Study reveals acupuncture may reduce crying and colic in infants
Colic. Some people say it exists and others don’t, but if your baby fusses and cries continually, then you sure do believe in it. It certainly disrupts family life and relationships which are already sensitive when a baby is little and of course, it’s hard for your little one too.
In this study, parents said their babies’ distress had a significant impact on their emotional wellbeing, and they desperately sought help from professionals but were unable to find an effective treatment. They took part in this study to see whether acupuncture could help.
In this blinded, randomised, controlled trial, 81 infants aged 2–8 weeks who fulfilled the criteria for infantile colic made six visits to an acupuncture clinic twice a week. A nurse was available to all subjects to answer parents’ questions and provide verbal support. Infants in the acupuncture group were then separated and received minimal, standardised acupuncture for two seconds on the LI4 acupuncture point, located on the hand. Parents kept a daily diary of their baby’s behaviour, including fussing and crying.
So what were the results?
Fussing and crying were shown to be lower after the first and second weeks in the infants in the acupuncture group. Anecdotally, the parents in the acupuncture group reported improvements in stooling and in sleep too.
The reduced rate of fussing and crying in the infants receiving acupuncture compared to the control group suggests that acupuncture may reduce the intensity and duration of colicky symptoms – good news for stressed out, exhausted parents. The researchers suggest that further investigation into different acupuncture points, needle techniques and intervals between treatments is needed so that future mums, dads and bubs might get some relief from this safe and gentle treatment.
If you’re concerned about the idea of babies having acupuncture, watch our video that shows a baby being given acupuncture and you’ll see that there is no pain or discomfort whatsoever. It’s like a little game!
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