Spinal Manipulation Not Effective for Colic

Here’s an interesting article I ran across last year and saved because spinal manipulation is often claimed as a treatment for colic. Science has proven this to be absolutely false.

New Research Finds Spinal Manipulation Doesn’t Work For Any Condition

A study to be published in next month’s issue of the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine has raised serious questions about the efficacy of spinal manipulation treatment.

Spinal manipulation is commonly practiced by chiropractors and osteopaths. It is a popular form of manual treatment for back and neck pain with an estimated 16,000 licensed chiropractors in the UK.

“There is little evidence that spinal manipulation is effective in the treatment of any medical condition,” said Professor Edzard Ernst of the Peninsula Medical School at Exeter.

“The findings are of concern because chiropractors and osteopaths are regulated by statute in the UK.

“Patients and the public at large perceive regulation as proof of the usefulness of treatment. Yet the findings presented here show a gap and contradiction between the effectiveness of intervention and the evidence.”

Professor Ernst’s paper examined all systematic reviews published on spinal manipulation between 2000 and May 2005. Sixteen papers were included in the research relating to the following condition: back pain, neck pain, primary and secondary dysmenorrhoea, infantile colic, asthma, allergy and cervicogenic dizziness.

“Collectively these data did not demonstrate that spinal manipulation is an effective intervention for any of these conditions, except for back pain where it is superior to sham manipulation but not better than conventional treatments,” write the authors.

“Considering the possibility of adverse effects, this review does not suggest that spinal manipulation is a recommendable treatment.”

The study also highlights the risk of spinal manipulation treatment.

“Spinal manipulation [SM] has been associated with frequent, mild adverse effects and with serious, probably rare implications,” write the authors.

“Therefore the risk-benefit balance does not favour SM over other treatment options such as therapeutic exercise. This statement is not in agreement with several national guidelines�but we suggest that these guidelines be reconsidered in the light of the best available data,” they conclude.

Professor Ernst said the findings confirm fears that in ‘alternative’ medicine regulation often serves as a substitute for research.

“Previous studies have shown that regulation of chiropractors was followed by a decrease in research activity,” said Professor Ernst.

“The evidence presented here should be seen as a wake-up call to the chiropractic profession.

“One way forward is more rigorous clinical trials to test the efficacy of spinal manipulation, after all, the treatment is not without risk and chiropractors must demonstrate why it should be a recommendable medical treatment option,” Professor Ernst said.

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For more information about spinal manipulation and why you should not see a chiropractor for any condition — whether it is colic, back pain, neck pain or any other medical condition — be sure to read this excellent article by a former chiropractic patient entitled, Don’t I Need a Chiropractor?

Should You Comfort Crying Babies?

Here’s an excellent article that someone sent me the other day.

Comforting Crying Babies Better Than Leaving Them To Cry

by Christian Nordqvist
Editor: Medical News Today

Researchers say that responding and comforting crying babies is better than leaving them to cry during the first weeks of their lives. The scientists found that babies who were comforted when they cried tended to end up crying less than those who were left to settle down on their own.

At five weeks of age the babies who had been left to settle down on their own from a bawling session were crying 50% more than those who were comforted each time they started to cry. The difference was still the same when they were 12 weeks old.

In this study, parents kept a diary of their babies’ behaviour and how they responded. The parents were from the UK, Denmark and the USA. They were divided into three groups. One group would leave baby to settle down on his/her own when bawling. The second group were with their babies for 10 hours a day. The third group were with their baby for 16 hours a day and respond instantly to baby’s cry.

The researchers said it was comforting on demand that eventually reduced the amount a baby is likely to cry a few weeks later, rather than the quality of comfort provided – a case of quantity rather than quality.

For centuries new parents have been given advice by relatives and friends on what to do when a baby cries. Some say you should let the bawling baby cry it out, others will tell you to cuddle him/her on demand. This study indicates that the hands-off approach, used by many parents, has the tendency to backfire.

