HOMOEOPATHIC CARE FOR BABIES COLIC

COULD YOUR BABY'S CRYING BE COLIC?

-        HOMOEOPATHIC CARE FOR COLIC   

                                                                                         

Colic is commonly described as a behavioral syndrome in neonates and infants that is characterized by excessive, paroxysmal crying. Colic is most likely to occur in the evenings, and it occurs without any identifiable cause. The term infant with colic applies to any healthy, well fed infant who cries more than 3 hours a day, more than 3 days a week, for more than 3 weeks. Here's what we know about it: Colic usually starts around age 2 weeks in a full term infant (or later in a premature infant). It almost always goes away on its own by 3 or 4 months. Gender, breast or bottle feeding, and birth order don’t affect it. Kids who had colic as babies are no different than those who didn’t. It is also important to remember that not all fussy babies suffer from colic. Most infants normally cry two to three hours per day, but this is usually spread out during the 24hour period.

Causes of Infantile colic and crying:

The cause of colic is generally unknown. About 1 in 5 babies cry long enough to be considered colicky. The timing varies, but colic usually affects babies beginning at about 3 weeks of age. It peaks somewhere between 4 - 6 weeks of age. The crying associated with colic usually occurs at the end of the day. Babies with colic tend to be unusually sensitive to stimulation. Some babies have more discomfort from intestinal gas. Some cry from hunger, others from overfeeding. Some cannot tolerate certain foods or proteins in breast milk or formula. Fear, frustration, or even excitement can lead to colic symptoms. When other people around the baby are worried, anxious, or depressed, babies may cry more.

Medical cause for the crying and fussiness and possible reasons for irritability include:

Infection the ears and urinary tract are common spots, Acid reflux or stomach problems, Pressure or inflammation of the brain and nervous system, Eye trouble like a scratch or increased pressure, Irregular heartbeat and Injury to bones, muscles, or fingers

Risk factors

Infants of mothers who smoke during pregnancy or after delivery have a greater risk of developing colic.

Many other theories about what makes a child more susceptible to colic have been proposed, but none have been proved. For instance:

·        Colic doesn't occur more often among firstborns or formula fed babies.

·        A breastfeeding mother's diet probably doesn't trigger colic.

·        Girls and boys — no matter what their birth order or how they're fed — experience colic in similar numbers.

Clinical Manifestation of Infantile colic :

The crying or fussing most frequently begins suddenly and often after a feeding. The cry is loud and continuous, and the spells last from one to four hours. The baby's face often gets flushed or red. The belly is sometimes distended or prominent, the legs alternating between flexed and extended straight out; the feet are often cold and the hands clenched. The episodes, while they can occur at any time of the day or night, typically begin in the late afternoon or early evening, just when parents or caregivers are most exhausted. There are some babies who are more prone to infantile colic than others. It is generally believed that if one or both parents were colicky, their baby is more at risk. Infantile colic typically begins at about 2 to 3 weeks of age, reaches its peak at 2 months, begins to subside by 3 months, and is gone by 3½ to 4 months of age. But the frustrating fact remains that although one in four babies has colic and much research has been done on the topic, there is no one proven cause of colic. In some studies, no discernible cause was found for one quarter of those babies who suffered from colicky episodes.

This reality is very frustrating for most parents. It is certainly known that amongst all colicky babies, there are factors that may worsen the colic symptoms:

·        Overfeeding in an attempt to lessen the crying

·         Feeding certain foods, especially those with high sugar content (for example, undiluted juices), may increase the amount of gas in the intestine and worsen the situation

·        The presence of excessive anger, anxiety, fear, or excitement in the household

·        A multitude of other factors as yet unknown

On physical examination, the keys to the diagnosis are as follows:

·        Normal physical findings

·        Weight gain: Infants with colic often have accelerated growth; failure to thrive should make one suspicious about the diagnosis of colic

·        Exclusion of potentially serious diagnoses that may be causing the crying

Diagnosis

The following should be kept in mind in the workup of a patient with colic:

·        Laboratory studies are usually not indicated unless another condition is suspected

·        If the patient’s stools are excessively watery, testing them for excess reducing substances may be worthwhile; positive results may indicate an underlying GI problem

·        Stool may be tested for occult blood to rule out cow’s milk allergy

·        Irritability and crying may be associated with GERD because of the pain associated with esophagitis

Management

Some suggestions to manage infantile colic

It is critically important to consult the baby's doctor at the very beginning of the suspected colic symptoms. While there are no tests that can be done where the results come back "colic," it is very important to exclude several other causes of crying or sudden onset screaming in a newborn.

