Your Health, edition 17

Welcome to the 17th edition of Your Health, an audio program from Aurora Health Care in Wisconsin, aimed at helping you and your family stay healthy. I'm Neal Linkon, and in this edition, we'll learn about allergies and what you can do about them. We'll examine the theory that depression and suicides go up during the holidays, and you'll find out what you need to know about dealing with every parent's nightmare – head lice.

It's almost year-round now:  Somebody I know is complaining that it's allergy season. But for some, allergies are more than just annoying.  They can be quite deadly. So we talked with Dr. Christopher Mjaanes, an allergist at Aurora Medical Center in Oshkosh, about whether allergies are indeed more common than ever before, and what people can do about them.

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To find more information on allergies or other health conditions, go to www.Aurora.org/Health.

You hear it every year:  The holidays bring out more depression and suicide than any other time of the year.  Yes, I've had some holidays that were downright depressing, but is it really true across America?

The media often links suicides during this time of year to the “holiday blues.” However, various studies have shown no relationship between depression and suicide, and the holiday season. In fact, researchers found that depression rates and suicides actually drop during the winter months and peak in the spring.

The reason behind the claim that depression rates and suicides rise during the holidays is that holiday cheer amplifies loneliness and hopelessness in people who have lost loved ones, or who have high expectations of renewed happiness during the holiday season, only to be disappointed. Others think the increase in anxiety and gloominess is caused by the unavoidable stress, exhaustion, and frustration that come with preparing for the holidays. One study found that two out of three newspaper stories about suicide or depression from mid-November 1999 to mid-January 2000 made a connection between suicides and the holidays, further encouraging the notion.

Seasonal affective disorder is a form of depression that is closely related to the winter season, and therefore, seems to increase in frequency around the holidays. However, it is important to note that the condition is triggered by the short, dark, cold days of winter and not the actual holidays.

Various studies have found that depression and suicide rates are not linked to the holidays. Despite the media focus on suicides during the holiday season, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Center for Health Statistics report that suicide rates in the United States are lowest during the winter months and highest in the springtime. Tthe reasons for this are not clear. Some authorities speculate that during springtime, when moods tend to improve after dark, winter days, those with depression may not feel happier while others around them do, thus encouraging suicidal feelings.

An in-depth analysis of all completed suicides in Olmsted County, Minnesota over a 35-year period found no increase in suicides three days before, during, or three days after birthdays, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's Day, or the Fourth of July. Another study found that psychiatric visits actually decreased before Christmas and increased again afterwards. One possible explanation is that people who are depressed receive more emotional support than normal from friends and family during the holiday season.

The Olmsted County study also found that suicides are most numerous early in the week and least common on weekends. Some think that this might be due to greater social interaction during the weekends and holidays, which may deter troublesome thoughts.

The Annenburg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania examined national suicide data from 1996 and found that November and December are actually the lowest-ranked months in daily suicides, with January close behind. The organization also analyzed media portrayals of a link between suicide and the holidays, and found that a majority of newspapers inaccurately supported the misconception. Researchers expressed concern that blurring the facts about an issue as serious as suicide could have harmful implications, such as “copycat deaths.”

As the kids head back to school, one thing parents have to look forward to is the note home about somebody else's child who was found with head lice. So let's learn a bit more about it, and see what we can do to prevent and deal with head lice. You don't want that “other kid” to be yours.

The main symptom is itching of the scalp. But other symptoms include:

• A scalp rash may be present. The back of the neck is the favorite area.
• Nits (white eggs) firmly attached to hair shafts near the skin.  Unlike dandruff or sand, nits can't be shaken off the hair shafts. The nits are easier to see than the lice because they are white and very numerous.

If you think your child has head lice, call your soctor Within 24 hours during normal business hours if your child is less than 3 months old so your doctor can recommend the safest lice medicine. Also call if the scalp looks infected (e.g. pus, soft scabs, open sores).

If your child has head lice, try these steps:

• Buy an anti-lice shampoo.  You won't need a prescription.  Ask your pharmacist to help you select a product (e.g., Nix, Clear, A-200, Pronto or RID).
  • Pour about 2 ounces of the shampoo into the hair.  Follow the shampoo instructions carefully.  Be sure to work the shampoo into all the hair down to the roots.  Leave the shampoo on for a full 10 minutes or it won't kill all the lice.  Then rinse the hair thoroughly and dry it with a towel.  
  • Repeat the anti-lice shampoo in 1 week to kill any nits that survived.
• Remove the dead nits:  Remove the dead nits by backcombing with a special nit comb or pull them out individually.  The nits can be loosened from the hair shafts using a mixture of half vinegar and half warm water applied for 30 minutes under a towel wrap.  (Wait at least 8 hours after the lice shampoo before applying this solution.)  Even though nits are dead, most schools will not allow children to return if nits are present.

Your child can return to day care or school after 1 treatment with the anti-lice shampoo.  Check the heads of everyone else living in your home.  If lice or nits are seen, or someone has the new onset of an itchy scalp rash, they also should be treated with anti-lice shampoo. Bedmates of children with lice should also be treated.  If in doubt, have your child examined.  Re-emphasize not sharing combs and hats.  Also notify the school nurse or day care center director so she can check other students in your child's class/center.

With treatment, all lice and nits will be killed.  A recurrence usually means another contact with an infected person or the shampoo wasn't left on for 10 minutes or the treatment wasn't repeated in 7 days.  There are no lasting problems from having lice and they do not carry other diseases. But nobody argues that they are seriously gross!

To learn more or to get help with other common illnesses and injuries, go to www.Aurora.org/HouseCalls.

That's it for this edition of Your Health. If you have any questions or suggestions for stories, please drop us a line at internet@aurora.org. Thanks, and I'm Neal Linkon.

Your Health, Edition 17 (14:32)

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