PANS/PANDAS

PANS and PANDAS describe a pattern in which a child develops a significant change in neurologic, emotional, or behavioral symptoms following immune activation.

PANDAS specifically refers to symptoms associated with a streptococcal infection, while PANS is a broader term that can involve other infections, inflammatory triggers, environmental exposures, or immune stress.

What is important to understand is that the child’s brain has not simply “stopped working correctly.” The immune system has become activated, inflammation is affecting the way the brain is functioning, and areas such as the basal ganglia can become especially vulnerable.

This can show up as OCD, anxiety, tics, rage, emotional volatility, sensory changes, urinary frequency, sleep disruption, food restriction, regression, changes in handwriting, separation anxiety, or a child who suddenly seems completely different from themselves.

And while PANS/PANDAS is often described as having a “sudden onset,” that sudden change is not always obvious in real life. Sometimes parents can point to a very clear moment when everything changed. Other times, there were smaller clues building over time, or the change only becomes obvious when we look back at the timeline together.

We will sort through that history together.

A child's brain or body doesn’t simply stop working correctly for no reason. The brain is responding to what is happening within the body and within its environment.

For some children, that may look like significant immune activation and inflammation involving the basal ganglia after an infection. For another child, histamine and mast cell activation may be adding fuel to the fire. We may also see things like ongoing infections, mold exposure, gut inflammation, nutrient deficiencies, blood sugar instability, poor sleep or airway issues creating additional stress on an already overwhelmed nervous system.

This is why I don't want to simply stop at the diagnosis of PANS or PANDAS. I want to understand what your child's immune system is responding to, what is continuing to create inflammation, and why their brain is reacting the way that it is.

Sometimes we find one very clear driver. More often, there are several pieces stacking on top of one another. Our work is to begin separating those pieces, lower the overall burden on the body, and help the immune and nervous systems move toward a more regulated state.My goal is to investigate the biology behind your child's symptoms. I look at factors such as gut health, nutrient deficiencies,  hidden infections, mold exposure, immune dysfunction, inflammation and sleep/airway health to understand what may be driving the behaviors.

My work focuses on asking why those symptoms developed in the first place.

There is often an underlying story involving immune activation, inflammation, gut dysfunction, nutrient depletion, chronic infections, environmental exposures, sleep disruption, or nervous system imbalance.

By understanding those pieces, we can create a personalized path towards healing

What kinds of root causes do you look for?

Every child is different, but we commonly investigate:

• Gut health and the microbiome

• Food sensitivities

• Vitamin and mineral deficiencies

• Iron, zinc, magnesium and B vitamin status

• Mold exposure

• Lyme disease and tick-borne infections

• PANS/PANDAS

• Chronic viral or bacterial infections

• Histamine and mast cell activation

• Blood sugar regulation

• Sleep quality and airway concerns

Rather than assuming one cause, we look at the whole picture.

We've already tried everything. Can you still help?

Many of my families arrive after years of therapy, medications, supplements, specialists, elimination diets, and countless appointments.

Many families tell me this is the first time their child's history actually makes sense and many families notice improvements within the first couple of weeks of working together. 

Testing is individualized.

Depending on your child's history, we may use comprehensive blood chemistry, stool testing, organic acid testing, urine mycotoxin testing, tick-borne illness testing, or other functional labs to help us understand what may be contributing to your child’s symptoms.

Very common.

Fluctuating symptoms often suggest that something in the body is changing—whether that's immune activity, inflammation, illness, food exposures, sleep, hormones, or environmental triggers.

Those patterns are often incredibly helpful clues!

I work with children and adults of all ages! If you are seeing behaviors that don’t feel right, reach out! The earlier we can address the root cause(s), the better.

Your care plan is individualized based on your child's age, symptoms, developmental stage, and medical history.

You're probably a good fit if you've found yourself saying things like:

• "Everyone keeps telling me they'll grow out of it."

• "Something feels off, but every test comes back normal."

• "We've tried therapy, medications, diets, and supplements."

• "I feel like we're missing something."

• "I just want someone to connect all the dots."