I am very obsessive about cleanliness while one of my male friends is obsessive about his hairstyle. I have heard that one of my young aunts is so very particular about cleanliness that she wipes her floor twice day and changes the drapes once a week. She was later diagnosed with OCD- Obsessive compulsive Disorder. My fondness for clean cutlery or clear glasses and my friend’s love for well-kept hair and creaseless shirt does not indicate any disorder.

Recent surveys show that even young children of ages four exhibit some characteristics of OCD. OCD is an anxiety disorder with recurrent unwanted obsessions or thoughts as its main trait. These obsessions may also be accompanied by repetitive behaviors or compulsions contributing to the name Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Those affected by this may be extremely particular on handwashing, cleaning, counting and the like. They are forced to engage themselves in activities like these (rituals) in order to avoid their obsessive thoughts. These thoughts are chronic, time-consuming and severe. They are involuntary and senseless. For example, the thought of dirty hands make them wash hands repeatedly for hours until their hands are raw and chapped. Doubt always haunts them and an urge to check on things again and again live with them. They try to hide these thoughts and feelings in fear of social ostracization and rebuke.

OCD is a common disorder affecting millions of people while at least 1 among 200 children are doubted to have OCD. OCD in children, if left untreated, can interfere with its growth and development and may make his life difficult. In children fear of contamination and aggressive and catastrophic fears dominate their lifestyle. Many suffer from multiple compulsive behaviors which disrupt their innocent childhood.

The exact cause for OCD is uncertain. It is believed that your compulsions owe their origin to the biological changes in your body or the behavior habits acquired over the time. Serotonin is a chemical in the brain that helps to carry messages from one nerve cell to another. Serotonin causes repeated behaviors in people and it is seen lacking in people with OCD. Some experts point out that having parents or other family members with OCD increases your risk of developing OCD though any genes related to OCD has not been traced so far. Stress may also play a vital role in causing OCD as emotional distress is a part of its obsessive compulsions. Panic attacks, phobias, anxiety, ADHD, dyslexia or depression may further destroy the normal and quality life of people with OCD.

In little children an early diagnosis is called for to detect OCD and it deter its development. Behavior therapy and medicines like clomipramine are recommeded treatments for OCD. Drugs may have minor side effects like nausea and drowsiness.

Playing in groups, teasing each other, fights and mischief are all parts and parcels of everyone’s childhood. No kid would sacrifice his/her playtime and time out with friends even for the biggest treat offered. Their innocence and enthusiasm towards everything they do is so mind boggling that it sometimes becomes difficult o control them. One effect on the kid if she indiscriminately is in physical contact with unclean children is the risk of development of lice infestation in the hair. This is more common in girls than boys but is quite irritating and disturbing.

What is head lice?

Lice is the plural of louse, a parasite which infests in the hair of humans. This is infestation among human is existing since ages since the Egyptian mummies have also found to have traces of dead lice in their head. Head lice are human parasites and require human blood to survive. Head lice can survive on a human host for approximately 30 days. They generally cannot survive longer than 24 hours off the host. A female louse lays 3-5 eggs a day called nits. The eggs hatch in 7-10 days and it takes another 7-10 days for the louse to mature and lay their own eggs. Once laid, it takes 7-10 days for a nit to hatch. Nits off the head may not even hatch at all as they are laid close to scalp because they need human warmth to incubate. A nit hatching off of a head results in tiny nymph head louse which, without an accessible/nearby human, is doomed because it requires an immediate blood meal.

Signs of lice infestation

Though very small, lice can be seen by the naked eye. What you or your doctor might see by thoroughly examining your child’s head:

Lice eggs 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). 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.

With lice bites come itching and scratching. However, the itching may not always start right away — that depends on how sensitive your child’s skin is to the lice. It can sometimes take weeks for kids with lice to start scratching. They may complain, though, of things moving around on or tickling their heads

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.

They spread radically

Head lice can be spread whenever there is direct contact of the head or hair with an infested individual. Lice can also be spread through the sharing of personal articles like hats, towels, brushes, helmets, hair ties, etc. There is also a possibility of spreading head lice via a pillow, headrest or similar items.

Herbal remedies

2. Lemon juice is an effective home remedy for treating head lice and dandruff. Take 1-2 tablespoon lemon juice and garlic paste each and mix them. Apply this mixture over the scalp and allow it to dry for 25-30 minutes. Wash your hair in cold water and rinse off the all dirt, dust, etc.

3. Vinegar is also useful in removing head lice. Take 3-4 tablespoon of vinegar, add 2 tablespoon of lemon juice and garlic paste. Mix it well and apply it on the scalp. Allow it to dry for 2 hours and wash it off. Do this 3-4 times a month.

4. Olive oil is also very useful in killing head lice. Apply olive oil on your hair and cover it with a plastic bag. Keep it overnight, later with the help of lice comb take out all the head lice. Repeat this after every 10 days. It is very easy and effective way to get rid of head lice.

5. Almond is another useful home remedy for head lice. Soak 10-12 almonds in water and make its paste. Add 3-4 tablespoon of lemon juice in it. Apply this mixture over your scalp, and allow it to dry for 1-2 hours. Wash hair with cold water.

6. Neem leaves

7. Basil leaves (tulsi) are also useful in removing head lice. Take 20-30 basal leaves and make its paste. Either use it alone or mix with equal quantity of margosa leaf paste. Apply over the scalp and allow it to dry for half an hour and then wash it off. Repeat this 2-3 times a week.

Tags: eczema, dietary supplement, homeopathy, ADHD, therapeutic

A few of my friends and cousins were operated in their school age for either hernia or appendicitis. It was as if these two were in vogue at that time. As a child, I did not understand the difference between two as they seemed to occur almost in the same area of the body, the abdomen.

What is Hernia?

Wikipedia describes hernia thus: “A hernia is a protrusion of a tissue, structure, or part of an organ through the muscular tissue or the membrane by which it is normally contained.” In simple words, a hernia is the bulging out of the contents (fatty tissue) of a body cavity out of the area where they are normally contained.

Hernia affects men, women and children. Hernia can be of different types though mostly hernias occur in the abdomen. The most common type of hernia is found mostly in men. It is called Inguinal (groin) hernia that occurs when the tissue bulges into the groin through a weak spot in the belly wall. It may be seen or felt as a bulge in the scrotum in men as it bulges in there. In some people it may swell out in the navel or the belly button, the abdominal wall, in the place of an incision from a surgery or in a genetically weak spot in the belly.

Hernia may be formed or worsened by the pressure applied by heavy physical activities like weight lifting, coughing, straining during a bowel movement (constipation) or urination or due to health conditions like