Colic: What Your Pediatrician Isn’t Telling You
Is your little one is constantly crying, arching their entire body, fighting to sleep and soothe, OR have they been diagnosed with colic by a pediatrician? Then this blog post is for you!
At Apex, we go way beyond the standard pediatrician’s response of “we don’t know what causes it” and “don’t worry, they’ll grow out of it”. Instead, we get to the real ROOT CAUSE of colic, offering natural solutions to help your little one get better sleep, improved digestion, more happy days, and back on track with their development!
And remember – when they sleep and smile, YOU get to sleep and smile as well – which is exactly what every little one and parent deserves! Let’s dig in!
What Is Colic Exactly?
Colic is described as prolonged periods of uncontrollable crying in babies, disrupting their sleep and development. It is estimated to affect 1 in 4 babies using standard criteria, and possibly even more when you consider all the related issues we’ll discuss in this blog.
Signs and symptoms of colic include intense crying, fussiness, predictable timing, facial discoloration, body tension, arching/stiffening, and more. These symptoms are distinct from normal crying due to hunger or needing a diaper changed.
Parents often feel helpless and exhausted when dealing with colicky babies, knowing something is wrong but not knowing how to fix it. This only gets worse when parents receive poor advice from family members or their trusted pediatrician, such as "just let them cry it out" or "they'll grow out of it."
Causes + Triggers of Colic
Unfortunately, the vast majority of the medical community and pediatricians still state that the cause of colic is “unknown”, and that it’s something babies just grow out of. However, when you dig into a child’s case history and the science of how the nervous system and digestive system interact, it gives us a root cause!
More than just an upset stomach, gas pains, or acid reflux, the real root causes of colic are not just anchored in the gut, digestive system, or food allergies to dairy and gluten. Instead, they are rooted in an overstressed and tense central nervous system, which then in turn jams up the stomach and digestive system.
Birth Trauma: The Overlooked Issue
The #1 most common case history finding we see when working with a colicky infant is birth intervention or birth trauma – all of which can lead to a ton of physical tension and stress on the neck and upper back areas for our little ones, which are the exact areas that control sleep, latching, swallowing and eating, digestion, and so much more.
A stressful pregnancy and birth process allows something called subluxation to set in, which leaves the nervous system stuck in a sustained and overactive sympathetic fight or flight state – once again interfering with the child’s ability to sleep, soothe, relax, and digest.
Below you will find a classic colicky infant neurothermal scan that we see in our office, which clearly shows the effects of subluxation on this infant’s nervous system:
What’s The Solution?
The Key to Calming and Soothing Colic is the Vagus Nerve!
Because birth trauma primarily affects the brainstem area, a key nerve to the “rest, relax, + digest” functions of the body is interfered with – the Vagus Nerve.
Our pediatric doctors provide safe and gentle adjustments that help activate and stimulate the Vagus Nerve and parasympathetic “rest, relax, and digest” functions, helping little ones struggling with colic in a major way.
If you’ve tried every diet change, probiotic + prebiotic, essential oil, gripe water, formula switch and so forth… then Neurologically-Focused Pediatric Chiropractic is likely the answer you’ve been up late at night with your little one searching for!
