How To Treat Head Lice - Veterinarian's View

It all started with a phone call. The school has called my wife in the middle of the day saying that she needs to pick up our daughter immediately. Another child has been scratching her hair so the teacher decided to investigate. Every child had their hair checked that day and there it was - head lice! My daughter was one of the victims.

No problem, I thought. I mean, how bad can this be? I treat parasites every day. Just the other day I dealt with a bad case of ear mites in a very upset Alaskan. Alaskan Malamute that is. You see, I am a Veterinarian and treating parasites is my bread and butter. Sure my patients are furry and four legged. But the etymology of a parasitic infection is the same in any species. Right? Little did I know what I was in for.

I approached the problem with the same attitude as I do with any challenging case. I needed information. I found out that head lice are prolific breeders laying up to 8 eggs a day from when they are only 10 days old, with the eggs hatching a week later. Lice are common throughout the world, including the well-off countries. They spread easiest in places where head to head contact is common (such as kindergartens and primary schools). They also don't discriminate between clean or dirty hair, between neglected children and those well cared for - which dulled somewhat my intense feelings of being a substandard parent. At first glance the challenge presented to me did not seem that great. Head lice are not particularly resilient as far as microscopic critters go. They can not survive for more than about 24 hours outside of the human hair. Their eggs too are laid firmly attached to the hair strands. Therefore no need to exert heroic efforts sterilizing the environment - couches, floor boards, the car etc. - a quick vacuum is all that's needed. Even the bedding and hair accessories only warrant a trip through the washing machine to remove any 'stray' eggs. Oh yes, the eggs! That is precisely where the problem lies. There they were - tiny, white with an orange tinge, teardrop shaped, attached firmly to my child's hair. The eggs can not be washed off and resist all chemical treatments. They are in one word - indestructible. You heard the saying that the cockroaches will be the only ones to survive a nuclear blast? Well, I firmly believe that in that event the cockroaches will have company - those tiny, pesky louse eggs.

Discover These Online Video Marketing Tactics That Will Catapult Your Video Views

It is all too obvious that over the last couple of years there has been a massive surge in the amount of video hosted online. No matter what business you are involved in you should never overlook the benefits of online video marketing to reach the widest audience. If you have yet to create a selection of viral clips to sweep the net by storm then check out the following information and advice.

First of all you should understand what types of videos are currently popular. There are certain dynamics that always make up a successful formula. Make sure that any video you create is kept short and to the point.

Most net surfers have short attention spans and are not interested in watching videos that are longer than a couple of minutes in duration. You could consider using a subliminal message, for example if you have a business that sells kitchenware create "how to cook" videos that would attract a lot of interest.

The content used needs to be compelling enough to hold the viewer's attention. Consider what would be the best way to get across the message about your company's products or services. Humour is a great way to be remembered, if you can post funny videos that are in some way related to your products you will stand a better chance of being an online phenomenon.

How often do you visit search engines each day? For the majority of people they are amongst the most visited sites. The major search engines look favourably on video. By creating SEO friendly clips you can boost your web pages traffic considerably. Of course you will still need to ensure you create the right backlinks and tags.

How Humour Helped Us Through a Most Difficult Year

The way I was brought up was to use humour to belittle an atrocity. Like a coping mechanism. For example: a man was caught in cross-fire between NI terrorists and army, locals would make light of it. It was a common thing to hear and allowed the most troubling of incidents to penetrate our consciousness superficially only. 2009 was our worst year, and we have had some really bad ones. However, the combination of economic fall-out, ill health and uncomfortable family obligation triggered full hilarity. Humour definitely aided our passage through the mire. My wish is that you will read and benefit from the distant insight, helping your own self to cope with adversity.

The recession of 2009 hit us hard. We lost everything. Business was liquidated, house was sold, we were forced to live off the equity. We took the opportunity to move closer to my home and begin our own business. That's where we are now. The house we rent has a view of the Lough, the open sea is visible from the hill behind us in an awesome panorama. The walls are so wide and dense with stone that wireless signals can't penetrate. The Aga has developed a love/hate relationship with us. We are learning that we cannot wash after 2pm if we want to use the hot oven for dinner. So if you come for dinner and we serve oven chips or make pizza - you know we haven't bathed or showered. The village charity shops have the former season's Paul Costello, Jaeger and French Connection, not bad for under a tenner. The beaches are 5 minutes' drive away, uncrowded, clean and perfect for a run or walking the dog. That is, if she could manage to travel in the boot without expelling her half-digested bowel contents. Doesn't smell that bad, it's just the bother of having to clean it up after arriving and after returning home. The gardens are huge, unkempt and full of surprises. We were here four months before we discovered the souterrain. The secret garden is the children's favourite spot. I like boat watching from the windows. The tall ships were here with full sails and we had the perfect view point. It was awesome, made me pine to be a pirate. I now watch the Pirates of the Caribbean films just to see that Bounty again.

During the summer of this most difficult year, my father (D) got married. The vicar's wife eyed me up very accurately with her poignant opener, "This must be a difficult day for you", to which I agreed and explained it was especially so because it was his third marriage. She hadn't known that, thought it was his second, apparently. I wonder if the vicar knew. I wonder which marriage he had mentally erased. It cost me £400 on flights and car hire and I did not buy a gift because we were threadbare and penniless. My husband came down with suspected swine flu, the day before, so renaeged his obligation very graciously with his medical travel ban.