Infantile colic was first thought to be merely indigestion. While colic has been blamed on too much gas in the intestine, dietary problems or birth trauma, the precise cause of colic is not known today. The most widely accepted definition of colic is “unexplainable and uncontrollable crying in babies from 0 to 3 months old, more than three hours a day, more than three days a week for three weeks or more, usually in the afternoon and evening hours.”
At present, behavioral management, supportive counseling and parental reassurance are the mainstays of treatment. No effective cure for this disorder is known. However, research is showing that chiropractic care can help. The correction of vertebral subluxation may play an important and effective role in the cessation of infantile colic.
Bedwetting
Bedwetting (nocturnal enuresis) takes a tremendous toll on children. Embarrassment. Alarms. No sleepovers. Plastic mattress covers. Frustration. An inability to fit in. Even diapers. Lack of bladder control can cause shame, guilt and impaired social skills.
Up to the age of 4 or 5, most children have poor bladder control at night. But after that, the inability to stay dry at night may be a sign of an underlying problem. While chiropractic is not a treatment for bedwetting, countless children have been helped with safe and natural chiropractic care.
Bladder Physiology
Two key muscles control the emptying of the bladder. Their technical names are the detrusor and trigone muscles. They are controlled by nerves that exit the spinal column in the lower back and sacrum.
During the early years of life, the sacrum has five separate segments. Later, they fuse together to form the triangular-shaped bone that adults have at the base of the spine. If these segments misalign (as a result of falling while learning to walk, riding a bike, etc.) they may compromise nerves that are responsible for bladder function.
We look for these subtle misalignments during our examination. When these misalignments are reduced with safe and natural chiropractic adjustments, nervous system control and regulation of the bladder may often be restored.