Baby Care
Infant colic (also known as baby colic, three month colic, and Infantile colic)
is a condition in which an otherwise healthy baby cries or screams frequently and
for extended periods without any discernible reason. The condition typically appears
within the first two weeks of life and almost invariably disappears, often very
suddenly, before the baby is three to four months old. It is more common in bottle-fed
babies, but also occurs in breast-fed infants. The crying frequently occurs during
a specific period of the day, often in the early evening. Since the cause is not
conclusively established (see below) and the amount of crying differs between babies,
there is no general consensus on the definition of "colic". Having ruled out other
causes of crying, a common rule of thumb is to consider a baby "colicky" if it cries
intensely more than three days a week, for more than three hours, for more than
three weeks in a month. Causes There is no commonly accepted explanation for colic.
Traditionally, colic was ascribed to abdominal pain resulting from trapped gas in
the digestive tract. This theory is not yet discredited, and some recent scientific
evidence seems to support it, yet it is no longer universally accepted as the general
cause. There is solid and mounting evidence that the causes are related to gut flora,
from multiple studies which have shown that colicky babies have different gut flora
patterns, which includes a lack of Lactobacillus acidophilus.
Some of these studies suggest the administering of a probiotic, such as Lactobacillus
acidophilus or Lactobacillus reuteri, will improve the condition. Probiotics have
been shown to improve other conditions associated with colic, such as lactose intolerance,
necrotizing enterocolitis, and gastric inflammation. In addition to that probiotics
have been shown to generally improve the health of children who take them. It is
worth noting, probiotics occur naturally in breastmilk and furthermore a breastfed
baby and a formula fed baby have very different gut floras. Some doctors claim that
it is a combination of a baby's sensitive temperament, the environment, and its
immature nervous system which makes him/her cry easily and without control. Others
believe that it originates in problems in the baby's digestive system, specifically
because of the buildup of gas which cannot be released. Nearly half of babies with
colic have mild gastroesophageal reflux. Some cases may be the result of lactose
intolerance or lactose overload (the latter when accompanied by green stools).
Recent research raises a number of hypotheses including the onset of melatonin production
by the pineal gland (which does not begin until 12 weeks of age, about the time
colic seems to disappear), circadian rhythms, and smoking and stress of the mother
in the third trimester. Many parents have also discovered a link between food and
colic - and if the child is breastfed, it could include the food ingested by the
mother. Dairy products seem to top the list as possibly problematic. It has been
suggested that the mother eliminate all sources of dairy from her diet for a week
and note any changes in her baby's condition. If it is dairy (or another, less common
food relation such as wheat, acid based foods, etc), it will be clearly evidenced
within a week.
Mothers then can choose to add back to their diets small samples of the suspected
offending food a little bit at a time, and note if there are any unfavorable symptoms
that reappear in the baby - and go from there. Some babies can tolerate absolutey
no dairy (including whey, lactose, etc) - some only are bothered by straight and
large concentrations of dairy - such as milk, cheese, etc. The only way to determine
this is on an individual basis with the process of elimination and then eventual
retrying as the baby ages. Most will begin to become much more tolerant of mother's
diet by about 3 months - but some can continue with problems for much longer. Spencer
Thomas Jackson, pictured here , was one such baby. At 10 months of age, he was still
screaming 10 hours a day - and it took until he was 18 months old to discover the
relationship between dairy and colic (and eventually repeated ear infections as
well) as his source of discontent. This condition completely corrected and all evidence
of prior problems was erased once dairy was removed from his diet. Because of the
links between prenatal stress, birth trauma, maternal stress etc, and colic, it
has also been suggested that some 'colic', or excessive crying may actually be a
healthy stress release requiring support and facilitation rather than suppression
or 'cure'.
Immunization, or immunisation, is the process by which an individual's immune system
becomes fortified against an agent (known as the immunogen). When the human immune
system is exposed to molecules that are foreign to the body (non-self), it will
orchestrate an immune response, but it can also develop the ability to quickly respond
to a subsequent encounter (through immunological memory). This is a function of
the adaptive immune system. Therefore, by exposing an individual to an immunogen
in a controlled way, their body can learn to protect itself: this is called active
immunization. The most important elements of the immune system that are improved
by immunization are the B cells (and the antibodies they produce) and T cells. Memory
B cell and memory T cells are responsible for a swift response to a second encounter
with a foreign molecule. Passive immunization is when these elements are introduced
directly into the body, instead of when the body itself has to make these elements.
Immunization can be done through various techniques, most commonly vaccination.
Vaccines against microorganisms that cause diseases can prepare the body's immune
system, thus helping to fight or prevent an infection. The fact that mutations can
cause cancer cells to produce proteins or other molecules that are unknown to the
body forms the theoretical basis for therapeutic cancer vaccines. Other molecules
can be used for immunisation as well, for example in experimental vaccines against
nicotine (NicVAX) or the hormone ghrelin (in experiments to create an obesity vaccine).
Biochemic Medicines are very safe for children and you can always use Calcarea Phos
6x- (1 to 4 Pills per day) Ferrum Phos 6X (1 to 4 Pills per day) for healthy and
strong development of your child. 1 Pill for less than 2 years and pills for
2 year plus. Calcarea Phos takes care of healthy bone develoment and Ferrum Phos
makes upfor the Iron deficiency.
You must always keep an emergency medicine kit if you have small children at home.
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