Holistic Holistic Health Associates :: Meditation, Frederick, MD

Colic has baffled parents and doctors alike and remains difficult to treat because of the uncertainty of its causes. Occurring early in development (first 3 to 6 weeks), the baby lacks the ability to provide discernible signifiers as to causes of the discomfort. By the
age of 6 months old a baby may be able to signify fullness by pushing away the spoon of strained pears or sleepiness by rubbing their eyes, but colic normally occurs so early that the baby does not have the control or awareness to signify. Doctors have recently agreed a probable cause of colic is related to digestive disruption and gas, a conclusion which has been long recognized by Chinese medicine.

Is your baby colicky or simply experiencing the typical growing pains any baby goes through? Consider colic if your baby is crying inconsolably for many hours per day, often in the evening and tends to kick their legs. The crying is intense and is not reduced by rocking, feeding or other calming techniques. You can also refer to a simple standard known as the “Rule of Threes.”

This definition of colic refers to the following specifications:

Begins within the first three weeks of life
Lasts up to or more than three hours a day
Occurs at least three or more days a week
Continues for at least three weeks
Disappears between three and six months of age

There are many natural remedies that may improve the state of this condition including, but not limited to, Chinese medical massage (Tuina), herbal teas and dietary changes.

Case Study: Taylor, 2 months old

Taylor began her colic symptoms around week 6. She spent hours in the evening crying inconsolably and struggled with constipation and gas. Crying on and off throughout the night was keeping her parents awake more frequently usual. They came into my office tired and exasperated, hoping for improvement. Our treatment plan included regulating the mother’s diet, massage and herbal tea.

Diet

A breast feeding mother should always be aware of the foods she is eating as these have an effect on the taste and digestibility of her breast milk. Some babies are sensitive to cow’s milk, caffeine (coffee, tea, chocolate), spices, garlic, onions, cabbage, asparagus, broccoli, peppers (especially raw green ones), citrus fruits, grapes and wheat products.

Mom was not a smoker or drinker and her caffeine was limited to an occasional cup of tea, but she did say that she ate a lot of salads, attempting to lose pregnancy weight while ingesting nutrients for Taylor. There is nothing more important than vegetables in a diet, but raw foods can be difficult to digest and in this case, my assumption was that the high amount of raw foods contributed to the digestive distress in Taylor. I suggested cooking
the vegetables by themselves or in a soup as the first step in reducing her discomfort.

Chinese medical massage (Tuina)

Massage in general is extremely nurturing and soothing to your little ones. In this case we had colic, accompanied by constipation and gas. I coordinated a 30 minute protocol of massage, which included treating aspects of the stomach and spleen through Chinese medical theory. Some of the techniques are simple and after teaching the parents the general concepts, they were able to perform the techniques daily on Taylor. Massage can help babies pass gas or have a bowel movement, each of which tend to improve colicky conditions.

*Some basic techniques are:

massaging the abdomen in a clockwise fashion around the navel
pressing in and out across the base of the ribcage
pushing with your thumb from the pinky finger to the thumb of the baby, across the base of the palm

Each of these techniques can be performed multiple times per day and would make up a portion of the protocol I used with Taylor.

Herbal Teas

Most doctors believe it is perfectly safe to administer up to four ounces of herbal tea daily to an infant assuming that it does not replace a feeding. Commonly used teas are mint, fennel, chamomile and ginger. Taylor was slightly red in the face and ran warm, so I recommended mint which is cool in nature, over ginger which tends to be warming.

Simmering a small bunch of mint leaves in one liter of water for 10 minutes should be sufficient preparation. Strain and allow cooling before administering. For Taylor, we included 1 gram of the powdered Chinese herbal formula, Peony and Licorice Decoction (Shao Yao Gan Cao Tang) to Taylor’s tea. This formula is used for abdominal discomfort and spasms. It is important to note the 1 gram dosage per day which is 1/8 of the general adult dosage of this formula. This is a standard reduction for infants, but must be monitored by a certified herbalist.

Results

Taylor had gone 6 days without a bowel movement before evacuating the morning after our session. After 6 more days without a movement, she had 3 the day after our second session. By the fourth session she was having daily movements and her crying had significantly reduced.

*Always consult a specialist before attempting massage techniques for the first time

Treatment of a Colicky Baby with Acupuncture and Herbs

Natural Remedies for a Colicky Baby