My 3 month old son has been very fussy and irritable. My pediatrician says that the problem is colic and that it will pass. Can you suggest anything that is safe in the interim?

I remember that when I was pregnant with my first son, I was led to believe that childbirth was the ultimate hurdle and that after my "bundle of joy" was born I would live happily ever after. However, as a physician I know that once the baby is born parents are faced with an entirely new set of challenges. One of these is colic. After endless sleepless nights, the midnight drives around the neighborhood attempting to comfort a distressed baby, and trying "everything" under the sun without success, parents often end up in my office willing to try homeopathic medicine.

Homeopathy is a natural system of medicine in which the remedies that are used stimulate the body's own healing powers. It is concerned with treating the whole person -- not only the disease. For this reason, people with the same problem may often be treated with different remedies. When homeopathy is used by a skilled practitioner and the case is individualized according to the patient's history and physical exam, it is safe and can help even those stubborn cases of infant colic.

The following information gives a brief description of some of the more commonly used remedies for colic:

Bryonia alba

Bryonia is for the infant who is irritable and does not want to be carried. He is worse from movement and touch with a tendency toward constipation.

Chamomilla

Chamomilla is for the "impossible cranky irritable" baby who moves about in agony. She cries one minute for something and then pushes it away the next. Both baby and parents are miserable. Baby is better from being carried. One notable feature is that one cheek is red and the other is pale.

Colocynthis

Colocynthis should be considered for severe colic. The baby screams with gas pains and is doubled over. The pain is better with firm pressure on the tummy.

Magnesia phosphorica

Magnesia phosphorica is used when relief is brought on by gentle abdominal pressure. The baby also feels better with warmth on the belly.

Pulsatilla

Pulsatilla is for the affectionate baby who is irritable and desires sympathy and attention.

Naturally, homeopathy offers relief and cure to countless other challenges that await new parents. Homeopathic remedies are growing in popularity as people are becoming more familiar with all it has to offer.