Somebody asked me about colic and Chiropractic treatments. The evidence for: One or more very small studies suggest that some kids have upper spinal “damage” associated with childbirth, and some Chiropractors carried out minor “manipulation” thus reducing the colic. This evidence is very weak, as the assertion that there is an upper spinal damage syndrome is unverified, there is not an independent (or any kind of, as far as I can tell) measurement that the treatment affected the injury that may or may not have been there, and the effectiveness of the treatment is indicated in studies that did not use controls (everything that doesn’t kill you gets better, so even dangling a rubber chicken over the infant could work) and this is all based on reported recall data by parents who were predisposed to believe that the technique worked.
Meanwhile, there have been studies of this, and the studies show mixed results. Interestingly, the better the methodology, the less “result” among the handful of studies that have been done. In the end, there is no evidence that Chiropractic treatment would actually work for colic, and it is known that Chiropractic treatments can have damaging effects.
At the very least, if you bring your infant or toddler to a Chirpractor make sure of two things: 1) that only “mild manipulation” is used, nothing more, because more can cause damage and b) your income level is high enough that you can toss money down the drain and still have the resources to otherwise provide for the child.
And, above all, before you even bother, READ THIS.
There are actually a few things that MIGHT kinda sorta work for colic mentioned in that article, which I’ll let you discover by reading it.
Have you read the breakthrough novel of the year? When you are done with that, try:
or Paperback
*Please note:
Links to books and other items on this page and elsewhere on Greg Ladens' blog may send you to Amazon, where I am a registered affiliate. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, which helps to fund this site.
I agree that seeing a Chiropractor may stave off a hefty cash out of your pockets but some research have shown that Chiropractic practice is actually effective because it involves manipulation of the spine which might help relieve many disorders brought about by a pinched nerve.
I know from personal experience that chiropractic care has helped my son – I wouldn’t say “cured” but significantly reduced his pain and symptoms – when he was colic. So, maybe it costs a lot but it is very much worth it.
Well, since studies indicate that chiropractic doesn’t have any lasting medical benefit, the answer here is easy: No, no there isn’t.
The only thing it can cure is the practitioner’s thin wallet.