PANDAS/PANS-Can You See It With Autism?

PANDAS (Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associates with Strep) and PANS (Pediatric Acute Onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome) occur when the immune system abnormally attacks the brain leading to the abrupt onset of neuropsychiatric symptoms such as motor tics, sensory disturbances, poor handwriting, OCD, and bedwetting.

It can be seen with or without Autism, but our children’s immune systems are more vulnerable and susceptible to infections and autoimmunity like we see with these conditions.

With many kids with ASD, when they run a fever from an infection, their ASD symptoms often improve.

In PANDAS or PANS, the opposite happens- often deterioration of the child.

With PANDAS, it’s a strep infection that induces this onslaught.

With PANS, it is caused by anything else besides strep including viruses, bacteria, yeast, mold, parasites, toxins and allergies.

What usually helps cinch the diagnosis is the abrupt onset of symptoms without any other explanation.

Traditional lab testing will often come back normal.

Strep antibodies can be elevated with PANDAS.

A Cunningham panel can be performed to look for antibodies against the brain.

Treating PANS/PANDAS typically involves a 3-pronged approach: treating the root cause such as Strep in PANDAS with antibiotics, treating the inflammation either with either traditional or natural anti-inflammatories, and addressing the psychiatric symptoms.

If treating the underlying cause is ineffective, some kids may require more invasive therapy with Intravenous Immunoglobulin (IVIG), Plasmapharesis, immune modulating medication, or a tonsillectomy to reset the immune system that has been dysregulated by the underlying cause.

Remember, if you’re seeing an abrupt change in neuropsychiatric symptoms in your child, think PANS/PANDAS and see your practitioner.

It’s Never Too Late!

There is a misconception that there’s a window of neuroplasticity to intervene to get our kids better, and after that, there isn’t a chance for recovery.

It certainly is true that early intervention is always best, however I’ve worked with teenagers that have recovered despite being told that the brain could not be changed.

Once we address systemic root causes affecting the brain, healing can happen!

As many of you know, I’m passionate about helping kids and adults with autism.

After my oldest son was diagnosed over 20 years ago, I have worked hard to find answers for him, my daughter and many other children.

I was just on the podcast, Autism Parenting Secrets, discussing my family’s journey with autism and how I educate and empower parents to heal their children.

Click on the picture below to view:

In the past month since the Autism Healing Program started, we have seen some amazing transformational results.

We know that about 2/3 of our kids with autism will heal with intervention and in some cases even recovery no matter what the age of the child.

I am scheduling complementary initial sessions to discuss the program to see how I can help each child.

Here is the link to schedule a session: https://myhopewellness.satoriapp.com/offers/268129-discovery-session

The program is personalized to address the unique concerns of each child.

As stated above, it’s never too late to make progress!

Please share with any families that can benefit from the program.

Does Your Child Have GI Symptoms?

Up to 80% of kids with autism exhibit GI symptoms- constipation, diarrhea, boating, reflux or abdominal pain.

This usually stems from a leaky gut due to many reasons such as toxins, food sensitivities, dysbiosis, medications and autoimmunity.

Often, when the gut is treated, we’ll see improvement in ASD symptoms due to the gut-brain connection.

The gut can be analyzed through looking at a urine organic acids test for metabolites of bacterial and yeast metabolism and through stool testing such as GI MAP or GI Effects evaluating microbes, inflammation, digestion and absorption.

The 4R protocol is often used to address the permeable gut:

• Remove the offending agents

• Replace deficiencies such as stomach acid and digestive enzymes

• Re-inoculate with probiotics to repopulate the beneficial bacteria

• Repair gut lining with supplements like glutamine and slippery elm that promote healing

This functional approach can take some time for the gut to heal, so be patient.

Always consider the gut even if your child is not having GI symptoms.

They may not be able to articulate what’s bothering them and behaviors could intensify due to GI distress.

This was the case with my son, and once we controlled his ulcerative colitis, his behaviors improved dramatically.

I try to evaluate the gut in all of my clients, since it’s so often a source of trouble for our kids and a root cause in triggering or exacerbating ASD symptoms.

