Yep, stick those little rugrats with needles and that will stop the crying. It's that simple and it's all you may need to do. (Science Daily: Acupuncture may alleviate babies' excessive crying (infantile colic))
Y'all having fun with science so far?
The researchers do serious work so let's take a look, shall we.
Acupuncture may be an effective treatment option for babies with infantile colic -- those who cry for more than 3 hours a day on 3 or more days of the week -- reveals research published online in Acupuncture in Medicine.
- SD
'May be' is interesting but we need more than 'may be' if we're going to be sticking needles in a baby no matter how awful the baby may smell.
Each child was randomly allocated to one of three groups (A-C), which required additional twice weekly visits to the child health centre for two weeks. These included a half hour appointment with a nurse to discuss symptoms while the statutory appointments included routine childcare advice plus weighing and measuring.
- SD
There we have the general protocol so they're methodical about it.
In all, 144 babies completed the two week trial. The amount of time spent crying excessively fell in all three groups, which is not unexpected as colic tends to clear up by itself eventually, say the researchers.
But the magnitude of this reduction was greater in those given either type of acupuncture than it was in those given standard care alone.
- SD
Well, Mama, it's looking real.
The babies seemed to tolerate acupuncture fairly well. Out of 388 treatments given, the baby didn't cry at all on 200 occasions, and cried for less than a minute on 157 occasions. Only 31 treatments triggered a crying jag of more than 1 minute. A single drop of blood was evident in 15 treatments.
"Fussing and crying are normal communications for a baby, therefore a reduction to normal levels (rather than silence) is the goal of treatment," say the researchers, who emphasise that parents should record how long their baby cries to see if it is excessive and then try eliminating cow's milk from their feeds before seeking further help.
- SD
There you have it. There's no chance this childless clown will offer an editorial so make of it what you will.
Y'all having fun with science so far?
The researchers do serious work so let's take a look, shall we.
Acupuncture may be an effective treatment option for babies with infantile colic -- those who cry for more than 3 hours a day on 3 or more days of the week -- reveals research published online in Acupuncture in Medicine.
- SD
'May be' is interesting but we need more than 'may be' if we're going to be sticking needles in a baby no matter how awful the baby may smell.
Each child was randomly allocated to one of three groups (A-C), which required additional twice weekly visits to the child health centre for two weeks. These included a half hour appointment with a nurse to discuss symptoms while the statutory appointments included routine childcare advice plus weighing and measuring.
- SD
There we have the general protocol so they're methodical about it.
In all, 144 babies completed the two week trial. The amount of time spent crying excessively fell in all three groups, which is not unexpected as colic tends to clear up by itself eventually, say the researchers.
But the magnitude of this reduction was greater in those given either type of acupuncture than it was in those given standard care alone.
- SD
Well, Mama, it's looking real.
The babies seemed to tolerate acupuncture fairly well. Out of 388 treatments given, the baby didn't cry at all on 200 occasions, and cried for less than a minute on 157 occasions. Only 31 treatments triggered a crying jag of more than 1 minute. A single drop of blood was evident in 15 treatments.
"Fussing and crying are normal communications for a baby, therefore a reduction to normal levels (rather than silence) is the goal of treatment," say the researchers, who emphasise that parents should record how long their baby cries to see if it is excessive and then try eliminating cow's milk from their feeds before seeking further help.
- SD
There you have it. There's no chance this childless clown will offer an editorial so make of it what you will.
2 comments:
This needs more research to see if this is viable. Not sure the comment on the bad smell of the baby.
The far more important reason for reducing the cranky crying of a colicky baby is the reaction of the parent.
The parent is usually young and uniformed how to deal with the stress. In todays society it is usually a single mother. So add post partum stress, financial stress and the feeling that she is alone. It is no wonder that this leads to Shaken Baby Syndrome or worse.
Having lived through twin colicky babies, I completely understand that that there is a snapping point unless you understand what is happening or have someone to relieve you to allow down time.
Grandparents used to fill that function but many are still young themselves so it is harder to fill that function.
Also the acupuncture needles are hardly felt when inserted so if it works I am all for it
The bad smell was about changing nappies. Good Lord! (larfs)
I haven't done it but it's only necessary to be in the same room.
Thanks for the observations on how it really goes since there was no way I would try to bluff anything on that. The science looks good for the 144 kids and that's a fairly impressive sample but more will do no harm at all.
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