How Chiropractic Care Can Help with Infantile Colic

Colic presents as inconsolable crying in otherwise healthy infants usually starting around 2-3 weeks after birth and lasting up to 3 months or longer.  The criteria for true colic is violent crying 3 hours per day, 3 days per week for at least 3 weeks with resolution by 4 months of age. During colic episodes infants may arch backwards, kick, flail, tighten their fists, draw their knees to their chests and appear to be in despair. Current treatment options include drug therapy, dietary modification, parent-infant behavior modification, advising patient in parents and CHIROPRACTIC.

Can chiropractic help colic?

Chiropractic has a 94% success rate with colic!

There have been numerous studies on colic and chiropractic. One study in The Journal of Manipulative Physiological Therapeutics, 73 chiropractors adjusted 316 infants with moderate to severe cases of colic. Over a period of 2 weeks (usually 3 visits), 94% of infants showed improvement compared to the other group of infants which were given Dimethicone drops which only improved by 38%. This study was repeated 10 years later with virtually identical results.

What else can I do for my baby?

In addition to chiropractic care, these tips may help infants with colic;

•             Make sure you have the correct breastfeeding technique (if breastfeeding)
•             Cut out all trouble foods such as coffee, chocolate, champagne and cruciferous vegetables
•             Avoid cow’s milk
•             Try quality probiotics for mother and baby
•             Drink plenty of water
•             Allow time for baby to burp
•             Stomach massage for infants
•             Don’t overfeed your newborn!

Ear infections (otitis media)

Many children will experience high temperatures and discomfort or oozing from the ear with ear infections. The most common treatment of ear infections today is antibiotics such as amoxicillin. Eventually, if antibiotics fail, a doctor may try surgery for the placement of tubes in the ears. Many of the new guidelines from the American Pediatric Association recommend a watch and wait criteria for ear infections. Unfortunately, in our instant gratification society, many parents want relief right away and expect antibiotics.

 So, how effective are traditional treatments?

Lets look at the research:

One double-blind study featured 171 children with ear infections divided into 4 groups based on severity. The first group received tubes in their ears, the second group received antibiotics, the third group a combination of antibiotics and surgery and the fourth group were a watch and wait group (ie. no drugs or surgery). The conclusion of the study? There was NO DIFFERENCE between the outcomes of any of the groups. That means that the children who received nothing did just as well as the children who were put through drugs and surgery! Their bodies fought the infection off naturally the way they were intended to. Another study was performed on recovery from ear infections without surgery or antibiotics. The results showed that almost two thirds of children recovered within 24 hours of diagnosis and that over 80% had complete resolution of symptoms within 1-7 days. Did you know that children who receive antibiotics for ear infections and tonsillitis will likely have reoccurrence of the illness? One publication shows that children using antibiotics for earaches (or infections) suffered 2-6 times more recurrent infections than those who did not use antibiotics. Also, the use of antibiotics to treat strep throat resulted in 2-8 times more likely reoccurrence.

One British study looked at patients who had a tube placed in one ear but not both. The results showed that the eardrum with the tube placement tended to develop scar tissue which had the potential for future hearing loss, while the untreated ear healed normally and without incident.

A study in the Netherlands performed a primary-care based, randomized, double blind trial of amoxicillin versus placebo (no treatment) in 240 children age 6 months to 2 years. The results? Most children who took the amoxicillin (antibiotic) still had symptoms after 4 days. Only 13% were less likely to exhibit symptoms or pain. There was no significant difference between the 2 groups in regards to examinations of the ear, pain duration or crying. After 6 weeks, both groups had similar results.

What can I do for my child with ear infections?

There are a number of different ways to handle ear infections. Of course, my favorite method is chiropractic! By restoring nerve flow, the body can effectively fight off infection and also drain fluids away from the ear. Let’s look at the evidence.  One 18 year study of 4600 cases of upper respiratory infections found that when there was a restriction in spinal motion (subluxation), ear infections occurred. When the spinal motion (and consequently, nerve function) was restored, further complications usually did not develop. The Journal of Clinical Chiropractic Pediatricsstudied 5 cases of chronic recurrent otitis media (ear infection). All of these patients had previously received medical attention for their ear infections. Yet the results were poor and the ear infections kept coming. Yet after CHIROPRACTIC care, all families reported excellent outcomes with no further recurrent ear infections. Ok, one more! Bear with me! A study in The Journal of Manipulative Physiological Therapeutics researched the effectiveness of chiropractic for the treatment of ear infections. 46 children were involve age 5 and under. 93% of all cases improved with 75% in 10 days or less and 43% after only 1 or 2 spinal adjustments.

Of course there are other natural things you can do for your child in addition to chiropractic care.  Most importantly, make sure your kiddo is getting lots of rest.  Garlic oil in the ear can be helpful for the pain or breast milk! Keep your child’s ear dry (avoid swimming). Finally, avoid mucus producing foods like all dairy, bananas and soy products.

Not intended as or for a diagnosis or treatment. If you have health questions always seek the care and instruction of a healthcare provider.

Sources:

Klougant N. Nilsson N. Jacobsen J. Infantile Colic Treated by Chiropractors; a Prospective Study of 316 Cases. JMPT. 1989;12:281-288

Jesper. Et al. The Short Term Effect of Spinal Manipulation in the Treatment of Infantile Colic: A Randomized Controlled Trial with a Blinded Observer. JMPT. 1999;22;517-522.

Hewitt EG. Chiropractic Care for  with Dysfunctional Nursing: A Case Series. JCCP.1999;4(1).

Schmidt M. Smith L. Sehnert K. Beyond Antibiotics. Berkeley: North Atlantic Books; 1993.

Rondberg T DC. Chiropractic First. US: The Chiropractic Journal; 1998

Mendelsohn Dr. How to Raise a Healthy Child…In Spite of Your Doctor. New York: Ballantine Books; 1984.

Rockville MD. Agency for Health Care Research and Quality. Press Release: August 9:  2000.

Damoiseaux RAMJ. Van Balen FAM. Hoes AW. Verheij TJM. De Melker RA. Amoxycillin. Brit Med J. 2000;320:350-354.cited in Maginness G Dr. (2001). C4K Chiropractic for Kids.  Paediatrics Research. [CD-ROM]. Available: chiro@netscape.net.au [2001]

Phillips N. Vertebral Subluxation and Otitis Media; a case study. J Chiro Research and Clin Investigation. 1992;8:38

Fysh P Dr. Chronic Re-current Otitis Media; case series of five patients with recommendations for case managements.  J Clin Chiro Paed. 1996;1

Froele RM.  Ear Infection; A Retrospective Study Examining Improvement From Chiropractic Care and analyzing influencing factors. JMPT. 1996;19:169-177