Colic Relief With Probiotics
For parents of colicky babies, it is extremely difficult to watch their babies cry incessantly for hours. Infantile colic is a common health disorder in babies. Almost 40 per cent babies suffer from this disorder.
Studies have shown that risk of developing colic pain is greater in babies with one or both parents with a history of colic during infancy.
Colic pain usually begins from the second or third week after birth. The pain becomes worst in the second month. From the third month, the colic pain begins to subside gradually.
The colic pain does not occur after the fourth month. A baby is believed to suffer from colic, if the infant cries inconsolably for at least 3 hours a day, for at least three days a week. Moreover, the crying episode should last for at least three weeks.
Treat colic with probiotics
Although colic is not a serious health disorder, studies have shown that feeding the baby probiotics could lower the pain and discomfort. In a recent study, researchers at Regina Margherita Children Hospital in Turin, Italy, have found that daily dose of probiotic could reduce the symptoms of colic. Researchers selected colicky babies who cried for five to six hours daily.
They divided the babies into two groups. One group was given probiotics and the other group was given a placebo. After three weeks, the researchers noted that infants on probiotics were carrying only for 30 minutes daily, whereas infants on placebo were crying for one hour and a half.
To alleviate colic pain, every day in the morning, 30 minutes before feeding your baby, give the baby five drops of an active probiotic solution. The infant should be exclusively breastfed. Nursing mothers should avoid cow’s milk.
How probiotic heals colic
Health experts are unsure of the exact cause of colic. However, they speculate that bacterial imbalance in the digestive tract might be associated with it. Food allergies might trigger this condition.
Undiagnosed gastroesophageal reflux disease or GERD in infants might be responsible for colic. Production of excess gas might be associated with this condition. Most of these conditions could be treated with probiotics.
Probiotics help to restore the normal bacterial balance in the gut. They could significantly lower the number of E.coli bacteria in the gut, which are associated with gas formation. Moreover, probiotics could reduce pain by calming the intestinal nerves.
