Listerine appeared to help get rid of lice

My daughter ended up with lice several weeks ago. We treated her with lice shampoo twice and did every-other-day comb-outs. I also vacuumed, cleaned, washed and dried all her bedding and clothing.

The first time I treated her, I combed out hundreds of nits and about a half-dozen bugs. A week later with the second shampoo, I combed out three bugs and maybe a dozen nits. A week later, I did the Listerine treatment. I combed out one bug and probably about half a dozen nits. After another week of treating with Listerine, I have found no nits and no bugs.

There is increasing frustration with conventional lice shampoos. That’s because there are reports that lice may have developed resistance to common ingredients in over-the-counter treatments.

A relatively new prescription product called Ulesfia is a benzyl alcohol formulation that smothers the bugs. It is pricey, though, running between $45 and $75 a bottle. That is enough to treat one head of short hair. For long hair, you may need two or three bottles. The treatment needs to be repeated after a week.

A bottle of Listerine costs about $5. The alcohol and herbal oils in this mouthwash also appear to kill lice, although the Food and Drug Administration has not approved it for this use.

I read that potassium is absolutely crucial to reduce hypertension. It suggested 4,700 milligrams of potassium daily. I don’t think I can eat enough bananas and potatoes to get this much potassium. Is there an over-the-counter supplement I could take?

We don’t recommend over-the-counter potassium supplements because you might overdose. This is as dangerous as too little. If you are eating plenty of vegetables and fruits, you are probably getting more potassium than you realize.

Joe Graedon is a pharmacologist, and Teresa Graedon is an expert in medical anthropology and nutrition. https://www.peoplespharmacy.com.