Therapy | Navel colic in the child

Therapy

Navel colic is harmless and does not require any specific treatment. The symptoms usually occur in children at kindergarten and primary school age and grow together until puberty. However, since children can subjectively suffer a great deal from abdominal pain, various palliative measures are possible.

Fennel or chamomile tea as well as a hot water bottle on the umbilical region can be helpful. A light massage with warmed hands can also be tried. In addition, the children often feel better through attention and distraction alone.

However, if the symptoms do not improve as a result, or if symptoms such as fever or vomiting are added, a visit to the family doctor or pediatrician is necessary. Treatment with standard painkillers is not advisable, as their effect can only develop once the pain has already subsided. If children very often suffer from umbilical colic and an organic cause can be safely ruled out, psychological counseling or treatment can also be considered.

The pediatrician can arrange appropriate counseling for this.If a child is in an acutely poor condition with further warning symptoms, the doctor will make a rapid diagnosis in order to be able to initiate therapy quickly. If a child shows repeated attacks of abdominal pain over a longer period of time without a recognizable cause, the pediatrician should also be consulted. Functional abdominal pain is a diagnosis of exclusion.

This means that organic causes of pain must first be excluded before this diagnosis can be made. Important differential diagnoses include lactose and fructose intolerance, celiac disease, a Helicobacter pylori infection, chronic inflammatory bowel disease or constipation. Since children often cannot express their stress in any other way than in the form of abdominal pain or headaches, in many cases it is also worthwhile talking to a child psychologist.

In the case of navel colic, an attempt at treatment with homeopathic remedies can also be made. Since the same preparations are not suitable for every child, a consultation with a doctor or alternative practitioner with additional homeopathic training should be made before treatment. However, if the child suffers from the symptoms very frequently, instead of treating him or her with homeopathic remedies alone, psychological treatment should also be considered in order to identify possible triggers and enable targeted treatment.

A treatment with Schüssler salts is generally not recommended, as according to Stiftung Warentest, these have no proven effect. They are not suitable for the treatment of diseases. Even though various preparations such as Calcium Phosphoricum or Potassium Sulfuricum are available for use in the treatment of navel colic in children, it is better to resort to other measures such as chamomile tea or a hot water bottle.