As a mom of a child who became psychotic seemingly overnight and as a psychotherapist who has seen a dramatic increase in mental health issues among our youngest, I dug deep to understand what was happening to our children.
You must realize what is happening. Many of our kids exhibiting anxiety, suicidal or obsessive thoughts, rageful or violent behavior, motor and vocal tics, brain fog, compulsions, anorexia, sleep disturbances, irritability, noise sensitivity, depression, and paranoia suffer from an autoimmune disorder called Autoimmune Encephalitis.
As described in the books Healing Without Hurting and Brain Under Attack, PANS/PANDAS (Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders) is associated with unresolved infections such as Streptococcus, Lyme Disease, or toxins. These illnesses attack the brain's basal ganglia, causing severe thought malfunctions and maladaptive behavior. It wreaks havoc on the immune and neurological system, causing brain encephalitis/inflammation.
As a psychotherapist, I have stopped referring my clients to you and instead refer them to Functional Medicine M.D.s, Naturopathic Physicians, Chiropractors specializing in functional nutrition, acupuncturists, and other such holistic providers. These clients require a systems biology approach instead of psychiatric medication, which only masks symptoms and has potentially dangerous side effects. Antidepressants, anti-anxiety medication, and stimulants drive sensitive people to mania, paranoid delusions, suicidal ideation, death, and psychosis. One study appearing in JAMA Psychiatry found that estimated ninety-thousand patients per year visit emergency departments because of adverse psychiatric drug events."
Many of you are so convinced that they have an organic or genetic mental illness that you have called off the search to understand these conditions better, so our kids are not getting the help they need. Sadly, your training ignores the science that points to the many underlying causes of this epidemic, including an aggressive vaccine schedule causing immune dysregulation, and the natural solutions that heal it. Nutritional remedies, homeopathic medicine, herbal therapies, and other holistic approaches are cheaper, more effective, and sometimes the only good option in treating autoimmune disorders. But unfortunately, our pharmaceutical companies, news outlets, and regulatory agencies steer us away from the truth. It is time that you begin separating biological facts from corporate fiction and change how we treat these conditions.
Call to action: A complete metabolic and immunologic panel is warranted. Please test for inflammatory markers, antibodies, and the many things that can trigger an autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorder. This list includes gut dysbiosis, genetic mutations, nutritional deficiencies, food sensitivities, toxins, caffeine, other drug intakes, mold illness. Other triggers are Epstein Barr, flu, herpes, Streptococcus, Lyme disease, tick-borne diseases, mycoplasma pneumonia, and other infections. One popular test in diagnosing infection-induced neuropsychiatric symptoms is The Cunningham Panel.™
When the immune system functions efficiently, the cells, tissues, and organs work together to protect the body from these antigens by producing enough T-cells to stop the autoimmune response. "In PANS/PANDAS, the antibodies are triggered to attack the part of the brain called the Basal Ganglia, responsible for movement, behavior, and mood." When the body is overloaded, the system can not operate as intended. Often antibiotics and steroids are the first line of defense in allopathic medicine; however, it can backfire in our sensitive children, leaving the gut sterile of helpful bacteria that help our body fight infection. The goal of functional medicine treatment for autoimmune disorders is to treat the entire body. Boost immune functioning with an anti-inflammatory diet, nutrition, herbals, homeopathic medication, and other such remedies; support the detox pathways, the kidneys, liver, spleen, and other lymphatic systems. And ultimately bring the body back to homeostasis to protect itself better and reduce brain inflammation that is causing the psychiatric symptoms in the first place.
In February 2023 I taught two online classes entitled BRAIN ENCEPHALITIS: Mental Health, PANS/ PANDAS, OCD, ODD & More. Both classes were incredibly popular with over 60 parents tuning in to learn and have their questions answered. To make the information shared in this class more accessible I have now made it available for purchase on my website by CLICKING HERE. The entire session is just under 2 hours in length, and is packed with tools, insights, proven approaches and more all designed to help you keep you and your family healthy.
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Featured image photo by Stephen Andrews from Pexels
Such great info here on dealing w root cause VS medicating symptoms! Thank you Jennifer.