Head lice. Two words that make anyone’s head start itching almost immediately.
Head lice are incredibly common, especially among school-aged children. There aren’t any good numbers on infestations, but it’s somewhere in the millions every year (just in the U.S.)—and these tiny bugs end up costing the country millions of dollars, if you include not just treatments but lost wages. The American Academy of Pediatrics just issued a clinical report on head lice to educate parents about what should—and should not—be done while battling lice in the home.
In some parts of the world, it’s normal to always have a few lice on your head (now that makes me itch!) It’s not a hygiene thing—washing more just gives you cleaner lice. They are hardy little buggers, and in some places people just get used to them. Here in the U.S. we get freaked out. We’ll try anything to get rid of them—and we don’t want to be near anyone who has them.
The diagnosis and treatment of head lice has moved away from doctors over the years. It’s mostly school or daycare staff, parents, friends, neighbors and other assorted people who are deciding if children are infested—and what to do about it. This worries the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), who just issued a clinical report on head lice. They have three main concerns:
Children are being diagnosed with lice when they don’t have them. This happens in two ways:
Earlier this month, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) issued new guidelines concerning young athletes with mildly elevated blood pressure. The guidelines state that youth with high blood pressure are safe to participate in sports, but notes that kids with more serious blood pressure problems need to make training and lifestyle changes before taking part in high-intensity sports or workouts.
When a child athlete gets a head injury during a game it’s a scary moment for everyone. After the downed player gets back on his or her feet the sense of relief is tangible. And when the still-woozy player jumps right back into position, the support from the sidelines can border on electric. Comments on the player’s “toughness” or abundance of “heart” are often made, sometimes shouted above the applause and cheers of the approving crowd. This attitude is supported in professional sports where concussions are often mentioned in the same breath as “back spasms” in terms of severity.
Nesting.com
