Press release issued: November 12, 2019
A review of the evidence on the use of complementary and alternative therapies (CAM) to treat babies with colic showed that some treatments – including probiotics, fennel extract and spinal manipulation – appear to help, but only in Overall, the evidence on the use of these therapies is limited and should therefore be treated with caution.
Researchers from the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) at the University of Bristol and the University of Manchester looked at published ‘systematic reviews’ on the use of CAM therapies to treat babies with colic. Systematic reviews bring together all studies on a topic, to understand the totality of the available evidence.
Colic can be distressing for both babies and parents, but it’s not entirely clear what causes it. This makes treatment difficult and many parents resort to CAM therapies due to this lack of conventional treatments.
The review included 16 systematic reviews on a variety of therapies, including probiotics, herbal medicine, acupuncture, and manipulations such as chiropractic massage. Researchers found that while probiotics, fennel extract, and spinal manipulation all showed promise as treatments, these results should be treated with caution due to issues with the studies. These problems included small sample sizes, possible biases in results, measuring results through parent diaries which are highly subjective, and the inability to “blind” therapists for many treatments, particularly those that involved handling the baby. Research on the use of probiotics for formula-fed babies was also lacking, which is significant since formula already contains probiotics.
The team, which included researchers from NIHR Bristol Biomedical Research Center (BRC) and NIHR Applied Research Collaboration West (ARC West), also concluded that acupuncture and soy are not recommended for treating colic.
Dr Rachel Perry, NIHR Bristol BRC Senior Nutrition Research Associate at the University of Bristol, said: “Many parents know how distressing it can be to look after an unwell baby. colic. difficult to treat. This gap in conventional medical knowledge leads many parents to try complementary and alternative therapies.
“Our study shows that some treatments – probiotics, fennel extract and spinal manipulation – seem to help, although the studies that showed it weren’t large enough or well-designed enough to be sure of the results. This This is particularly true for probiotics, where some of the results from previous poor-quality studies were rather oversold. But our results indicate where future research efforts should be focused.
Paper
“An overview of systematic reviews of complementary and alternative therapies for infantile colic” by Rachel Perry, Verity Leach, Chris Penfold, Philippa Davies in Systematic reviews (free access)
Further information
About the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR)
THE National Health Research Institute (NIHR) is the country’s largest funder of health and care research. The NIHR:
- Funds, supports and carries out high quality research that benefits the NHS, public health and social care.
- Engages and involves patients, caregivers and the public to improve the scope, quality and impact of research
- Attracts, trains and supports the best researchers to meet the complex challenges of tomorrow’s health and care
- Invests in world-class infrastructure and a skilled workforce to translate discoveries into improved treatments and services
- Collaborates with other public funders, charities and industry to maximize the value of research for patients and the economy.
The NIHR was established in 2006 to improve the health and wealth of the country through research and is funded by the Department of Health and Social Care. In addition to its national role, the NIHR supports applied health research for the direct and primary benefit of people in low- and middle-income countries, with support from the UK Government.
About the NIHR Bristol BRC
The National Institute for Health Research Bristol Biomedical Research Center (NIHR Bristol BRC) is a partnership between University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust and the University of Bristol. We are one of 20 BRCs across England funded by the National Health Research Institute (NIHR).
The Bristol BRC was launched in April 2017. We carry out innovative biomedical research to improve health and healthcare and encourage closer collaboration with industry.
We have world-leading scientists working on many aspects of health, from the role played by individual genes and proteins to analyzing vast collections of information on hundreds of thousands of people. We have extensive experience in transforming science from the laboratory or computer into new medicines, treatments or health advice.
What sets Bristol BRC apart is the exciting and ground-breaking population health research stream that runs through it. It involves examining patterns of health and disease within large groups of people. We have the expertise to interpret this information to understand the causes of diseases. What’s unique is that we can combine this work with our laboratory science and the knowledge of doctors working directly with patients to identify possible treatments and discover how effective they are.
About NIHR ARC West
The NIHR Applied Research Collaboration West (NIHR ARC West) co-produces better, more equitable, appropriate and sustainable healthcare and care across the West. It achieves this through applied health research projects and the implementation of research evidence, at the regional, national and international levels. Co-production of research with partner organizations and people affected by the research is at the heart of this activity. To achieve this, its researchers work with health provider organisations, including local NHS and public health, the wider health and care sector including voluntary sector organisations, patients and the public, as well as than other ARCs and academic groups.
