Is This the True Cause of Colic?
Photo: Think Stock/The BumpAny parent with a colicky baby will tell you that dealing with colic is heartbreaking, aggravating and, well, pretty much your worst nightmare. Thankfully, a recent study shed some light on a possible cause of colic among newborns.
Researcher Dr. Abdelrazak Mansour Ali from Cairo studied 55 infants of varying age, sex and ethnicity that showed symptoms of colic. Of those chosen, 45 babies (81.8%) tested positive for Helicobacter pylori — a type of bacteria found in their stomachs. This bacterium can cause stomach discomfort, cramping and ulcers (ouch!). Dr. Ali noted that these infections may be considered the “etiologic pathogenic organism of infantile colic,” meaning there may be a legitimate cause of baby’s discomfort — it’s not “just crying.” Now if only researchers could fine a definitive cure!
Even though baby can’t communicate what’s wrong, there are some possible treatments to ease his pain. Dr. Ali recommends a daily dose of a probiotic to stimulate your baby’s stomach — but discuss any treatment or medication with your doctor before giving it to baby.
How did you deal with your baby’s colic? What do you recommend for other moms?
Plus, more from The Bump:
The Knot Blog
The Nest Blog
h pylori is a bacteria that is treatable with antibiotics. There is a cure.
It is the bacteria that sometimes causes ulcers.
Great NYT article yesterday! http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/21/microbes-linked-to-colic-in-babies/ Dr. Oz recommends Advocare’s probiotic. I’ve been on it for a couple of years now and my husband just started. I break a capsule into his smoothie each morning, and he is loving it. One more thing…when they had to put my 4 month old on antibiotics last year, they recommended adding a probiotic to his bottle once a day. Turns out, Advocare was my pediatrician’s probiotic of choice! This is the video from Dr. Oz: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFutUBGY2fs and this site should link you to where you can buy them http://www.choosethechallenge.com/robb