Could the mouth be the source of concern?

Many kids with ASD can’t express when they have pain or something’s bothering them.

Hippocrates said that all disease begins in the gut and digestion starts in the mouth with chewing our food.

Sensory disturbances in taste and texture can make it difficult for our kids to put food inside their mouth.

What if it’s a problem with the teeth? Can your child tell you?

If there are cavities or infections inside the mouth, your child may begin to exhibit bevaiors such as agitation or become more irritable due to pain.

They also may not be eating as much due to the discomfort.

As we all know, going to the dentist is a tall order for most of us, so finding a dentist that is experienced with working with our kids is so important.

Most of them will understand our concerns about fluoride and laughing gas which have been known to be problematic for our kids.

There is also the oral microbiome in our mouth which is similar to our gut microibiome.

It’s a war of the good germs vs. the bad.

We want to support the good guys and destroy the bad.

What can you do to support the oral microbiome?

• Minimize sugar and refined carbs

• Brush and floss twice a day

• Use toothpastes free or fluoride, preservatives, sugar and additives

• Avoid mouthwashes and antibiotics unless necessary

• Eat organic to avoid glyphosate killing the healthy bacteria

  When the bad microbes enter the circulation and cause neuroinflammation, ASD symptoms can begin or be exacerbated.

  Protect your child’s oral ecosystem to improve ASD symptoms

  See the dentist regularly- they can pick up on high levels of bad germs leading to plaque and cavities which can really compromise our kids

Is it Ever Too Late to Work on Healing your Child?

Are you concerned that you may have lost out on the window of opportunity to treat your child?

I just recorded a podcast with Len Arcuri from Autism Parenting Secrets discussing this topic and the unique journeys that we all experience.

In the Autism circle, parents often think when their children are over the age of 5 that the brain’s pathways are set and there’s no reversibility.

This is untrue!

Certainly, early intervention is what we all want; however, it’s not always possible for many reasons.

I’ve worked with kids and adults and have seen dramatic improvement once we address the root causes leading to the manifestations that we see as autism- the stims, behaviors, communication and socialization difficulties will improve.

Could it be heavy metals, food sensitivities, mitochondrial dysfunction, nutritional deficiencies, leaky gut with dysbiosis, neurochemical/hormonal imbalances

Approximately 1/3 of children with autism make significant gains even recovery with intervention, another 1/3 make mild to moderate progress, and the other 1/3 we see either minimal or improvements.

As a parent, the odds are in your favor to do something.

It’s never too late- this is a journey, not a sprint.

Parents can tackle many things with their kids such as dietary intervention, cleaning up any toxins in the house, reducing stress in the household, sleep hygiene, exercise and much more.

Often, you need to dig deeper, which involves working with a health coach and practitioner to get to these root causes to heal your child.

Empowering families is paramount!

There are many MAPS practitioners and health coaches to help our kids.

Take action and save $500 by signing up for the Austism Healing Program by April 30 which includes a free evaluation.

Here’s the link: https://www.myhopewellness.com/autism-healing

Seek help and don’t give up!

How can we improve detox in our kids?

We are all exposed to more than 700,000 toxins daily.

When our detoxification pathways are functioning fine, the liver should be able to manage the load and excrete them without difficulty,

There are situations where people have liver disorders, oxidative stressful conditions promoting inflammation that could suppress glutathione levels, or retained toxins due to trouble with constipation or reduced urination.

Our liver handles the bulk of detoxification, and the toxins are then released through breathing, peeing, pooping, and sweating.

The majority of autistic kids have dysfunctional detoxification pathways.

One of the major areas that we see this occurring is with the folation-methylation-transsulfuration cycle that occurs inside cells and forms many vital compounds involved in detox.

Two of the most important are methylfolate/folinic acid and glutathione.

Many autistic kids have genetic variants in MTHFR enzymes impairing regulating methylation of folic acid and GST enzymes impeding glutathione from binding to toxins to eliminate them.

When these pathways are dysregulated, there is an increase in inflammation and reduction of glutathione and methylfolate leading to impaired detoxification.

