The Journal of Pediatric, Maternal & Family Health just published a case study on a 15 month old girl that presented with developmental delay to a chiropractic office. Her developmental delays included not standing, walking or talking for her age group. It was noted that she had previously had chiropractic care for colic and GERD (basically acid reflux) which had resolved quickly.
Subluxations were found by the chiropractor in the upper neck and very low back. After 18 visits this little girl was able to walk unassisted and speak 3-4 words in Greek and English.
This is an example of how chiropractic care can help make a world of difference in a young person's life. Chiropractic care is more than pain management, it is about identifying areas of the body that are not functioning as they should and training them to work correctly again.
Showing posts with label Colic. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Colic. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Monday, September 12, 2011
Infantile Colic Help
One of the most frustrating situations that new parents can find themselves in is trying to console a child suffering with colic. A study conducted in South Africa by Mercer and Cook may point them in the right direction. Thirty infants who had been diagnosed by a pediatrician with colic were randomly divided into two groups. One group received chiropractic care while the other group did not. All infants in this study were newborn to 8 weeks old. The framework of the study was that the infants receiving chiropractic adjustments received care for a two-week period with a maximum of six adjustments.
The results of the study were very impressive. In the group that received chiropractic care, 93% of the infants had complete resolution of their symptoms within the two-week period. Even more impressive was that in a follow up survey performed one month later, none of the infants had experienced a recurrence of problems from colic. The chiropractic care rendered in this study was spinal adjusting.
Chiropractic adjustments to an infant consist of gentle pressure to restore the normal motion of the individual bones of the spine. Although the goal is the same as with adults, to allow the body to function properly, the technique is quite different. I have been trained with the ICPA and have had many years of experience adjusting infants and newborns with colic.
The results of the study were very impressive. In the group that received chiropractic care, 93% of the infants had complete resolution of their symptoms within the two-week period. Even more impressive was that in a follow up survey performed one month later, none of the infants had experienced a recurrence of problems from colic. The chiropractic care rendered in this study was spinal adjusting.
Chiropractic adjustments to an infant consist of gentle pressure to restore the normal motion of the individual bones of the spine. Although the goal is the same as with adults, to allow the body to function properly, the technique is quite different. I have been trained with the ICPA and have had many years of experience adjusting infants and newborns with colic.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
What is Colic?
The mothers of my young patients often ask me "What exactly is Colic?" That is a good question and there is still some debate as to what causes the inconsolable crying and screaming that a baby suffering with colic has. If you go on the popular site WebMD they will tell you that "Doctors are not sure what causes colic, but it may be the result of a baby's sensitive temperament and an immature nervous system."
Traditionally the word "Colic" is associated with digestive issues such as gas and bloating. However the most reliable information now says that while digestive issues may increase the baby's discomfort they are not the main cause of it. If we go back to WebMD we see that they agree "Colic is not related to health conditions, such as digestion problems. But having gas in the belly can make crying worse." The research is pointing toward the nervous system as the true culprit of the pain and discomfort. This is where we come to treatment options for your baby.
The traditional medical approach has been and still is the prescription of a gas relieving drug such as dimethicone. This approach of course addresses the aggravating factor of colic but not the primary cause. What if you can go directly after the core of the problem that is causing your baby to cry and scream? This is where a chiropractor can help out. The medical community agrees that the likely cause of colic is found in the nervous system, but they do not have a way of addressing dysfunction that can be found there. What they are left with is trying to suppress the symptoms enough so that the parent can survive until the child is older.
Chiropractors on the other had have always worked directly with the nervous system, and to be more precise, removing the dysfunction that can occur in the nervous system. The primary focus of chiropractic care is to make corrective adjustments to the bones of the spine, in order to remove any irritation that the misaligned joints maybe causing on the nervous system. This is the same approach that we take with colicky babies. Of course the adjustments that we perform on babies are even more gentle than with older children and adults.
Babies often respond very quickly and with great results. I remember one mom who brought her son in for care. She looked tired and defeated, and I knew she had come to me as her last option. The morning after the first adjustment she called back and told us that her son had slept through the night! After a few more adjustments he no longer fit the criteria of a colicky baby.
