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 .
Synbiotic in the management of infantile colic: a randomised controlled trial.
AIM Infant colic is a frequent problem affecting up to 10 - 30 % of infants in first 3 months of life . Results from previous trials have shown that manipulation of gut microbiota can lead to symptomatic improvements . In a r and omised clinical trial , we aim ed to determine efficacy of synbiotic in reducing average infant crying time at day 7 and day 30 after starting intervention . METHODS Fifty breastfed infants aged 15 - 120 days with infantile colic r and omly assigned to receive either the synbiotic sachet containing 1 billion CFU of : Lactobacillus casei , L. rhamnosus , Streptococcus thermophilus , Bifidobacterium breve , L. acidophilus , B. infantis , L. bulgaricus and fructooligosacharide ( Protexin Healthcare , Somerset , UK ) , or placebo daily for 30 days . Parents were asked to record details of crying times in a symptoms diary . The primary outcome measure was the treatment success ( reduction in the daily crying time > 50 % ) and the secondary outcome measure was symptom resolution ( reduction in the daily crying time > 90 % ) . RESULTS The treatment success was significantly higher in synbiotic group ( 82.6 % ) compared with placebo ( 35.7 % ) at day 7 ( P < 0.005 ) . At day30 , treatment success was 87 % and 46 % in synbiotic and placebo group , respectively ( P < 0.01 ) . Symptom resolution was also higher in synbiotic group ( 39 % ) compared with placebo ( 7 % ) at day 7 ( P < 0.03 ) but not at day 30 ( 56 % vs.36 % , P = 0.24 ) . We encountered no complication related to synbiotic use . CONCLUSION This synbiotic ( a mixture of seven probiotic strains plus FOS ) significantly improved colic symptoms in comparison with placebo
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 .