Infantile colic is a condition in which a baby cries incessantly and cannot be comforted by being fed, held, changes, or rocked.
The rule for diagnosis of colic is the "rule of 3s":
Did it start before your baby was 3 weeks old?
Does your baby cry for 3 hours a day?
Does your baby cry incessantly more than 3 days in a row?
Has the crying persisted more than 3 weeks?
Causes of Colic:
Babies with colic often draw their knees up to their abdomen, causing some to imagine that they are suffering from abdominal pain. However, a study showed that babies who were treated with chiropractic care showed a significant reduction in colicky crying, while babies treated with gas-expelling drops did not. A possible explanation for this is that colic may not be pain in the belly at all, but possibly pain in the lower spine. Dr. Dwyer is board-certified in pediatric chiropractic and has found that the upper lumbar and the cervical regions are the two most commonly-involved segments in infants with colic.
How do newborns get spinal subluxations or misalignments? Consider the birth process itself: being squeezed, pushed and twisted through a very narrow opening (whether it is a surgical opening or nature's opening) exerts tremendous force on the spinal vertebrae.
Effects of Colic:
The negative effects of colic can last for years, well into early childhood, in the form of emotional and behavioral problems and a poorer parent-child bond. Another recent study found that colicky babies who were treated with chiropractic care for colic, had fewer temper tantrums and fewer nighttime awakenings as toddlers than colicky babies who had not had chiropractic care.
Chiropractic Care for Colic:
Chiropractic adjustment of newborns is very gentle...no more pressure than you could tolerate on your eyeball. Many babies sigh with relief or fall asleep after the adjustment. Many parents report that their colicky baby is "like a different child" after being adjusted.
Why not make an appointment to meet with Dr. Dwyer today?
