Probiotics , fennel extract  and  spinal manipulation  show promise to alleviate symptoms of colic , although some concerns remain .
Background Infantile colic is a distressing condition characterised by excessive crying in the first few months of life .
The aim of this research was to up date the synthesis of evidence of complementary and alternative medicine ( CAM ) research literature on infantile colic and establish what evidence is currently available .
Acupuncture for infantile colic: A blinding-validated, randomized controlled multicentre trial in general practice
Abstract Objective . Infantile colic is a painful condition in the first months of infancy . Acupuncture is used in Sc and inavia as a treatment for infantile colic . A r and omized controlled trial was carried out with the aim of testing the hypothesis that acupuncture treatment has a clinical ly relevant effect for this condition . Design . A prospect i ve , blinding-vali date d , r and omized controlled multicentre trial in general practice . Research assistants and parents were blinded . Setting . 13 GPs ’ offices in Southern Norway . Intervention . Three days of bilateral needling of the acupuncture point ST36 , with no treatment as control . Subjects . 113 patients were recruited ; 23 patients were excluded , and 90 r and omized ; 79 diaries and 84 interviews were analysed . Main outcome measures . Difference in changes in crying time during the trial period between the intervention and control group . Results . The blinding validation questions showed a r and om distribution with p = 0.41 and 0.60 , indicating true blinding . We found no statistically significant difference in crying time reduction between acupuncture and control group at any of the measured intervals , nor in the main analysis of differences in changes over time ( p = 0.26 ) . There was a tendency in favour of the acupuncture group , with a non-significant total baseline-corrected mean of 13 minutes ( 95 % CI –24 to + 51 ) difference in crying time between the groups . This was not considered clinical ly relevant , according to protocol . Conclusion . This trial of acupuncture treatment for infantile colic showed no statistically significant or clinical ly relevant effect . With the current evidence , the authors suggest that acupuncture for infantile colic should be restricted to clinical trials
Probiotics , fennel extract  and  spinal manipulation  show promise to alleviate symptoms of colic , although some concerns remain .
Background Infantile colic is a distressing condition characterised by excessive crying in the first few months of life .
The aim of this research was to up date the synthesis of evidence of complementary and alternative medicine ( CAM ) research literature on infantile colic and establish what evidence is currently available .