Calming Colic :: Children and Parenting

Calming Colic
by author Rhonda Dorren, BSc Pharm

A colicky baby who cries for hours on end can drive a parent crazy. New parents, especially, find colic stressful. So, if you’re pregnant or the proud parent of a newborn, prepare for bouts of colic by studying up on homeopathy and stocking up on a few proven homeopathic remedies.

Homeopathic remedies can be quite helpful. Commercially prepared homeopathic remedies for colic are available and generally include three remedies:

Carbo vegetabilis, which reduces the formation of intestinal gases that often provoke spasms and associated tensions. It eases burning in the stomach.
Colocynthis, which soothes the nerves of the lower part of the abdomen. It is helpful in cases in which infants draw up their knees. It also helps with stabbing pain.
Cuprum metallicum, which acts on the smooth muscle of the intestine, helping to decrease spasms.

Homeopathic remedies are administered when the infant begins a colicky episode. Place them just inside your baby’s mouth, to be absorbed by the mucous membranes. Usually the infant will respond in about 15 minutes, sometimes very subtly. If your baby doesn’t respond in 15 minutes, re-administer the remedy and wait another 15 minutes. Give a third dose if needed.

Regulated by Health Canada, homeopathic remedies are safe to use, they have no risk of toxicity or overdose, and they are regulated with DINs (drug identification numbers). Homeopathic remedies apply the principle of “like-treats-like” wherein the remedy, given in a micro dose form, would produce the same symptoms being treated if given in a toxic dose.

Homeopathic remedies are a safe solution that may be helpful in managing the challenging symptoms of colic in infants.

Coping Strategies

Colic is not a disease but a pattern of excessive crying with no apparent cause. It affects one in 10 babies, usually beginning at about three weeks of age. After the baby reaches six weeks of age, colic typically begins to improve and is generally gone by 12 weeks of age.
If your baby is colicky follow these strategies:

arrange for backup care periodically so you can have a break
try to stay positive knowing it will end
once the diagnosis of colic is made, trust that your baby is okay.

Rhonda Dorren, BSc Pharm, is a licensed pharmacist, author, and lecturer on the topics of complementary and alternative therapies. rhondadorren.com.

Source: alive #275, September 2005

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