Complementary and alternative therapy methods in the treatment of infantile colic: Review of literature

Abstract

Infantile colic is defined as paroxysms of uncontrollable and unexplained crying seen in the first 3 months of life. Complementary and alternative therapy methods are one of the methods used to treat infantile colic which have negative effects on parent and infant. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of complementary and alternative therapy methods in the treatment of infantile colic. PubMed, SCOPUS, Web Of Science, Cochrane Library databases were searched. The terms of Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) were used to determine the keywords. Infantile colic and acupuncture therapy, musculoskeletal manipulations, massage, phytotherapy, aromatherapy keywords were used. In two randomized controlled trials, acupuncture therapy was found to be effective in the treatment of infantile colic. One study was not found to be effective. No serious side effects were reported in these studies. Various aromatic oils have been used by orally, by inhalation and topically in the treatment of infantile colic and have been found to be effective without serious side effects. Massage was also effective in reducing the symptoms of infantile colic. Further study of the complementary and alternative therapy methods will help to increase the evidence for the effective use of these methods in the treatment of infantile colic.