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Parents who have gone through it can tell you horror stories about their colicky babies: the sleepless nights, the incessant screaming, the chronic tummy pains, the seeming inability to be soothed. And then one day it suddenly stops. Why baby colic occurs has remained a mystery—until now. The National Institutes of Health reports that researchers at the University of Texas Medical School at Houston have found a certain bacterium, Klebsiella, that might be the cause of baby colic. Researchers believe the bacteria, found in colicky babies, could be initiating the inflammation that causes colic. As one researcher indicated, the levels of the bacteria found in the colicky infants were close to the levels found in adults with inflammatory bowel disease. Find Medical Assistant Training The babies who didn't suffer from colic had more types of bacteria in their intestines, another clue indicating Klebsiella might be the culprit. Moving forward, the research team plans to test whether probiotics, a dietary supplement containing "good bacteria," could help control gut inflammation in infants. If you're thinking of becoming a medical assistant, consider how many sleepless nights you can prevent if you educate the parents of newborns about the causes and cures for this problem. As research evolves, you can be sure that you'll learn more and more about this medical problem—and others—during your medical assistant training. Find Medical Assistant Training  Read More Health Care Community Articles Find a Health Care Specialty Today – Your Health Care Degree is One Step Away! |
