Colic Symptoms Guide

There’s nothing worse than having colic in babies. If your baby has colic, she will likely cry without end, will not feed, will suffer from sleep deprivation and if it happens a lot, she may lose weight and even suffer from serious illnesses if not treated immediately.

A visit to your baby’s pediatrician can end all your concerns about any serious medical condition other than colic in babies. Your doctor can appropriately diagnose advice treatment and give you helpful advice on how to manage colic at home. Your pedia will also advice a change in your baby’s milk formula if ever colic happens a lot. A formula with a less strain on baby’s weak digestive tract and will not cause any allergies is usually the ideal milk formula given. Soy milk or whey formula is often the ideal candidates for colic-free milk.

While breast milk is the best milk for babies, mothers must also mind what they eat. Avoid foods that can create more gas and foods that are processed, filled with preservatives and enhancers may cause allergies and ultimately cause colic in babies.

At home, your baby can benefit from burping after every feeding. This not only induces gas to be released to minimize accumulation and bloating, it is also the time to cuddle and get acquainted with your baby all the more. As you burp her, massage her back or her tummy to pacify and comfort her. She will not only be colic-free but will also be comforted of your presence and warmth.

Babies, especially newborns are still attached to their mother’s womb. She may still remember the warm feeling and the cozy sounds while she was in the placenta. When baby is suffering from colic, you can wrap her up in her blanket to mimic the warmth of the womb. You may also play soothing low music or turn a fan on to mimic the comforting sounds of the womb.

Colic in babies may also be relieved when babies are moved. Gently rock him in his crib or swing or better yet, pick her up and carry her for a while. Carry her against your shoulders just like the burping position and gently stroke her back to release gas. You can place her back in her crib when she has stopped crying or has calmed down.

An over stimulating environment may also induce colic in babies; bright lights, loud noises and sudden movements may cause colic. You can avoid this by placing is crib in a darkened room, a low noise can make your infant comfortable. Limiting loud noises in the evenings is a must if your baby does not have his own room.

You can ask your baby’s pediatrician if you can use natural colic remedies like Colic Calm. This is made from a homeopathic formula of herbs that have been proven to strengthen baby’s digestive tract, improve digestion as well as reduce gas formation. It is usually given as the infant suffers from colic and repeated after 30 min or as necessary.

It could be very difficult to diagnose illnesses and health conditions in newborns unless you consult a pediatrician for diagnosis and treatment. If you are a first time parent and your newborn has crying episodes at night and may appear to be irritated and uncomfortable, it could be enough to suspect colic in your newborn baby.

The main reasons for developing colic in newborns are due to his underdeveloped digestive system. Baby’s digestive system is just fairly new to eating and digesting food causing partially digested formula to accumulate and release gas. Gas distended the abdominal wall causing pressure and ultimately pain. Baby’s digestive tract also lacks god bacteria to help in digestion making more prone to getting infections and gas accumulation that leads to bloating.

According to pediatricians, there is a certain rule to follow to effectively diagnose colic in newborns. After making sure your baby is not hungry, he is clean and he is comfortable you can begin assessing his condition. If he cries for at least 3 hours in a day for at least 3 days in a week and for at least 3 weeks in a month then it could be safe to conclude that your baby is suffering from colic.
However, colic may also be a sign of something serious in infants.

To be able to know when to seek a doctor’s consult or when to just follow natural treatments, here are the tell tale signs of colic in infants:

1. Crying for no apparent reason. Baby has been changed, fed and made comfortable but still crying persists. This may happen in the middle of the afternoon or in the late evenings when baby’s digestive system is trying to digest food.
2. Crying is shrill, not the usual cry you have grown accustomed to.
3. Along with crying is baby’s noticeable posture with hands fisted and moving near his torso as well as legs drawn towards the body as well .
4. Abdomen may look bigger than usual signaling gas accumulation.

Here are some severe symptoms that merit immediate medical consult:

1. Increase in body temperature but baby’s hands and feet are cold to the touch.
2. Baby passes out blood or mucus in stool or noticeably decreased or no bowel movement at all.
3. You baby may appear weak and may look paler than usual.
4. Baby may have decreased urine output even when he takes the usual amount of milk formula.
5. Baby may not want to feed, is very irritable and may refuse to sleep due to continuous crying.

Do not delay; bring your baby to an emergency medical facility for immediate treatment. Your doctor can advice a better milk formula to reduce colic or if you breastfeed your newborn, avoid foods that can cause gas formation to your baby as well.

Colic in newborns usually subsides by the 4th to the 6th month as baby’s digestive system matures and he gains more beneficial bacteria to help aid digestion.

