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COLIC
The Short-term effect of spinal manipulation in the treatment of infantile colic: a randomized controlled trial with a blinded observer, Wiberg JMM, Nordsteen J, Nilsson N. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics. October 1999; Vol 22 No 8, pp 517-522
This is a randomized controlled trial that took place in a private chiropractic practice and the National Health Service's health visitors, in a suburb of Copenhagen, Denmark.
One group of infants received spinal care for 2 weeks, the other was treated with the drug Dimethicone TM for 2 weeks. Changes in daily hours of crying were recorded in a colic diary.
Hours of crying reduced by 1 hour in the Dimethicone group, compared with 2.4 hours in the Chiropractic group by day 4-7. On days 8 through 11, crying was reduced by 1 hour in the Dimethicone group compared with 2.7 hours in the Chiropractic group. In the 12 days of the study, the children under Chiropractic care had a 67% reduction in crying whilst the group treated with drugs had a 38% reduction in crying. The mean number of adjustments given during the 2 week study was 3.8.
Infantile colic treated by Chiropractors: a prospective study of 316 cases. Klougart N, Nilsson N and Jacobsen J (1989) Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, 12: 281-288
Seventy three Chiropractors adjusted the spines of 316 infants (median age 5.7 weeks at initial examination) with moderate to severe colic (average 5.2 hours of crying per day). The mothers used a diary to keep track of the baby's symptoms, intensity and length of the colicky crying as well as how comfortable the infant seemed. 94% of the children showed a satisfactory response within 14 days of Chiropractic care (ususally 3 visits). After four weeks, the improvements were maintained.
One fourth of these infants showd great improvement after the very first Chiropractic adjustment. The remaining infants all showed improvement within 14 days.
Note: 51% of the infants had undergone prior unsuccessful treatment using drug therapy.
CHIROPRACTOR'S NOTE
It is my professional opinion that many babies that have been diagnosed with colic, do not have colic at all. In my experience, when I have been asked to see a young baby, and questioned the care-giver, (generally this is the mother) they give symptoms that are indicative of trauma during birth. These babies often do not like clothes being put over their head, picked up with the carrier putting their hands in the babies armpits, or propped upright. If this is the case, it indicates to me that the small delicate bones of the neck and skull have become misaligned during the birthing process, and the poor mite does not like actions that put pressure on the neck. If you know any baby that this fits the picture, then a second opinion from either a McTimoney Chiropractor or a Sacro-cranial osteopath is worth exploring. For those that will try and tell you that it is the "placebo" effect, I say, a mother that hasn't had a good night's rest since her baby has been born, really doesn't care, as long as it works without harming her baby!
"Scientists" will try and tell you that some of this research has not been conducted properly, that there is not a control group. I say, is it ethical to make a new parent put up with their baby crying for hours and hours, depriving them of sleep, just to prove a point?
RECURRENT EAR INFECTIONS OTITIS MEDIA
The Role of the Chiropractic adjustment in the care and treatment of 332 children with Otitis Media. Fallon JM, Journal of Clinical Chiropractic Paediatrics Oct 1997, 2(2): 167-183
311 of the 332 had a history of prior antibiotic use. 53.7% of the children had their first bout of otitis media between the ages of 6 months and 1 year and a total of 69.9% of the subjects in the study had their first bout of OM under a year of age. This is consistent with the findings of others.
The children were 27-days old to five-years old. The average number of adjustments administered by types of OM were as follows
Acute Otitis Media (127 children) 4 adjustments Chronic/Serous Otitis Media (104 children) 5 adjustments for mixed type of Bilateral Otitis Media (10 Children) 5.3 adjustments, where no Otitis Media was initially detected (74 children) 5.88 adjustments
The number of days that it took to normalize the otoscopic examination was: Acute 6.67 days, Chronic/Serous 8.57 days, and mixed 8.3 days
The number of days that it took to normalize the tympanographic examinatin was : Acute 8.35 days, Chronic/Serous 10.18 and Mixed 10.9 days.
The overall recurrence rate over a six month period from initial presentation in the office was: For Acute 11.02%, Chronic/Serous 16.34% for Mixed 30% and for none present 17.56%
This was a controlled clinical trial of 46 enuretic (bedwetting) children that were placed under chiropractic care. The children were under care for a 10 week period preceded by and followed by a 2 week no treatment period.
The 46 children were divided into two groups: 31 received chiropractic care and 15 were in the control group.
At the end of the study, 25% of the treatment-group children had 50% or more reduction in the wet night frequency from baseline to post-treatment while none among the control group had such reduction.
Chiropractic has a place in the frame of healthcare that YOU choose to adopt for problems encountered in childhood. If you want to explore treatments that don't involve anti-biotics and/or surgery, then Chiropractic treatment should be an alternative open to you to investigate.
