Acupuncture to reduce excessive crying in babies Excessive crying in babies is an issue for up to one in five families, causing pain for the baby and stress for the parents, the study said. 83 SHARES Share to Facebook FacebookShare to Twitter TwitterShare to Google+ Google+Share to Email Email By: IANS | London | Published:January 17, 2017 11:34 pm Acupuncture may have the potential to effectively reduce incidences of excessive crying in babies with infantile colic, researchers say. Infantile colic, also known as baby colic, is defined as episodes of crying for more than three hours a day, for more than three days a week, for three weeks in an otherwise healthy child. Watch what else is making news Excessive crying in babies is an issue for up to one in five families, causing pain for the baby and stress for the parents, the study said. The findings showed that needling twice a week for a period of two weeks significantly reduced the crying time in babies. “For those infants that continue to cry for more than three hours each day, acupuncture may be an effective treatment option,” said Kajsa Landgren from Lund University in Sweden. Previous studies have associated acupuncture with relieving pain, restoring gut function as well as inducing calm. In the study, the team compared two types of acupuncture in 144 babies aged between two and eight weeks of age and randomly allocated each child to one of three groups (A-C). Group A received standard minimal acupuncture at one acupuncture point, group B were given tailored acupuncture at a maximum of five acupuncture points and group C received no acupuncture. The results showed that the amount of time spent crying excessively fell in all three groups, which is not unexpected as colic tends to clear up by itself eventually. But the magnitude of this reduction was greater in those given either type of acupuncture than it was in those given standard care alone, suggesting that the babies tolerated the ancient method fairly well, the researchers said. “Fussing and crying are normal communications for a baby, therefore a reduction to normal levels (rather than silence) is the goal of treatment,” Landgren noted. The research was published in the journal Acupuncture in Medicine

24 weeks pregnant woman to undergo abortion today

mumbai Updated: Jan 18, 2017 00:32 IST

Aayushi Pratap
Hindustan Times

The law, under the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act, does not allow abortion beyond 20 weeks of pregnancy.(Pic for Represetation)

A Dombivli resident, who had petitioned the Supreme Court asking for permission to abort her 24-week-old foetus which has a severe abnormality, will undergo the procedure at Parel’s KEM Hospital on Wednesday.
The abortion was scheduled on Tuesday after the apex court granted permission on Monday.
Dr Avinash Supe, dean of KEM Hospital, told HT that they could not start the procedure on Tuesday as the woman and her husband reached the hospital late. “Doctors are evaluating her condition. They will start the procedure on Wednesday morning,” he said.
Meera Pal, 22, and her husband wanted to abort the foetus that was diagnosed with anencephaly — a rare condition in which babies are born with parts of their brain and skull missing, at 21.1 weeks.
The law, under the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Act, does not allow abortion beyond 20 weeks of pregnancy.
Pal’s husband, Santosh, said that they are anxious and are hoping that the procedure gets over safely.
“Doctors have told me that it will take 48 hours for the entire procedure. I hope everything goes about smoothly,” he said.
What does the law say
The law, under the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, does not allow abortions beyond 20 weeks of pregnancy, except in cases where there is a threat to the mother’s life.
Any person/ doctor breaching the provisions of the Act can invite imprisonment up to seven years.
What does the 2014, draft Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Bill say?
The draft Bill allows abortion up to 24 weeks
A healthcare provider “in good faith” can make the decision of aborting a pregnancy between 20 and 24 weeks if:
- The pregnancy involves substantial risks to the mother or child
- If the pregnant woman has alleged the pregnancy was caused by rape
Expert speak
Dr Nikhil Datar, medical director, Cloudnine Hospital, Malad, who was the co-petitioner in the case, said the government must push the abortion ceiling to 24 weeks as soon as possible.
“Not every pregnant woman who has crossed the deadline of 20 weeks has access to file a petition in the apex court,” he said. “One cannot imagine the anxiety the woman goes through when she learns that her baby has a fatal condition but she cannot undergo abortion beca