Equine colic is fast becoming a common condition in most horses and ponies and is estimated to develop in 1 out of 10 horses year after year. This is condition is also responsible for most horses and pony deaths in a year. Colic symptoms in horses may be very difficult to understand unless a horse is seen by a qualified veterinarian adding to the number of casualties annually.

The horse’s digestive system is a complicated series of organs and passageways for food and anywhere within these organs, colic can occur. Equine colic is described as a severe abdominal pain as a result of gas formation, twisting of the gut, infection, spasm, swelling or tumor growth or impaction or blockage. Experts on equine health agree that the best way to treat colic in horses is to prevent this condition form happening. Here are several ways to prevent equine colic as recommended by most veterinarians:

1. If possible, allow horses to graze. There is a decrease in the incidence of colic in horses that are allowed to graze freely as compared to horses eating dry hay. It is important therefore for any horse to have access to a grazing pasture whenever necessary to reduce colic.
2. Feed horses at regular intervals to reduce stress to ultimately prevent colic.
3. Inspect dry hay for any mold infestation before feeding to horses. This can significantly reduce colic due to yeast infection.
4. Make sure horses have clean and fresh drinking water, this can help hydrate during a very hot day.
5. A regular deworming or parasite control plan must be set up together with your veterinarian to prevent overdevelopment of worms and impaction after deworming is done. Impaction of worms in the gut of horses is also one of the main reasons for colic.
6. Select your feeds carefully; grains can cause starch fermentation that can lead to increased gas accumulation and ultimately causes equine colic. Supplement your feeding with processed grains or giving very little grain as possible to reduce this condition.
7. Clean stables regularly, check bedding and stables for beetles, weeds and anything that a horse may ingest that can cause indigestion and gas formation.
8. Ride your horses regularly and schedule all your activities to eliminate unnecessary stress.
9. Do not give any medications or supplements unless prescribed by your veterinarian. Always follow a regular check-up routine to diagnose as early as possible any illness.

Even if colic lasts only up to the 4th or 5th month of an infant’s life, this condition often makes parents worry and fret over their newborn’s condition. Seeking medical help often makes conditions better as their baby is ruled out of any physiologic illness or congenital abnormalities. But what to do during these grueling 5 months?

Here are some effective colic remedies for infants that any parent can try out:

1. Suggest switching to a better milk formula when baby feeds through a bottle. Try soy or whey protein formula both known to lessen gas accumulation and can rarely cause allergies in infants. If possible, breast feed your baby. Breast milk is made just right for baby’s gentle digestive tract. It is clean, safe, nutritious than any milk, it’s free and it is convenient.
2. Burp baby more often. Burping releases gas easily as well as improves baby and parent’s bond. The ideal technique to effectively make baby burp is to never overfeed baby with milk formula. If baby drinks milk from a bottle, all the more you need to make him burp after feeding since enters the mouth as baby sucks milk.

   Gently place baby against your shoulders with your hand supporting his neck and head. Rub his back or gently tap his back with your other hand to make gas rise and escape from the mouth. Your baby may also vomit milk which is a very normal thing to happen. After he burps, wait for several minutes more then you can lay him down.

   Feed baby first and then burp him before proceeding on bathing, cleaning and changing his diapers to prevent colic.

3. When baby is awake, keep him busy by moving. Just like adults, babies need their exercise and if your baby has colic, try picking him up and gently rock him. As you move him back and forth, you stimulate gas from food to accumulate and be released through the mouth.
4. Ask your doctor for an effective colic remedy that is all natural and effective. One of the most trusted brands contains gripe water that effectively reduces colic through strengthening the intestinal walls, help digest leftover food and help promote colon health in infants. Gripe water contains herbs that have therapeutic properties but are gentle to baby’s digestive tract.
5. A darkened room and a lee stimulating environment is said to be an effective colic remedy for infants. When baby is suffering from colic, bring him to a quiet and low lighted room to comfort him. Play soft, low music that can help babies fall asleep, reduce over stimulation and keep distracting noises away. It has been studied that babies who are less cranky and irritated are less prone to develop colic.
6. Wrap baby in a blanket to make him comfortable just like being back in the mother’s womb. This will lessen his fits and crying to stimulate calmness and reduce colic easily. You can carry him wrapped in a blanket or place him in his crib as he sleeps.

Colic is a condition described as abdominal pain due to distention or gas accumulation. It is present in humans as well as in animals. Colic in horses is also common and may be caused by many factors; it may range from simple colic to severe conditions that can even spell death for horses and ponies.

