The Pandas Docs

Children with PANS/PANDAS may experience increased clumsiness, affecting activities like riding a bike or playing sports. Be extra mindful of their safety to prevent accidents during these activities.

Do you know anyone with PANS/PANDAS that has had these symptoms before?

Dr. Scott will be speaking next month at the Future of Pediatric Medicine conference in Los Angeles. His talk is on September 21st at 2:45 PST and will be "Practical Applications of Hypnosis and Neurolinguistic Programming to Treat Severe OCD and Anxiety in Children". He will be presenting some brand new causal information about the origins of psychiatric symptoms in PANS and PANDAS and some novel ways to approach them. The talk will include specific techniques attendees can take home and use Monday Morning in their patients. Videos may be available through the program.

Pediatrics Symposium 2024 A4M - American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine

It is extremely important to know what training and certifications people have before you see them. There are some local folks in Carmel, Indiana advertising that they are specialists in PANDAS care in children. Always look at the person's bio - if they have had no certification or training in Functional and Integrative Medicine and just list PANS and PANDAS as an "area of interest and research", they are not the safe bet. We have seen very questionable care and incomplete workups from some of these folks locally. At the Center for Fully Functional Health, we are a PANS/PANDAS Center of Excellence and Dr. Scott has written an Amazon Best Seller on the subject which has become, in the words of Dr. Terry Wahls, "the standard of care in PANS and PANDAS [for physicians]"

Dr. Scott was recently hosted by on the Reinvent Healthcare podcast and this is an episode you do not want to miss!

Go take a listen on your preferred podcast platform or directly on the Reinvent Healthcare website (link posted below)

Topics covered in this episode:
🔍Why PANS and PANDAS are a complex neurological disorder
🔍The importance of early detection and treatment in children and adults
🔍How to use integrative approaches for the best results
🔍How infections and inflammation are important triggers
🔍Conventional medicine’s limitations
🔍Lab and genetic tests
🔍How to use integrative approaches for the best results

Listen here: https://reinventhealthcare.com/nutrigenomics-and-epigenetics/kids-in-crisis-understanding-pans-and-pandas/
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Did you know Dr. Scott is a certified clinical hypnotherapist and has successfully used hypnotherapy on many PANS & PANDAS patients in our office?!

There are a lot of misconceptions about hypnosis, but it can be an effective treatment option when done properly.

Hypnosis can be helpful for improving sleep issues and reducing tics/anxiety/OCD. It’s also a great technique for calming patients before a blood draw, for example.

You may be wondering.. Are there risks to hypnosis?

The answer is NO- There are no significant risks to hypnosis. Very rarely, periods of agitation may be evoked. These are called abreactions; they are very rare and easily managed by breaking the state, bringing the patient out of trance, and then practicing relaxation techniques. In our practice, we have never had a patient have an abreaction during or after hypnosis.

Check out Chapter 21 in The Comprehensive Physicians’ Guide to the Management of PANS and PANDAS for detailed info and research on this topic!
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If you’re new here, there is a difference between PANS & PANDAS. However, PANS/PANDAS symptoms are essentially identical.

The main difference between PANS and PANDAS is the cause of the symptoms. Whereas PANDAS is triggered by a strep infection, PANS is broader. PANS may be triggered by a number of infections or toxins. Examples of PANS triggers could include chickenpox, H1N1 flu, or Lyme disease.
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The OCD portion of PANS and PANDAS is also one of the most heartbreaking aspects. It can be very challenging to navigate as a parent.

We often tell parents that extremely defiant behavior may just be an expression of severe anxiety and OCD. Extreme fear may cause the child to become aggressive or uncooperative.

Aggressive behavior may be directed toward siblings, friends, and (less often) parents. Defiant behavior in school may lead to disciplinary action against the child, though the behavior is actually caused by a medical condition (PANS and PANDAS). For this reason, we recommend parents get involved early at their child’s school and insist upon getting an individualized education plan (IEP) in place.
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In adults with similar symptoms, we don’t use the terms PANS or PANDAS, but refer to these patients as having autoimmune encephalitis. We do use the same approach to treatment, which is our proprietary 5-Pillar Fully Functional Process.