·        Do not overfeed! Stick to the baby's regular feeding schedule of timing and amount of milk taken, as measured in ounces in the bottlefed baby or in minutes on the breast in the breastfed baby.

·        Breastfeeding mothers should avoid too many milk products ("you don't have to drink milk to make milk"), caffeine, onions, cabbage, beans, broccoli, and other gas producing, irritating foods. Be sure that if the baby is taking juices, that they are very diluted, or just offer plain water. If babies are really thirsty, they will drink it.Avoid juices (young infants should not be drinking juice anyway).

·        Take a break! When the anxiety, fear, and tension get to be too much (or perhaps an hour before!), try to have someone else watch the baby, even for an hour, and leave the house. Try to keep a positive attitude.

·        Use gentle heat or touch. Give your baby a warm bath. Softly rub your baby's belly.

·        Give your baby some private time. If nothing else seems to work, put your baby in his or her crib for five to 10 minutes.

HOMOEOPATHIC MANAGEMENT

Homoeopathy is a natural system of medicine in which the remedies that are used stimulate the body's own healing powers. It is concerned with treating the whole person not only the disease. For this reason, people with the same problem may often be treated with different remedies. When homoeopathy is used by a skilled practitioner and the case is individualized according to the patient's history and physical exam, it is safe and can help even those stubborn cases of infant colic.

To choose the appropriate remedy the following symptoms and localizations should be checked:

·        Weeping (time of day, type of weeping)

·        Abdomen (flatulence or swelling; hardness; amelioration from pressure or aggravation from touch; amelioration or aggravation from massaging the tummy; audible noises like bubbling on touch)

·        Feces (color and consistency; diarrhoea or constipation before eating or immediately after; odor)

·        Movements (whether the patient remains quiet or moves constantly; whether he moves the legs as if cramping; whether there is an amelioration or aggravation from stretching or bending; convulsions)

·        Hunger (hunger or no hunger; whether the patient ceases to eat during the course of the day or whether the appetite remains; weight loss or constant weight; refusing the breast)

·        Rectum (easy or difficult expelling of flatus; odor, pain)

·        Mind (whether sleep is affected: insomnia; whether sleep ameliorates or aggravates; whether the child desires company or wants to be alone; weather there is amelioration from rocking, or if the child refuses contact)

·        Temperature (fever; cold abdomen or extremities; sweat or profuse perspiration; odor of sweat)

·        Appearance (redness or paleness of cheeks; congestion)

·        Stomach (whether there is vomiting – voluntarily or forced – or, on the contrary, is there reflux – involuntarily; hiccoughs)

The following information gives a brief description of some of the more commonly used remedies for colic:

Chamomilla

Anger with great irritability. Wants to be carried in arms. Aversion to being touched.Capricious. Hypersensitive to pain. Discomfort during teething. General aggravationat about 9 am or between 9 or 10 p.m. One cheek red and the other pale. Feces smell like rotten eggs. Feces colored like spinach or chopped grass. Hot feet which are pushed out of the covers at night. Sensitive to music and noise. Weeping during sleep.

Flatulent colic with red and hot cheeks. Insomnia due to pain.

Colocynthis

Irritable and easily angered. restlessness during pain. General and local amelioration from strong pressure. The pain is better for pressure and lying face down (prone), also by bending. They are worse from excitement or anger. Cramps around the navel. Worse by eating, from fruits or strong emotions. Babies are inclined to bend double due to pain.

Wavelike and radiating pain. The baby cries when one attempts to move her. Musclecontractions. Green, yellow, muddy, watery stool, sometimes bloody. Jellylike stool.Stomach cramps at night.

Cuprum Metallicum

Mental slowness and torpor. Convulsions. Screams before each seizure. Convulsions worse at night, from excitement, during sleep or when getting wet. Muscle cramps or spasms.

Worse from suppressed eruptions. The face turns blue or cyanotic. Abdominal crampsworse from movement. Coughing spells. Tense and hot abdomen, tender to touch.Better from pressure, worse from raising arms. Face pale and bluish. Better drinking

cold drinks. When swallowing the descending liquid causes borborygmi. Profusediarrhea with watery and green stools. Constipation with great heat in the body. Hiccough before vomiting.Chills. Coldness of the skin. Sour odor after convulsions.

Dioscorea

Severe abdominal cramps, better by bending backwards or sitting upright. Colic inchildren bending them back. Worse by bending forward, better by eructation’s. Flatulent colic. Borborygmi with passing of much flatus. Abdomen tender and sensitive to pressure.

Flatulence after eating. Cold extremities during colic. Cramps in the flexor muscles of fingers and toes. Better for stretching. Better by bending back. Worse on lying. Yellowish diarrhea. Offensive flatulence. Chills.