Traditionally the word "Colic" is associated with digestive issues such as gas and bloating. However the most reliable information now says that while digestive issues may increase the baby's discomfort they are not the main cause of it. If we go back to WebMD we see that they agree "Colic is not related to health conditions, such as digestion problems. But having gas in the belly can make crying worse." The research is pointing toward the nervous system as the true culprit of the pain and discomfort. This is where we come to treatment options for your baby.
The traditional medical approach has been and still is the prescription of a gas relieving drug such as dimethicone. This approach of course addresses the aggravating factor of colic but not the primary cause. What if you can go directly after the core of the problem that is causing your baby to cry and scream? This is where a chiropractor can help out. The medical community agrees that the likely cause of colic is found in the nervous system, but they do not have a way of addressing dysfunction that can be found there. What they are left with is trying to suppress the symptoms enough so that the parent can survive until the child is older.
Chiropractors on the other had have always worked directly with the nervous system, and to be more precise, removing the dysfunction that can occur in the nervous system. The primary focus of chiropractic care is to make corrective adjustments to the bones of the spine, in order to remove any irritation that the misaligned joints maybe causing on the nervous system. This is the same approach that we take with colicky babies. Of course the adjustments that we perform on babies are even more gentle than with older children and adults.
Babies often respond very quickly and with great results. I remember one mom who brought her son in for care. She looked tired and defeated, and I knew she had come to me as her last option. The morning after the first adjustment she called back and told us that her son had slept through the night! After a few more adjustments he no longer fit the criteria of a colicky baby.
Chiropractic Care and Colic.
Spinal manipulation is effective in relieving infantile colic.
This is the conclusion of a study done in Denmark on the effectiveness of chiropractic care for infants with colic. The researchers found a decrease in the number of hours of crying by 67%. They compared this to only a 38% decrease in a second group that was treated with dimethicone over the same time period. An interesting note is made in the discussion of the study that there were 9 drop outs in the dimethicone group and none in the adjustment group. The authors comment on this "inspection of the data in the last infantile colic profile completed before dropout show clearly that for all where information is available, the dropout was due to a genuine worsening of symptoms and not parents' bias." The effect of the drop outs and the removal of their data likely, according to the authors, made the data on the dimethicone appear better than it would have if they had remained in the study. The authors concluded their discussion with this statement: "Spinal manipulation is normally used in the treatment of musculoskeletal disorders, and the results of this trial leave open 2 possible interpretations. Either spinal manipulation is effective in the treatment of the visceral disorder infantile colic or infantile colic is, in fact, a musculoskeletal disorder, and not, as normally assumed, visceral. This study does not address this issue."
References:
Wiberg JMM, Nordsteen J, Nilsson N. The Short-Term Effect of Spinal Manipulation in the Treatment of Infantile Colic: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial with a Blinded Observer J Manipulative Physiol Ther 1999 (Oct); 22 (8): 517-522
This is the conclusion of a study done in Denmark on the effectiveness of chiropractic care for infants with colic. The researchers found a decrease in the number of hours of crying by 67%. They compared this to only a 38% decrease in a second group that was treated with dimethicone over the same time period. An interesting note is made in the discussion of the study that there were 9 drop outs in the dimethicone group and none in the adjustment group. The authors comment on this "inspection of the data in the last infantile colic profile completed before dropout show clearly that for all where information is available, the dropout was due to a genuine worsening of symptoms and not parents' bias." The effect of the drop outs and the removal of their data likely, according to the authors, made the data on the dimethicone appear better than it would have if they had remained in the study. The authors concluded their discussion with this statement: "Spinal manipulation is normally used in the treatment of musculoskeletal disorders, and the results of this trial leave open 2 possible interpretations. Either spinal manipulation is effective in the treatment of the visceral disorder infantile colic or infantile colic is, in fact, a musculoskeletal disorder, and not, as normally assumed, visceral. This study does not address this issue."
References:
Wiberg JMM, Nordsteen J, Nilsson N. The Short-Term Effect of Spinal Manipulation in the Treatment of Infantile Colic: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial with a Blinded Observer J Manipulative Physiol Ther 1999 (Oct); 22 (8): 517-522
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