The five steps for treatment in our practice are: Identify, Reduce, Optimize, Support and Personalize. While we take the same steps, there is no one-size-fits-all treatment for PANS & PANDAS and your treatment must be tailored to the patient.
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Being aware of the early signs and symptoms of PANS and PANDAS can make a significant difference in a child’s life. Look out for sudden changes like OCD, tics, or severe anxiety. If you notice these signs, seek medical advice promptly. Early intervention can lead to better outcomes quicker and help your child get back on track.
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Chronic inflammation has been identified as a causative factor and as a predictor of worse outcomes in many conditions, such as cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, bowel diseases, arthritis, cirrhosis, and metabolic syndrome, among others. In cases of chronic mental or physical illness (including chronic, persistent infections), inflammation can become chronic, which damages normal tissues. This damage produces damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) which cause further immune activation. Avoiding further immune activation and re-regulating the immune system is vital in PANS and PANDAS.
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The Biomat stimulates both the circulatory and autonomic nervous systems and is an extremely relaxing treatment. ⁠
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You simply lay on the Biomat for 15-30 minutes, depending on what is recommended by your doctor.⁠
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Our patients often report feeling very relaxed and sometimes having a sense of euphoria with Biomat therapy.⁠
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The Biomat emits negative ions, which can help to:⁠
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• Neutralize free radicals.⁠
• Revitalize cell metabolism.⁠
• Enhance immune function.⁠
• Purify the blood.⁠
• Balance the autonomic nervous system⁠
• Promote deep sleep and healthy digestion⁠
• Increase serotonin levels⁠
• Boost energy and improve mental health⁠
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Your whole family can use your BioMat, including young children, the elderly, and even family pets! The BioMat offers the same health benefits to people of all ages and has therapeutic value for pets as well.⁠
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Anyone with a medical diagnosis should check with their doctor.⁠
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Hope all the dads and father figures out there had a great Father’s Day weekend! Dr. Scott wrote this blog post to give advice to others after his own daughter’s journey with PANS. A couple key takeaways are to BE PRESENT for your family and learn everything you can about PANS/PANDAS. Don’t leave the research to your partner or other family members.

https://fullyfunctional.com/blog/advice-guidance-for-pans-pandas-dads/
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Reducing symptoms in PANS and PANDAS is best accomplished by using a WIDE range of therapeutics, including prescription medications, supplements, mindfulness, and cognitive-behavioral therapy.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy and exposure-response prevention often outperform medications. Other adjunctive therapies such as NLP, hypnosis, neurofeedback, and smartphone apps may be helpful for managing or resolving symptoms.

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The Fully Functional process is what we use to restore health to patients with PANS and PANDAS. We believe we have the most organized, systems-based approach to PANS and PANDAS.

The Fully Functional Process has 5 pillars:
1. Identify
2. Reduce
3. Optimize
4. Support
5. Personalize

Pillar 2 focuses on REDUCING your symptoms! This starts with reducing things such as environmental toxins, inflammation, oxidative stress, immune dysregulation, etc.

Has this been key for your own healing journey? Let us know in the comments! ❤️‍🩹👇
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Dr. Scott’s book is available for purchase in the IFM bookstore here at conference in Las Vegas!

For our followers not attending, you can always purchase Dr. Scott’s book directly from our office, The Center for Fully Functional Health (call to place your order & receive an autographed copy). You can also purchase directly from major retailers like Amazon (link in bio!)

Thanks for all the support so far! This book is designed to improve the level of care for all PANS/PANDAS patients. 📚
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With unlimited information easily accessible online, you may see all kinds of recommendations from other parents and people in similar situations for treating PANS/PANDAS. While having access to new ideas can be helpful at times, working one-on-one with an integrative PANS/PANDAS specialist is best. This way, recommendations can be adjusted for the individual. And if something is not working, it’s easy to adjust!
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In our experience, Lyme disease is underreported and underdiagnosed.

There is not one specific trigger identified as the initiator of PANS, but it is often an abnormal immune response to any number of infectious triggers, including Lyme disease and tick-borne infections.

Symptomatic overlap of Lyme Disease and PANS/PANDAS raises the question of whether misdiagnoses may occur. Correct initial assessment is important since treatment for each may differ and delay in diagnosis may result in worsening symptoms. We also treat Lyme Disease in our office!

We work with our patients to identify environmental toxins, toxicants, stress and symptoms that may be contributing to PANS/PANDAS flares. One of the things we look into is what they’re consuming. We do recommend organic produce when possible. Little changes add up to big results!