With this, we see toxins such as heavy metals, herbicides, pesticides, hormone disruptors such as BPA and phthalates, and biological toxins such as mold building up in kids with autism.

So, how can we evaluate these pathways and improve them?

There is genomic testing to determine if there is a genetic variant in MTHFR, GST and many others.

Supporting detox pathways with methylfolate/folinic acid, methylcobalamin (B12), magnesium, NAC, vitamin C, glutathione, milk thistle and NAC can be beneficial.

Be aware that the B vitamins such as methylfolate/folinic acid and methylB12 can cause hyperactivity.

Hydration, fruits, veggies, infrared sauna, and ionic foot baths can help detox.

Make sure your child is pooping and peeing regularly to eliminate the toxins.

When toxins are removed and not blocking cell receptors, nutrients can penetrate, inflammation and oxidative stress will go down to make for a healthier, happier child.

Is Glyphosate Contributing to the Increase in Autism Prevalence?

Do you feel like our environment is getting more toxic?

We hear about air pollution, water pollution, heavy metals, hormone disruptors, obesogens, EMFs, biotoxins, and the list goes on.

There has been an exponential increase in autoimmune disorders, obesity, diabetes, dementia, cancer, and autism.

Do you see the correlation?

This is just one piece to the puzzle- I will focus on autism

How can we reduce our esposure?

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) is such a wonderful resource for evaluating toxins that are having such as a huge impact on our health.

Let’s start with Roundup (glyphosate) which was developed to kills weeks to facilty crop preparation for out farmers.

Many of these crops are genetically modifified (GMO) to prevent them from being damaged by Roundup.

Many scientists have focused on the effect of Roundup on the Shikimate pathway in plants and how consuming these sprayed plants can lead to autism through various mechanisms:

• Acting as anibiotic killing micribiome in gut leading to leaky gut causing brain inflammation

• Directly toxic to mitochondria- the batteries of each cell- so we can’t power up the brain

• Vital minerals and vitamins aren’t absorbed well due to leaky gut

• Amino acids are impacted affecting brain chemistry

• Immune sytem becomes impaired

We can reduce our exposure to Roundup sprayed by buying ORGANIC.

EWG has just come out with their 2023 list of dirty dozen foods that contain the highest quantity of Roundup and clean 15 which contain the lowest.

Here’s the link to dity dozen: https://www.ewg.org/foodnews/dirty-dozen.php

Here’s the link to the clean 15: https://www.ewg.org/foodnews/clean-fifteen.php

Kids with autism tend to have compromised detoxification pathways due to genetic variants and low glutathione levels.

We don’t need to add more toxins to their full cups.

There are supplements such as glutathione, NAC, B vitamins, and magnesium to promote detox, but removal of glyphosate is parmanount.

In the Autism Healing Program, we work on removing glyphosate and eliminating any toxins that could be affecting your child’s health and impeding healing.

You can sign up for a free consult @ https://myhopewellness.satoriapp.com/offers/268129-discovery-session.

How Can We Reverse the Autism Epidemic?

Are you concerned?

The CDC announcement of 1 in 36 cases is appalling.

Image via TACA

Why has there been an increase from 1 in 10000 in 1970 to 1 in 36 today?

Are we better at diagnosing it?

I don’t think so.

Has there been a major genetic shift?

I think not.

Each child’s autism is unique.

With my children, my son had regressed after a vaccination and my daughter was affected from my wife being sick with a virus during prgnanacy.

What caused you child’s regression or were they delayed from birth?

The majority of cases are regressive, so there must be some environmental factor(s) “turning on” autism.

What do you think?

Could it be environmental toxins? Herbicides, Pesticides, Heavy Metals, BPA, Phthalates

How about vaccines? Did your child regress after a vaccination?

What about infections? Did your child regress after having an ear infection?

What about medications? Did your child receive antibiotics or Tylenol during an illness?

How about diet? When you introduced any food like milk, did you notice a change?

There typically is something we can attribute this to and parents are the best detectives.

Let’s take the steps to reflect what may have been the trigger(s) for your child so we can start reversing this trend!