Ipecacuanha

Irritability. Worse from vomiting. Generally hot. Face flushed and hot on one side. Very clean tongue despite constant nausea. Intolerance to noise. Anxiety and restlessness during fever. Cramps with nausea and vomiting. Flatulent colic with loose and frequent stools. Cutting pain around the navel. Constant cough. One side of the face hot, the other cold. Pale, blue around the lips and eyes. Dislikes any food. Worse from heat and humidity. Diarrhea when teething with yellowish, whitish or greenish stool. Much flatus when passing stool. Truly offensive and putrid odor of stool. Insomnia. Fever. Alternating chills and heat. Tongue clean, not coated.

Magnesia Muriatica

Passivity. Anxiety at night in bed, when lying down, when closing his eyes. Sensitivity to noise. Chills and worse for cold. Worse in the morning on rising. Worse for touch but better from strong pressure. Worse by the sea. Constipation with hard and knotty stool. Diarrhea or abdominal pain worse from milk or fruit. Constipation in babies when teething. Great flatulence which is difficult to expel and causes numerous pains. Poor appetite. Jaundice.Worse on the right side. Sleepiness during the day. Eructation’s like rotten eggs or onion. Better from eructation’s. White or yellowish tongue.

Magnesia Phosphorica

Better for heat and pressure. Worse from cold. Better from hot drinks, pressure, massage or bending. Muscle cramps with radiating pain. Hypersensitive to noise, music or excitement. Bloated, with sensation of fullness in the abdomen which requires loosening the clothing and produces constant expulsion of flatus. Maintains appetite. Thirst for cold drinks. Worse at night. Inflammation of the tongue. Watery diarrhea with vomiting and cramps in hamstrings. Spasmodic hiccough night and day.

Natrum Phosphoricum

Yellowish and dirty tongue. Noisy flatulence. Hunger. Cold feet during the day and burning at night. Greenish diarrhea. Sour eructation’s. Sour vomiting.

Natrum Sulphuricum

Worse from damp weather. Better after stool. Sometimes greenish or grayish discoloration of the tongue. Diarrhea in the morning on rising. Diarrhea with much flatus. Diarrhea in infants of asthmatic mothers. Cramps and flatulence before eating. Flatulence that is difficult to expel. Photophobia. Refuses to eat. Desire for very cold drinks. Yellowish diarrhea and loose stools. Large fecal mass. Very sleepy during the day. Dirty, brown tongue.

Nux Vomica

Irritability, impatience. Aversion to tight clothing. Fear of the dark. Chills. Worse by cold. Generally better for heat or hot applications. General aggravation from eating. Cramps or severe pains in the abdomen. Better from stool. Children with colic tend to bend their back. Constipation with constant desire to pass stool. Diarrhea alternating with constipation. Insomnia. Wakes up between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m. Worse from cough.

Rumbling sound in the abdomen in the morning. Flatus difficult to expel. Photophobia, worse in the morning. Face red or yellowish. Hunger. Leg cramps. Bad breath in the morning. Sour sweat on one side of the body. Chills alternating with heat. Stiffness and blue tinge to fingernails.

Rheum Palmatum

Irritability, crying. Symptoms appear at night and cause restlessness. Sour odor of sweat and body which does not disappear when washing the baby. Aggravation during teething. Excessive perspiration, especially during sleep. Excessive salivation. Diarrhea with sour odor. Doesn’t sleep much and has little appetite. Gas seem to rise to the chest. Better by bending. Worse by uncovering any part of the body. Cold sweat on his face. Better by heat, lying doubled up. Worse from uncovering, in the summer, at night, after sleeping. Worse by movement. Worse from stool. Bad breath with sour odor. Severe constipation. Yellow stool which turns greenish. Irritation of the anus. Chill alternating with heat. Thirstless.

Secale Cornutum

Worse from heat, both general and local. Better from cold or uncovering. Better in the open air. The skin feels cold. Bleeding tendency. Diarrhea. Itching in the extremities. Warm feet. Restlessness. Patien is thin and has great hunger. Excessive distension of abdomen.

Sunken eyes and dark blue circles around the eyes. Increased thirst. Violent cramps. Cold extremities. Watery stools, olivegreen, thin, putrid or bloody. Cracked tongue covered with yellowish coat, or clean and dry.

Staphysagria

Worse from a morning nap, worse in the afternoon. Aggravation from sleep. Abdominal colic since surgery. Sleeps during the day, insomnia at night. Distended abdomen with much flatus. Smells like rotten eggs. Hungry. Worse from stretching, worse from touch – less in the affected parts. Profuse sweating. Constipation. Dry, hard stools. Yellow stool with odor of rotten eggs. Unhealthy dry skin. Eczema.