Santa Monica, CA (August 1, 2008) – Even in this era of modern medicine, it is still assumed that babies who have colic must simply suffer through it. Colic has reached epidemic proportions, afflicting an estimated one in four infants. Yet most allopathic (conventionally trained) pediatricians admit they know very little about the causes and treatment of colic. They advise exhausted parents: “The baby will grow out of it.”
Children and their parents no longer need to suffer from this epidemic, painful condition. A little-known group of U.S. osteopathic physicians known as cranial osteopaths have demonstrated a high rate of success in treating colic, and their track record can no longer be ignored.
A leading cranial osteopath, Eric Dolgin, D.O., F.C.A., has made profound changes in difficult-to-treat pediatric conditions, and hundreds of mothers seeking relief for their colicky babies have discovered his office in Santa Monica, California.
Conventional wisdom holds colic is caused by some vague gastrointestinal upset that triggers inconsolable crying for a minimum of three hours at a time over a period of weeks or months. Osteopathic physicians, however, have demonstrated that most colic is caused by “birth trauma,” which, if left untreated, may lead to serious health problems, including earaches, respiratory disorders, learning difficulties, and continued gastrointestinal problems.
From an osteopathic perspective, prolonged labor, excessive pressure on the infant’s head in utero, The use of pitocin to spur on delivery, and excessive force as the baby’s head is squeezed through the birth canal can all create mild to extreme dysfunction in the newborn’s body. Cranial osteopaths are among the rare specialists who are able to determine just how much force has been inflicted and to what extent the neuromuskuloskeletal system has been impaired.
“Infants can often self-correct in cases involving mild to moderate mechanical disorders,” says Dr. Dolgin. “But when the forces of labor become too great, the infant will hold these distortions in the entire body framework.”
Osteopathic physicians report that in most colicky babies the occiput (back and base of skull) has taken the brunt of the force of labor, and it is no coincidence that nerves in this area are directly linked to the gastrointestinal tract.
Cranial osteopaths treat colic through gentle manual manipulation designed to restore proper mechanical function.
“The goal is to release the compression around the cranial nerves that are connected to the gastrointestinal tract,” says Dr. Dolgin.
Like most patients who find their way to Dr. Dolgin’s office, Amy Karle discovered the physician by word of mouth. Karle had endured 21 days of her baby’s wailing when she made the 2-1/2-hour drive to Dr. Dolgin’s office.
As Dr. Dolgin began to gently release the strain patterns in the child’s cranium, the baby wailed for 15 minutes straight, then fell into a deep sleep. Two-month-old Alyssa had never slept for more than one hour, her mother said, but that night she slept for three and a half hours. After a series of treatments, Alyssa appeared free of her colicky symptoms.
“It was like a miracle,” says Karle, who has referred several patients to Dr. Dolgin.
While conventional medicine remains committed to the use of drugs to treat pediatric problems, cranial osteopaths rarely use invasive procedures and medication. Dr. Dolgin is dedicated to helping transform the overall health of children. He has had great success in treating colic, failure to thrive, recurrent ear infections, autism, phageocephaly, torticollis, head injuries, learning difficulties, and a host of other conditions.
According to the New York Times, osteopathy is one of the fastest-growing fields of medicine in the U.S. Osteopathic physicians (D.O.s) have completed conventional medical training and are fully licensed physicians, authorized to prescribe medication and perform surgery.
Fewer than 200 physicians in the U.S. are certified to practice cranial osteopathy, which requires five years of advanced training beyond medical school.
Dr. Dolgin, who has been practicing medicine for 25 years, was trained by the legendary cranial osteopath Robert Fulford, D.O. In his best-selling book Spontaneous Healing, Andrew Weil, a Harvard-trained M.D., devoted a chapter to the contributions of Dr. Fulford and brought the field of cranial osteopathy to the world’s attention.
Dr. Dolgin is president emeritus of the Cranial Academy, the professional organization that licenses cranial osteopaths.
To expand his efforts in treatment and research of neurodevelopmental disorders, chiefly autism, Dr. Dolgin has launched The Kids’ Brain Trust, a nonprofit organization and funded clinic for parents who cannot afford treatment.
In 2001 Dr. Dolgin established the Santa Monica Osteopathic Physicians Building (SMOPB), a medical facility that houses physicians specializing in OMM with a subspecialty in osteopathy in the cranial field. The clinic is located in Santa Monica.