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 .
A preliminary assessment of the impact of cranial osteopathy for the relief of infantile colic.
In this open , controlled , prospect i ve study , 28 infants with colic were r and omized to either  cranial osteopathic manipulation or no treatment ;  all were seen once weekly for 4 weeks . Treatment was according to individual findings , and administered by the same practitioner . Parents recorded time spent crying , sleeping and being held/rocked on a 24-hour diary . A progressive , highly significant reduction between weeks 1 and 4 in crying ( hours/24h ) was detected ( P<0.001 ) in treated infants ; similarly , there was a significant improvement in time spent sleeping ( P<0.002 ) . By contrast , no significant differences were detected in these variables for the control group . Overall decline in crying was 63 % and 23 % , respectively , for treated and controls ; improvement in sleeping was 11 % and 2 % . Treated infants also required less parental attention than the untreated group . In conclusion , this preliminary study suggests that cranial osteopathic treatment can benefit infants with colic ; a larger , double-blind study is warranted
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 .