Swipe to see The Environmental Working Group (EWG) 2024 lists for the Clean Fifteen and Dirty Dozen, which rank fruits and vegetables based on pesticide residue levels.
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To all the PANS/PANDAS parents out there: caring for a sick child is an immense challenge, but remember, your own well-being matters too. We have been there ourselves, and just know it does get better with the right treatment! Prioritize self-care to stay strong for your family. You’re doing amazing! 💙 Happy Mother’s Day!

We are so thrilled for our friend and amazing integrative pediatrician, Dr. Elisa Song! She wrote the forward in Dr. Scott’s book.

She has her own brand new book, coming out on May 14! It’s called Healthy Kids, Happy Kids: An Integrative Pediatrician’s Guide to Whole Child Resilience. This is a MUST-READ book for every parent! In her book, Dr. Song shows why your child’s microbiome holds the key to lifelong wellness, and teaches us how to build resilience from the inside out by creating Microbiome Magic - every day!

Healthy Kids, Happy Kids Learn the key to raising resilient kids, from the inside out in this groundbreaking, evidence-based guide.

Maintaining optimal vitamin D levels is crucial to managing PANS/PANDAS symptoms! Make sure to speak with your doctor before supplementing. We recommend supplements to our patients based on their individual bloodwork.
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One reason we’ve seen PANS/PANDAS flare after spring break is because many coastal locations have very high humidity at baseline and mold growth is extremely common in vacation homes.

Additionally, red tides represent blooms of harmful algae in both freshwater and ocean water. These algae can also produce mycotoxins which make people sick. Numerous articles have shown that mycotoxins impair immune response.

This isn’t to create fear around vacation or travel, but to become more aware so you can identify exactly when symptoms started or got worse. Digging into the details about that time period may provide clues to the etiology of the illness or information that helps refine the treatment plan.
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Significant side effects may be seen when using SSRIs, even at therapeutic dosages. We do not prescribe these medications in our practice to treat OCD.

Exposure response prevention (ERP) is recognized as a first-line treatment appropriate for patients with OCD and has been shown to outperform medications for the treatment of OCD in children and adolescents.

Having a multi-faceted treatment approach for PANS & PANDAS that is tailored to each patient is what we’ve found to be most successful in our practice!

Calaprice D, Tona J. Treatment of pediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric disorder in a large survey population. J. Child Adolesc. Psychopharmacol. 2017;28(2):92–103
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There are numerous strains of streptococcus bacteria, with over 100 different types identified. Group A beta-hemolytic streptococcus (GAS) is a type of bacteria belonging to the Streptococcus pyogenes species. It is one of the most common and virulent strains of streptococci that can infect humans and cause a wide range of infections. 
 
A positive strep test alone does not indicate PANDAS, since a PANDAS diagnosis is made based on clinical criteria rather than solely on the presence of a streptococcal infection.
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We have seen great success in our patients when the ENTIRE family, including parents/guardians and siblings, makes the commitment to healthy dietary changes. It would be extremely difficult to explain to a defiant, ill child why they have to avoid foods if Mom, Dad, and siblings can still eat them in the home.

Having the family embrace healthy dietary changes is one way that, in midst of a mighty struggle, the whole family can become healthier. Speak with your doctor before making any major dietary changes!

Have you seen any improvement in PANS/PANDAS from implementing your own dietary changes?
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Vitamin D is not actually a vitamin but is a neurosteroid hormone. It is required for proper brain development and homeostasis, immunity modulation, antioxidant processes, and the inflammatory response.

Despite this correlation between Vitamin D deficiency and OCD severity, there are no studies currently which have examined the effects of vitamin D supplementation on symptoms in OCD patients.

The best route for supplementation is working with an experienced physician who can make recommendations based on your specific needs!
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These ideas from friends and family come from a natural place: when things go wrong, it’s human nature to step into a problem-solving role. No one wants to see a child they care about hurting! These suggestions may come from a good place…

However, We have been there ourselves and know this can be unhelpful, difficult, and isolating as a parent. We wrote a blog post about this exact topic and hope you find it helpful!

https://fullyfunctional.com/blog/parent-of-a-child-with-pandas-or-pans/
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We love that we’re able to offer our patients so many treatment options in one place! Here are a few of the treatments that we offer in our office and see excellent results with our patients.

The benefits of sauna, lymphatic drainage, red light therapy and proper supplementation are all discussed in our newly released book!

PS- You don’t need to be a medical patient to access our MedSpa services in Carmel, IN. Call (317) 343-6692 for booking any of these services!

Make sure to speak with your doctor before trying any new therapies.