Colic is one of those horrible but not medically significant problems that drive parents crazy and may cause them to question why they had children at all. There are many different treatments for the endless misery the infants appear to be suffering. One medical "rule of thumb" is that when there are multiple treatments for a specific illness, none is all that good or it would be the one everyone uses.
The list of treatments that don't work is much larger than the list of those that do. Simethicone, found in many over-the-counter products, helps with adominal gas. But it doesn't lessen the symptoms of colic. Dicyclomine (Bentyl and other products), a drug used for stomach problems, not only doesn't help babies with colic, but causes side-effects such as shortness of breath, seizures, and coma. Scopolamine, a drug used to treat motion sickness, was no better than a placebo in treating colic.
Dietary changes in breastfeeding women can make a difference in their infants' symptoms of colic. A hypoallergenic diet free of milk, egg, wheat, and nuts resulted in a 25% decrease in colic symptoms. For bottle-fed babies, using soy or hypoallergenic formula helps. Giving colicky babies lactase enzymes or fiber-enriched formula made no difference.
Behavioral interventions ‚ increased carrying of the baby with a Snugli or other carrier or using a car-ride simulator ‚ had no effect. Interestingly, reducing the infants stimulation reduced the symptoms of colic. Giving the babies sugar water helped, but only for about 30 minutes.
One treatment that worked is giving a colicky baby 150 milliliters of a herbal tea containing chamomile, vervain, licorice, fennel, and balm-mint up to three times a day.
Sometimes the symptoms of colic are due to other problems. For example, a child with gastro-esophageal reflux, (GER) which is stomach contents going upwards and into the esophagus, may have the same symptoms as colic. Picking up the crying infant offers some relief. There are good treatments for GER which control its symptoms.
Caring for a colicky child can be very frustrating. Few treatments really work. The good news is that colic is not a serious medical problem, it has no long lasting effects, and all babies outgrow it.
The Journal of Family Practice, 8/04.
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