Contents:
- Medical Video: Colic - Boys Town Pediatrics
- What is colic?
- Is acupuncture for babies safe?
- Are there other techniques for dealing with colic in infants?
Medical Video: Colic - Boys Town Pediatrics
Research conducted by Kajsa Landgren revealed that administration of acupuncture can be done to reduce the frequency of excessive crying or colic in infants. But is it safe to use acupuncture in infants to deal with colic?
What is colic?
Babies cry as a way of communicating, and this can show many things, such as feeling hungry, tired, or finished urinating, so crying is actually normal in babies. However, colic is a condition in which babies cry excessively and continuously for more than three consecutive hours in one day, even for several days for one week.
Colic most often occurs when a baby is two to three weeks old, then decreases in the third or fourth month. Some experts say that colic occurs because of the sensitivity of the baby who is still high to sounds, sensations, and things around him.
The study of 147 2-8 week old infants conducted by Kajsa Landgren, tried to compare between infants who were given acupuncture therapy, with babies who were not given acupuncture at all, and then compared the colic frequency of the babies. The results of the study found that giving acupuncture can reduce the duration of crying babies by up to 40 minutes in one day.
Is acupuncture for babies safe?
Acupuncture is a therapy that is done using a special needle that is inserted into several points in the body. Acupuncture has actually been used for thousands of years as a therapeutic method for traditional Chinese medicine. But can the baby undergo acupuncture?
Reporting from review conducted by Wolfgang Raith, from four studies conducted using acupuncture techniques for infants, the acupuncture as a whole did not injure the baby nor cause certain side effects. But the acupuncture practitioner used, must be a practitioner who has decades of experience, and the technique used is the acupuncture technique with minimal puncture.
The American Academy of Pediatrics has not stated certain specific statements about whether or not the acupuncture technique is safe if done to babies. There are still many pros and cons to the results of this study, so that it still needs further research. But, more than that, if you really want to do this technique for your baby, you should make sure you have consulted with your doctor first, and determine the practitioner who indeed has an expert in the acupuncture.
Are there other techniques for dealing with colic in infants?
Although it is not yet known exactly what causes colic in infants, there are some actions you can take to treat colic in your baby, including:
- Try checking again whether your breastfeeding technique is correct. Although this is most likely not the cause of your baby's colic, but a breastfeeding technique that makes it uncomfortable, it might make him cry.
- Some movements, like gently wiggling it while holding it, might stop crying.
- Sound. Some babies can respond to the sound well, eventually making it stop crying. Try buzzing sounds like a clothes dryer, vacuum cleaner, and fan.
- Touch the senses. Some babies may cry because the light is too bright or the temperature is too cold for him. Gently massage his back, lay him in a room with minimal light, or bathe him with warm water you can do to try to stop his crying.
However, especially from all that, you should immediately consult your baby to a doctor, if the colic that your baby is experiencing is accompanied by the emergence of symptoms such as fever, vomiting, diarrhea, more easily drowsy than usual, and not eating.
