Abstract
Infantile colic is common, but no safe and effective conventional treatment exists. The use of acupuncture has increased despite weak evidence. This practitioner survey explores and discusses how infantile colic is regarded and treated in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). The study is based on personal communication with 24 acupuncturists from nine countries. These acupuncturists specialize in pediatric acupuncture and represent different styles of acupuncture. Their experiences are discussed and related to relevant books and articles. Informants claimed good results when treating infants with colic. The TCM patterns commonly described by informants matched the textbooks to a great extent. The most common syndromes were “stagnation of food” and “Spleen Qi Xu.” Regarding treatment, some informants followed the teachers' and the textbook authors' advice on differentiated treatment according to syndrome. The points used most often were LI4, ST36, and Sifeng. Other informants treated all infants alike in one single point, LI4. The results demonstrate the diversity of TCM. The use of acupuncture for infantile colic presents an interesting option, but further research is needed in order to optimize the effects and protect infants from unnecessary or less effective treatment.
Highlights
Infantile colic, where “an otherwise healthy infant cries and/or fusses for more than 3 hours per day, more than 3 days per week,” affects 10–40% of infants
Based on personal communication with internationally recognized pediatric acupuncture teachers and with experienced practitioners who specialize in pediatrics, this paper explores and discusses how acupuncturists trained in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) regard and treat infantile colic
At a major acupuncture conference in Europe in 2012 at which one of the themes was pediatric acupuncture, most of the speakers who lectured on pediatrics as well as acupuncturists with a wide experience of pediatric acupuncture were asked by the author to share their experience of treating infants with colic
Summary
Infantile colic, where “an otherwise healthy infant cries and/or fusses for more than 3 hours per day, more than 3 days per week,” affects 10–40% of infants. It starts when the baby is two weeks old and often disappears spontaneously once the infant reaches 3-4 months [1]. Infants with colic have an increased risk of exposure to physical abuse [4]. For this reason, it is essential to find a safe and effective treatment that curtails the colic period
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
