacterial infection (the skin would become red and tender around the bite area). If your doctor thinks this is the case, he or she may treat the infection with a topical or an oral antibiotic.

You may be able to see the lice or nits by parting your child's hair into small sections and checking for lice and nits on the scalp, behind the ears, and around the nape of the neck (it's rare for them to be found on eyelashes or eyebrows). A magnifying glass and bright light may help. But it can be tough to find a nymph or adult louse - often, there aren't many of them and they're able to move fast.

Though they can't fly or jump, these tiny parasites have specially adapted claws that allow them to crawl and cling firmly to hair. They spread mainly through head-to-head contact, but sharing clothing, bed linens, combs, brushes, and hats can also help pass them along.

Healing From Scabies and Lice Naturally

Because the itch mite (parasite) that causes scabies burrows into outer layers of the skin, an external approach to healing is primary and necessary whereas internal cleansing is secondary. Scabies and Lice both affect the external skin and are thus skin conditions.

I suggest performing the Sea Salt Soak daily (c. 45 minutes). Read the article "Sea Salt Soak" in our article section on our website. NOTE: one box of Sea Salt equals 26 ounces. Half of this amount (13 ounces) will suffice for a soak.

In the case of scabies or lice, you want to add hydrogen peroxide and/or individual essential oils of Tea Tree, Eucalyptus, Niaouli, Lavender, Citronella, Peppermint, Ravensare, Thyme, Vetivert, Oregano and other essential oils with antibacterial, antiviral, antimicroorganistic, antimicrobial, antiseptic, germicidal, and insecticidal properties to the soak/bath water.

Our NEW Lice & Mite Buster oil drops contain the above oils and can be added to your bath water.

You can also add herbs (whole form or cut and sifted form) to the soak. Good herbs to use in your soak would include antiparasitic or anthelmintic herbs such as Black-Walnut Hulls, Neem Leaf, Wormwood , Tansy, Epazote, Peach Tree Bark, Male Fern, Southernwood, and Pink Root to name a few.

If you own an ozone machine, it's best to ozonate the soak water for 45 minutes prior to entering the tub and allowing the ozone to run while you're in the tub for the duration of the soak.

Use a good therapeutic soap for your soak (when it's time to bathe, usually 10-15 minutes before exiting the tub). Good soaps include Grandpa's Pine Tar Soap, MSM Sulfur soap, Kiss My Face Olive and Lavender Soap, and Dherbs.Com Anti-Viral Soap.

After each bath/soak, make sure you oil your entire body down with Dherbs. Com Healing Skin Oil. Dherbs.Com contains Neem oil which is a potent destroyer of the mites that cause scabies and most other parasites.

You can also add Neem oil individually to your soak water. Neem oil is not an essential oil. It is a cold-pressed oil.

The base of our Healing Skin Oil is olive oil. Research has shown that olive oil smothers and kills scabies and head lice just as castor oil suffocates and kills certain intestinal worms.

If a person can't afford our Healing Skin Oil, they can use the following oils on the problem areas due to scabies or lice infection: olive oil, coconut oil, and/or castor oil. These oils are deep penetrating and are excellent in skin healing.

Another good oil to use for the healing of scabies and lice is Karanja oil. It is very similar to Neem oil and traditionally has been used from head lice to herpes. Like Neem oil, it too is not an essential oil but a cold-pressed oil.

Bentonite clay is also good to use to heal a scabies infection. The clay should be applied to the problem (itch) area and left on for 15-30 minutes and then removed. Bentonite clay can be used daily or as needed. Dherbs.Com offers the best Bentonite Clay on the market as it is mixed with MSM Sulfur and Sea Salt .

Steaming the skin (problem area) will also help the healing from scabies. A professional steamer will come in handy due to the adjustable arm of the steamer.

To facilitate healing of scabies and lice, I highly suggest performance of the Full Body Detox followed by the parasite and Worm Cleanse & Regimen and then lastly the Anti-Viral Cleanse and Regimen (optional), all of which will help to cleanse the blood and in turn address the rashes common with scabies and lice from intense itching and thus scratching (pruritus).

The most effective cleanse by far for eradicating scabies is our parasite and Worm Cleanse & Regimen. After all, scabies is a parasitic infection.

Okay, now for clothing and bed linens: washing and bathing, application of Dherbs.Com Lice & Mite Buster, and the washing or cleaning of clothes and bed linens are recommended procedures for eradication, natural healing, and prophylaxis against spread of infestation of both scabies and lice.

Simply add 7-12 drops of Dherbs.Com Lice and Mite Buster to your laundry consisting of affected clothes as well as bed linens.

Use Lice and Mite Buster oil drops in a diffuser too in every room where there may be lice, fleas, ticks, and other parasites and insects.

A racap of Dherbs.Com products great for lice and scabies include:

EXTERNAL: Lice & Mite Buster oil drops, Lice & Mite Buster, Healing Skin Oil, and Bentonite Clay.

INTERNAL: Full Body Detox (which should always be performed first, before any other cleanse), parasite and Worm Cleanse & Regimen, Anti-Viral Cleanse and Regimen; Blood & Lymphatic Formula, Blood & Lymphatic Tea, and Parasite & Worm Tea.

In closing, you can naturally heal from scabies and head and body lice conditions and without the use of harmful man-made chemicals.

Thank you for reading!

This article is compliments of Dherbs.Com and Djehuty Ma'at-Ra.

Additional articles available at http://www.dherbs.com/articles/
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