The initial step in understanding colic in horses is knowing the cause of this phenomenon. Here are some common reasons why horses get colic:

1. Gas – the accumulation of gas in the gut is often the reason for colic. Gas is created faster than it can be released or absorbed by the gastrointestinal system hence it accumulates, move on the gut wall and can cause abdominal pain and bloating. This type of colic may also be called tympanic colic.
2. Impaction – is one of the most common causes of colic as well. Food that accumulates in the alimentary canal of horses can cause blockage and as the digestive process proceeds, gas accumulates causing severe pain. Blockage may also occur after a deworming treatment done as the worms block the gut causing food to block and release gas to cause colic.
3. Spasms – spasms in the gut may also cause colic. It is often due to an irritated area of the gut wall. When food enters the gut, irritation begins causing spasms. Drugs that can relax the muscles of the gastrointestinal system can ultimately reduce colic.
4. Gut twisting – a section of the gut can become twisted on a tissue or to other sections of the gut as well causing blockage of food, obstruction of blood flow and violent episodes of colic. This can only be remedied by surgically removing areas of twisting and blockage. Early diagnosis can save a horse’s life when it suffers from a twisted gut.
5. Infections – infections of the large or small intestines can also cause colic. Harmful bacteria proliferate in the gut and release gas as they develop in partially digested food. Antibiotics and probiotic treatments may help alleviate this condition.
6. Foreign objects – horses may also develop colic and severe digestive problems when it ingests objects like nails, wood, sand, rocks, etc. These objects can potentially hurt the lining of the gut causing irritation, pain and gas formation.

These causes may differ from one horse to another so understanding colic in horse’s symptoms is important in early diagnosis. Here are the most common symptoms to suspect colic:

• Horse may lie down and stretch out.
• When a horse is in pain, it will appear to kick its belly.
• The horse may have an increase in body temperature but may break into sweat.
• Irregular or no bowel movement at all.
• Horse may pose like he is trying to pass urine and may repeatedly look at his flank.
• Horse may have noticeable changes in breathing. May not want to be moved or saddled.

If you suspect colic, seek a vet’s consult immediately. Do not feed your horse but keep him warm as the vet arrives.

Just when you thought only infants get colic, there is also adult colic which is best known for abdominal distention. Symptoms of colic in adults are quite similar to babies, except that adults don’t cry as intensely and as uncontrollably as infants do! In adults, colic is characterized by the following symptoms:

1. Abdominal pain or pain that may radiate to the sides and back. Pain is moderate to severe and can be stabbing, nagging, felt as pressure or recurrent. It may or may not be relieved by medication but responds to heat treatment to reduce the intensity of pain. Pain is present several minutes to an hour after taking a meal.
2. Abdominal distention when abdomen is firm as if filled with gas. Some may described this as feeling bloated or full.

Aside from these symptoms of colic, there are also severe signs that you have to watch out for:

1. Severe onset of pain or severe pain after a nagging chronic type of pain.
2. Passing out blood in stools or not passing out stools at all.
3. High fever accompanied with chills.
4. Nausea and vomiting.
5. Severe weakness and cold clammy skin.

Bring patient to a doctor immediately should these symptoms develop. The doctor will advice the best treatment plan for colic. Depending on the cause of colic, here are the possible treatments done:

1. Gas accumulation – taking medications to reduce gas formation and to improve intestinal muscle wall action to expel gas is prescribed by your doctor. Movement can also reduce gas formation and facilitate removal through flatulence or through burping. Heat may also be applied to reduce pain due to gas; you may use a water bottle or a heating pad.
2. Spasms – spasm can occur due to gastric irritation or stimulation of the intestinal walls. Foods that cause gastric irritation must be avoided. Medications to relax the intestinal walls are also given to reduce colic. Heat treatment may also temporarily reduce spasms but be careful not to burn yourself.
3. Obstruction – any intestinal obstruction like tumors, food or even accumulation of worms may also cause colic. These can be removed through medication or sometimes surgical removal if the obstruction is too big.

Prevention is the ideal treatment for colic. This can easily be done through avoiding foods that can cause gas production like beans, grains or leafy vegetables. Avoid foods that are highly processed, filled with preservatives, artificial flavors and additives for color and flavor since these foods can cause irritation on the intestinal walls. Other ways to reduce colic is to become more active; exercise, be involved in sports and do errands to induce digestive muscles to move and juices to flow.

After a meal, take a short walk to stimulate digestion but do not jog or run. Reduce alcohol, caffeine and tobacco use to eliminate substances that can irritate the intestinal walls causing colic. Only with a healthy diet, a more active lifestyle and better choices in life can you totally avoid colic in adults.

