"Fennel extract herbal tea and sugar water relieved colic in some infants better than a placebo according to a new study that reviewed clinical trials of alternative remedies for colic. But parents shouldnt get their hopes up too high. All of the trials reviewed had major limitations such as having too few patients relying on parental reports of symptoms or the study design such as not being doubleblinded. The notion that any form of complementary and alternative medicine is effective for infantile colic currently is not supported from the evidence from the included randomized clinical trials the researchers from the United Kingdom wrote. Additional replications are needed before firm conclusions can be drawn. But because fennel extract certain herbal teas and sugar water are generally safe and because the research does suggest babies may benefit pediatricians said they would feel comfortable recommending them to parents. Its reasonable for parents to consider those kinds of interventions for which there is some suggestion of benefit but no known risks said Dr. Andrew Adesman chief of developmental and behavioral pediatrics at Steven and Alexandra Cohen Childrens Medical Center of New York. The study published in the April print issue of Pediatrics appears online March . Colic usually starts when a baby is about three weeks old said Dr. Ari Brown a pediatrician in Austin Texas and author of the Expecting  book series. Colic is usually defined as excessive and inconsolable crying for at least three hours a day for more than three days a week over more than three weeks. Its miserable for both baby and the parents Brown said. And although weve been studying it for years no one has figured out what the cause is which makes it all the more difficult to treat. In the United States between  and  percent of infants are estimated to have colic according to background information in the article. Because pediatricians cant offer parents much help with it  for the most part babies grow out of colic in time  desperate parents often turn to alternative or complementary treatments according to the study. In the review the study authors searched various databases of medical research and chose  randomized clinical trials involving alternative treatments for colic. The studies were published between  and  came from  different countries and included a total of  children. Several studies looked at spinal manipulation by a chiropractor. In three of those studies parents reported their children cried significantly less afterwards. But those studies were small and flawed so no conclusions can be made about the technique according to the new review. Three studies looked at herbal supplements. One found improvement in infants given fennel extract compared to infants given a placebo another found that infants given a tea containing chamomile vervain licorice fennel and balmmint seemed to work while a third found infants given a tea containing fennel lemon balm and chamomile cried less than infants given a placebo. Fennel an intestinal antispasmodic may increase the speed at which food moves through the intestine Brown said. This may help if the underlying cause of colic is cramping or discomfort due to an immature digestive tract although that is just a theory Brown added. Two studies looked at giving babies solutions of sugar water which some researchers believe has painkilling properties. The parents of babies given sugar water reported significantly less crying. If parents want to try it they could deliver sugar water in a dropper or put a small amount in a bottle Adesman said. A study of probiotics which are reputed to help digestion found that  percent of infants given L. reuteria probiotics seemed to reduce their average crying time compared to  percent of babies given simethicone which is marketed to relieve gas under the brand names Mylicon and PediaCare Infants Gas Relief. This is pertinent given that simethicone is considered the best available and most commonly prescribed treatment for colic although it previously has been shown to be no more effective than the placebo according to the authors. Brown said the strength of that finding suggests L. reuteria is worth further study. One study found no difference in improvement of symptoms between infants whose parents were taught to do infant massage compared to infants put in a crib that vibrated. Nor did soyenriched formula seem to help. A small study of babies given reflexology showed some improvement but there was no difference in whether the reflexology targeted the feet which are considered to be therapeutic for colic or other parts of the body. This implies the improvement may have more to do with the therapeutic effect of touch than the actual therapy itself Dr. Edzard Ernst of the department of complementary medicine at Peninsula Medical School Universities of Exeter and Plymouth in the United Kingdom and colleagues wrote in the report. More information The Nemours Foundation httpkidshealth.orgparentgrowthgrowingcolic.html has more on colic. SOURCES Andrew Adesman M.D. chief developmental and behavioral pediatrics Steven and Alexandra Cohen Childrens Medical Center of New York Lake Success N.Y. Ari Brown M.D. pediatrician Austin Texas and coauthor Baby  March   Pediatrics online"