Colic is characterised by episodes of spasmodic abdominal pain with severe crying. Colic generally occurs in infants below 3 months age. Colic episodes generally occur in the late afternoon or evening.
Colic is characterised by sudden and severe crying which may go on for indefinite period of time, till the child is exhausted. There is often a distention of abdomen and peri-oral pallor or congestion. Colic may be relieved by passage of flatus or stools. Several factors are known to cause the colic, such as abnormal patterns of feeding, overfeeding, wrong position of feeding, excessive gulping of air, ingestion of food high in carbohydrates by the mother, and emotional disturbances in the environment like anxiety, anger or excitement. Some times the cause can be serious such as peritonitis or intestinal obstruction.
A colic episode is usually distressing and exhausting to the parents and the child both. It may require hospitalisation in severe cases. Nothing seems to help the episodes greatly and in certain susceptible children it keeps recurring.
Homoeopathy has excellent scope in management of colic. There are numerous remedies suitable for different presentations of colic. There are medicines which cover all the causative factors, emotional, physical and pathological. Carbo Veg, Chamomilla, Cina, Colocynth, Dioscoria, Lycopodium, Mag Phos, Nux Vomica, Opium, Plumbum, Staphysagria are some of the remedies which can be used to treat colic episodes.
Homeopathic remedies afford a quicker and longer lasting relief in these cases than other conventional treatments. Hence it should be offered in all cases.
Dr. Navin Pawaskar,
Director,
JIMS Healthcare.
