Your baby is crying non-stop and you have done everything you can to calm him down. She has had very little sleep and is desperate to find a way to find relief for her ears and more importantly her baby. Conventional medicine has shown little success, and you’re wondering what natural things you can do to help your baby feel better. Sounds familiar? For many families, after ruling out various other diagnoses, their baby may be colicky.
Researchers have defined colic as “a healthy, well-nourished baby who cries for more than three hours a day, for more than three days a week, for more than three weeks,” or better known as the “Rule of 3 “. Colic can be a misunderstood condition, and there are several factors involved. Typically, a colicky baby, or “colicky baby,” cries at very loud and piercing levels, has tightness in the abdominal region, bent legs, and clenched fingers. These symptoms can last from infancy to about 6 months of age and affect 10-20% of babies. There has been little evidence showing differences in prevalence between boys and girls.
Some of the possible causes of colic include stomach aches due to adverse reactions from consuming lactose and milk protein, intestinal gas and bloating, hypersensitivity due to environmental factors such as loud noise and light, and babies’ natural reaction to the traumas and vigor of the birthing process, causing subluxations and misalignments in the spine, contributing to muscle spasms, pinched nerves, and pain. There is wonderful news for panic-stricken mothers and fathers of colicky babies: chiropractic care. Research has shown that chiropractic, a safe, natural, drug-free, non-surgical profession, has given some of the best results for colicky babies. According to the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, “spinal manipulation was found to be effective in relieving infant colic.” Babies who received chiropractic care showed a 67% decrease in crying, while babies who received medication showed a 38% decrease in crying. Another study showed a 94% improvement rate with chiropractic adjustments.
More and more parents are taking their baby to see a chiropractor. When a pediatric chiropractor gently adjusts a baby’s spine, they often use their index finger to feel for muscle spasms in the baby. This, in turn, can trigger a response in the baby, as he twists her body in response to the subluxation of her spine. By applying gentle pressure and adjusting to the baby, this can relieve the baby’s pain as well as the baby’s passing of intestinal gas. This can also help the motility of the baby’s intestines, supporting his digestion and ultimately helping the baby to sleep and eliminate the pain that he is suffering.
As a related case study, I recently had a 4-week-old baby visit my office with fussiness, lack of sleep, swelling, and associated muscle spasms in the mid-back area. Her mother had told me that her son had not slept more than 2 hours in a row since he was born and that he had not had a bowel movement for a week. After gently adjusting the baby, he immediately had a bowel movement, and within thirty minutes of the office visit, he slept for 6 hours! If you or someone you know has a colicky baby, seeking out a pediatric chiropractor is an excellent option for natural care.