Several baby experts over the years have advocated the ‘controlled crying’ approach. They say rushing to baby’s side every time he/she cries just encourages him/her to cry more as a means to gain attention. The results of this study fly in the face of the ‘controlled crying’ technique. However, the ‘controlled crying’ technique may still be viable for older babies as the study just looked at the first five to twelve weeks of life.

The researchers stressed that a baby with colic will cry and cry, no matter what you do or don’t do.

Surely, attention seeking is only natural – we are, after all, social animals.

You can read about this study in the journal Pediatrics.

Need To Lose 20 Pounds

I’ve decided to get serious and start a diet this week. My normal weight is about 160… but I’m pushing 185 right now and it’s not a pretty sight.

I didn’t think much about it until I was exercising in front of the mirror the other day without my shirt on and well… I’ll spare you the gruesome details.

Here’s my diet plan:

I’ve decided to cut out all deserts.
I’m cutting concentrated calories such as fruit juices to a minimum. (I almost never drink pop or other “junk food” beverages or alcohol.)

Typical Breakfast:
Bowl of Oatmeal
1 or 2 Softboiled eggs
Fruit (usually an orange)

Typical Lunch:
Apple
Sandwich (peanut butter on whole wheat bread. No Jelly or Honey.)
Fruit Salad: (Crushed pineapple with banana and grapes. Takes the place of Jelly on sandwich… thus fewer concentrated calories.)

Typical Dinner:
Meat (Broiled chicken or Roast beef)
Potato or brown rice
Steamed veggies

Typical Snack: (If I just need something late at night.)
Raisen bran (I like to make my own from Wheat flakes and Raisens. You get more raisens and they are juicier and more tendor than what you get in a box of “Raisen Bran” type cereal.

My goal is to lose approximately 20 pounds, however I seldom step on a scale. Weight is meaningless and I prefer to gauge my progress by how I look in the mirror.

In other words, I just need to get rid of this layer of blubber I’m carrying around. If I looked good at 185, I wouldn’t care.

Fat Mark

A Mother’s Advice for Dealing With Colic

Here’s a great blog post I ran across just today by BreederX. She has some very good advice from someone who has been through it with her own kids.

Dealing with Colic or Colicky Babies

As a mother to three, I unfortunately dealt with two of my babies being extremely colicky. NOT a fun time for any mother! Lucky for me, God blessed me with a third and final little angel who is quite possibly the sweetest baby I have ever encountered. :0))

What you need to know about Colic is that it does eventually go away! Hurray! But in the meantime, you may be feeling helpless, alone, frustrated and depressed with your situation. There is nothing quite as difficult as having a colicky baby!

She then gives a very thorough and usefull list of advice that any mother could use. Here’s just a sample:

-First, see your physician to rule out any physical illness or condition that may be causing your baby pain.

-Make sure that after feedings your baby is well burped and try pumping his legs in towards his stomach to release any gas that your baby might be having.

-If you are bottle feeding, make sure that the base of the bottle is always full of milk(tip the bottle straight up), any access air that the baby sucks in will contribute to gasiness.

-The basics of rocking, swaying, cooing, soothing, and singing are always tried and true methods.

-Take your baby for a walk outside. Even if it’s cold, bundle him up and get him out in the fresh air. The vitamin D will cause drowsiness in such a little one and hopefully aide in getting him to sleep. The movement of a stroller or a walking motion is also soothing to most babies.

-Take your baby for a ride in the car. The motion and sounds of the car are also soothing to most babies and should put your baby to sleep. (This was something we did a LOT, lol, and it worked!)

-Use a swing (automatic or battery operated), you can find a used swing at any consignment shop for relatively cheap and they are great for the motion and constant swing sensation usually soothes a baby’s tummy.

And the list goes on from there. Here’s the link so you can read her entire article, Dealing with Colic.

And while you’re there, be sure to check out the rest of her blog.

Mark