Dear Colleagues:

This month I would like to discuss the problem of the "fussy baby". I use the term "fussy" because a spectrum exists between the newborn infant who simply fusses after being fed, to the full-blown, inconsolable, little screamer, who keeps the family up all night. These ones we identify as "infant(ile) colic" and some of these arrive at the Emergency Department during the middle of the night. I suspect that most physicians feel as helpless and upset as the poor parents.

Fortunately most cases of infant colic seem to settle spontaneously after three months of age. However they can be a hard three months for the parents, not to mention the baby, to endure. Some studies report that up to 30% of infants are affected.

The idea of manually "moulding" the cranium of new-borns is part of certain folk traditions e.g. Haiti and Pakistan. Presumably the purpose of moulding in these circumstances is esthetic, but perhaps practitioners have also noticed improvements in infants' well-being.

The possibility that babies are reacting to certain foods, either consumed by the mother and affecting breast milk, or in formulas, has been entertained by both conventional and non-mainstream physicians. Dairy products top the list of likely triggers. The physician who has learned autonomic response testing has a distinct advantage in quickly and efficiently identifying the offending food(s).

A small but significant part of my practice has for over 20 years consisted of treating colicky babies. The vast majority responds to cranial manipulation (often immediately) or to eliminating the offending food or foods from the mother's diet, or from the baby's formula. These babies and their parents are very satisfying patients to treat.

Autonomic response testing is performed through an intermediary as described above. The difference is that rather than stimulating the umbilicus with the palm of the hand, the physician simply touches the umbilicus with an index finger. If the intermediary's (mother's) arm goes weak, an interference field is present.

Treatment is injection of a few quaddles of dilute procaine in a circle around the umbilicus. Alternatively, a Tenscam device can be used. It goes without saying the Tenscam is the preferred method in young children.