In supermarkets, health food stores and pharmacies, sleep-deprived new parents sometimes seek out herbal teas and supplements that promise to ease their infant’s colic or help them nap.
In fact, a study published in the journal Pediatrics — based on federal surveys of 2,653 mothers tracked through the first year of their infants’ lives — has found that 9 percent gave their babies an herbal remedy or tea at least once. The aim was to help the infants with “fussiness, digestion, colic, and relaxation.”
Yet that tack, the researchers warn, could be hazardous. For starters, the remedies aren’t regulated by the Food and Drug Administration for purity and potency before they go on the market the way pharmaceuticals are.
As a result, the researchers said, the remedies could contain “heavy metals or other contaminants” or cause harmful drug interactions. Infants also might be prone to bad reactions from herbal remedies because of their metabolism and size. In rare cases, studies have associated herbal remedies and teas with seizures and even deaths among previously healthy infants.
As early as in the babies’ first month, the surveyed parents said they attempted to soothe the infants with such remedies as gripe water, chamomile tea, “teething tablets” and “baby tea.”
New mothers were three times more likely to give teas or herbs to their babies if they themselves use herbal remedies. Regarding their source of information about the remedies, 30 percent cited friends and relatives, and more than 25 percent said either health care professionals or the media.
The researchers, led by Yuanting Zhang of the FDA, noted that experts generally recommend that babies receive only breast milk or formula in the first four to six months after birth. As Reuters reports, giving babies tea or other liquids could reduce their interest in the nutrient-rich milk that they need.
The researchers’ recommendations are bolstered by a separate recent analysis published in Pediatrics, which found scant evidence that herbal remedies treat colic effectively.
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One simple remedy for colic and one of the possible causes has been known for years. This particular cause is the intestinal flora in the babies gut is out of balance causing poor digestion and gas pain. The remedy is simple probiotics (see study below) that you can find at any health food store, I have seen it work almost immediately. Buy only refrigerated for freshness as they tend to be of the better quality.
Poor Intestinal Flora Symptoms: irritability, bloating, abdominal pain, foul smelling bowel movements, constipation/diarrhea, food sensitivities, rectal itching, spitting-up, poor immunity
Colic Symptoms: crying suddenly after a feeding, crying is loud and continuous for one to four hours, baby’s face often is flushed or red, hands clenched, belly is distended or prominent, the feet are often cold, baby may arch their backs, draw up their legs to their tummy, extend their legs rigidly, pass wind.
A 2010 scientific study published in the Journal of Pediatrics reports the effectiveness of a probiotic treatment for colic. The authors report states that the probiotic Lactobacillus reuteri significantly reduced crying time among infants with colic, compared to placebo. The subjects included 50 exclusively breast-fed infants, that were administered either L. reuteri or a placebo.
Savino F, Cordisco L, Tarasco V, et al. Lactobacillus reuteri DSM 17938 in infantile colic: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Pediatrics. 2010;126(3):e526-e533.
Doc Blake