Head Lice to Dead Lice or Advanced Aromatherapy

Head Lice to Dead Lice

Author: Joan Sawyer

From the authors Joan Sawyer & Roberta MacPhee

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 at the request of our editor at St. Martins Press, who tracked us down after finding our information on the web. For the past five 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 several years ago when Joan's 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 cannot 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 cannot 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)

Book review: National Incident Management System or Handbook of Practical Program Evaluation

Advanced Aromatherapy: The Science of Essential Oil Therapy

Author: Kurt Schnaubelt

A chemist and aromatherapy practitioner provides scientific proof for the effectiveness of using essential oils. 

Aromatherapy is the fastest-growing segment of the body care industry, an effective and deeply pleasurable way to maintain well-being. Now, Kurt Schnaubelt, a chemist and longtime aromatherapy practitioner, provides scientific proof for the efficacy of essential oils, explained clearly and logically. 

Advanced Aromatherapy draws on the most recent research to demonstrate how essential oils work on the cells and microbes of the body.  These chemical changes affect emotional states as well as physical ones. 

Advanced Aromatherapy explains how to treat symptoms ranging from hay fever to stress disorders with predictable results. 

An essential textbook for aromatherapy practitioners.

So Young!

Schnaubelt clearly and logically illustrates the science of his healing art. Exciting, must have information for anyone going beyond a dab of relaxing lavender on the pillow or peppermint drops in honey water for an upset stomach. An important new reference.

Winter1998-99 - Making Scents

Schnaubelt presents sound research to demonstrate how essential oils interact with the different systems of the body

Table of Contents:

1. Aromatherapy: A Challenge to Conventional Medicine
Antibiotics: The Downfall of Conventional Medicine
Civilization from One Source
Aromatherapy: An Answer
The Immune System: Not a One-Way Street
Complex Information from Plants
The History of Aromatherapy
2. Essential Oils--Definition and Distillation
Plant Messengers
Essential Oils--Distillation, Chemistry, and History
Essential Oil Terminology
The Composition of Essential Oils
Spectrum of Action of Essential Oil Components
3. The Effects of Essential Oils
Antibacterial Effects
The Aromatogram
Antiviral Effects
Inhalation and Expectorant Effects
Sedative and Antispasmodic Effects
4. Self-Treatment with Essential Oils
Real and Potential Risks
Essential Oils and the Skin
Contraindications and Unusually Toxic Oils
5. Choosing Essential Oils
The Relationship between Chemical Structure and Effects
Descriptions of the Oils
6. Application of Essential Oils
Methods of Application
Areas of Use
Bruises, Sprains, Sports Injuries
Burns
Wounds and Scars
Lymphatic System
Herpes
Shingles
Bladder Infections
Bloodshot Eyes and Conjunctivitis
Nervousness, Tension, Stress
Motion Sickness
Fatigue
Infectious Illnesses
Respiratory Conditions
Skin Conditions
Cosmetics with Natural Substances
7. Aromatherapy: Mediating between the Immune System, Emotions, and the Body
Aromatherapy and the Immune System
Aromatherapy and Asthma
Aromatherapy and Viral Diseases
An End to the Separation of Body and Mind
Afterword
Endnotes
Resources
Index