Have you tried every technique online in treating your baby’s colic? As with any illness or health condition, prevention is still the ideal treatment for colic in newborns and infants. Your doctor can advice the most appropriate preventive measures to keep your baby off colic forever. Here are some of the effective tricks that pediatricians have under their sleeves for colic prevention:

1. Burping your baby is still the most effective technique to reduce colic. How long and how often is the most common questions asked by parents and there is actually no specific number to this query. Just hold baby against your shoulder (be sure to have a towel or a cotton diaper to protect your clothes as baby vomits excess food) and gently rub or tap his back to move gas out. Do this every after feeding for as long as baby needs to.
2. Hold baby and move him gently as often as you can. Gentle movement can induce gas to accumulate and move to be expelled as a burp or flatulence. You can place baby in his rocker or crib and gently rock him even when he is awake.
3. Make baby sit as you feed him. Do not bottle feed when he is lying down, prop his head or place him in a baby seat as he feeds. In breastfeeding, sit down as you feed your newborn as well.
4. Crying is another way for air to enter the digestive tract, accumulate and cause abdominal pain. Do not wait for baby to tell you what he needs; as soon as he wakes up clean and feed him. Set your activities on a schedule and you can also train your baby to eat, poop and even sleep at a particular time. Scheduling may be hard at first but this will ultimately decrease unnecessary crying that can cause colic.
5. Taking in air through bottle feeding is another cause for colic. If possible, opt to breastfeed baby instead; it is safe, calming, increases bond between baby and mother and is also free. If you plan on breastfeeding, make wise food choices. What you eat will definitely affect your baby indirectly. Avoid foods that produce gas as they stay longer in the gut like beans, grains, broccoli and other leafy veggies. Reduce intake of processed and preserved foods that contain harsh chemicals and preservatives that may cause allergies to baby. Finally increase your intake of protein-rich foods, foods high in vitamins and minerals and foods rich in omega 3 fatty acids to improve baby’s overall development and promote cognitive development.
6. 6.Finally, the ultimate colic prevention of all is comforting your baby. The more baby feels secure and comfortable, the less likely he will suffer from colic and many other illness. Hold and talk to your baby more often, the more he gets acquainted to your voice, your scent, your warmth and presence the more he will feel protected and secure.

Colic in adults is for real; this frustrating condition is not just for newborns and infants but also for adults that have fully functional gastrointestinal systems. This condition is usually called abdominal colic which is a term describing severe spasmodic pain in the abdominal area which is caused my many factors in adults.

According to the American Academy for Family Physicians abdominal colic in adults may be caused by a simple case of indigestion to severe conditions that have serious complications if not treated immediately.

The most common causes of colic in adults are abdominal distention due to gas, obstruction in the gut or inflammation found anywhere in the digestive tract. Pain is characterized as sharp, appearing suddenly or may develop gradually as the disease continues its course. It is very important to seek medical consult should you experience sudden pain accompanied by abdominal distention or rectal bleeding.

The presence of fever, pain anywhere in the back or in the abdominal area and vomiting must also be reasons to seek emergency help at once.

Treatment for abdominal colic may be somewhat similar in treating colic in infants. Here are some techniques that you can try at home should you suspect abdominal colic:

1. Try using a heating pad or a hot water bottle to be placed on the abdomen. Take care not to spill and burn yourself. You can wrap the bottle with a towel if it is too hot then remove it when the bottle cools. This will help ease pain and reduce abdominal distention.
2. If you are diagnosed as lactose intolerant or having irritable bowel syndrome, avoid foods that can trigger your symptoms like caffeine, alcohol, milk, dairy products, wheat and chocolates. Improving your diet can ultimately reduce your abdominal colic symptoms so consult a dietician for better alternatives to these foods.
3. Like infants, adults need movement to reduce gas and relieve abdominal colic too. Take a walk after a meal but do not go for a jog or workout. This will initiate your digestive juices to flow as well as your intestinal muscles to start digestion.
4. Eat light meals. If you suffer from colic more often, opt for frequent light meals instead of a full heavy meal in one sitting. This will give your digestive system time to tackle each morsel of food and digest everything completely to reduce gas accumulation and ultimately reduce bloating.
5. Abdominal colic may be due to gas accumulation given off by harmful bacteria and toxins. You can fight harmful bacteria growth with a probiotic drink or yoghurt fortified with good bacteria strains. Take one serving of yoghurt a day or as prescribed by your doctor to reduce the occurrence of colic and other gastrointestinal conditions.
6. Try eating organic foods that do not contain preservatives, flavorings and chemicals that may cause gastric irritation. There are organic meats, produce and even eggs sold at your local stores. Increase fiber in your diet as well for a healthier and cleaner colon.

Painter’s colic or better known as lead poisoning is a medical condition that is due to exposure to increased levels of heavy metals like lead. Lead is an element that is extremely toxic to the body and can interfere with a variety of body processes. We are exposed to lead in varying degrees; it is present in old lead pipes, old house and structure paint and it is also added in some common objects that we find in the home like blinds, toys, tools, soldering lead found in appliances and electronic equipment and many more. Lead is also present in the soil which is contaminated by broken down lead paint, old gasoline and pesticides that contain this harmful chemical.
Lead is one of the worst environmental pollutants with factories that manufacture lead-acid batteries, lead wire, lead pipes and raw lead metal. Lead contact can be through the air, dust, water, soil and many other commercial products.
Lead poisoning is called painter’s colic due to the fact that most painters encounter lead as they work on old houses. Painters develop intestinal illnesses, intense abdominal pain and constipation due to exposure to lead paint. This occupational hazard can cause severe side effects; here are some of the most common:

1. Cardiovascular system – lead causes increased blood pressure, increased risk for coronary artery disease and death from stroke.
2. Renal system – lead can cause kidney damage causing neuropathy and increased risk for developing diabetes mellitus.
3. Reproductive system – sperm count, volume and motility is reduced. Women may suffer from miscarriage, premature births ad low birth weight in infants.
4. Nervous system – lead interferes with the normal development of a child’s brain causing learning disabilities, developmental problems, loss of fine motor skills and overall decrease in cognitive development.

Lead is an extremely hazardous element and thus must be dealt with accordingly.

Here are some ways to reduce contact with this dangerous material:

1. Consult a qualified contractor about testing for lead content in paint in and around your home.
2. Even toys can be colored using paint with lead so make sure that your child’s toys are lead-free every time you purchase. Buy toys only from reliable manufacturers, you can check for this information online.
3. Frequent hand washing is the best way to prevent ingestion or exposure to lead.
4. Always keep your house clean, mop floors and vacuum surfaces to get rid of lead from air, soil and from dust.
5. Do not let kids play with soil, cover sandboxes when not in use.
6. Even skin care products and cosmetics may contain lead. Look for lead-free cosmetics before purchasing.

Infant colic is common in newborns up to the 5th and 6th month of life. Colic is due to gas accumulation and spasms of the gastrointestinal walls due to indigestible food. Infants and newborns have weak underdeveloped organs for digestion that makes them susceptible to colic due to gas; food is not digested completely and as gas accumulates more than it can be absorbed or released causing colic. Aside from a juvenile digestive tract, bacteria that normally help in digesting food are not yet present making food harder to digest.

The most noticeable sign of colic in infants is insistent crying. Pediatricians have a “Rule of Three” in diagnosing colic in infants which states that an infant that cries for three or more hours per day, for more than three days in a week which lasts longer than three months is enough to diagnose colic. Of course determining signs of colic in infants rests on parent’s ability to tell whether a cry is an ordinary one or a cry due to colic.

Here are some of the most common symptoms:

1. Crying without any apparent reason at all. Infant is not hungry, not wet with no symptoms of diaper rash or any irritating condition. Infant cannot be pacified no matter what.
2. The sound of crying is not the usual cry that the baby has. Crying is more high pitched, louder than usual and may sometimes shrill due to pain of infant colic.
3. Crying can be accompanied by abdominal distention. Abdomen is firm to the touch and may also be tympanic if percussion is done.
4. Infant’s hands are clenched signaling severe pain. Usually, when infant cries to signal he is hungry or he is uncomfortable, he is open-fisted with arms flailing to call your attention. With infant colic, hands are clenched to a fist and arms are drawn to the abdomen.
5. Feet and legs are also drawn towards the torso. Unlike the usual kicking and flailing that you see when infants cry, this may signal severe pain that must be relieved immediately.
6. Severe signs of colic include fever, inability to pass stools or passing out blood in stools and weakness. Should any of these symptoms occur, immediate medical consult should be done.

Knowing signs of colic can significantly reduce the complications that may arise if this condition is not remedied. Infant may become very restless leading to more gas and increased pain. Daily bouts of colic can make infant sleep deprived which can affect his physical and mental development. When colic is not relieved, infant may refuse to feed which may lead to serious nutritional deficiencies.

The family especially the immediate caregiver is directly affected with colic as well. There is chaos as baby interrupts sleep and rest of family members. Sleeping patterns may be reversed as baby sleeps the entire morning and cries intensely at night. Parents may also feel inadequate as they cannot resolve this tiring condition.