Peirson Center for Children

💡 Parenting Tip: Using a Belly Binder for Constipation Relief in Kids

Constipation can be tough on our little ones, but there's a simple, non-invasive solution that might help: a belly binder! These supportive wraps can provide gentle pressure on the abdomen, which may stimulate the digestive system and help relieve constipation.

Benefits of Belly Binders:

⫸ Gentle Pressure: Provides a comforting and secure feeling for children.
⫸ Encourages Bowel Movements: Helps stimulate regularity.
⫸ Adjustable and Soft: Designed to fit comfortably and adapt as your child grows.

Remember, it’s always best to talk to your pediatrician before trying a belly binder to make sure it’s appropriate for your child’s needs. Let’s work together to keep our kids happy, healthy, and comfortable! 😊

RCAI Pediatric Abdominal Binder Deluxe |Umbilical Hernia Belt, Post-op, Low Tone Muscle Support, Single Panel Abdominal Brace, 5” Tall Fits Extra Small Teen Waists 25"-29", White, Made in USA… RCAI Pediatric Abdominal Binder Deluxe |Umbilical Hernia Belt, Post-op, Low Tone Muscle Support, Single Panel Abdominal Brace, 5” Tall Fits Extra Small Teen Waists 25"-29", White, Made in USA…

🤧 Histamine Intolerance in children can cause issues with sleep, behavior, gut health and immune system function.

🥬 Food is medicine!

Certain fruits, vegetables, herbs, and spices can act as powerful anti-histamines, helping to soothe symptoms and strengthen their immune system. Incorporating a variety of these natural goodies into their diet can help lower histamine levels. From vibrant veggies to aromatic herbs, your kitchen can be a powerhouse of anti-inflammatory support. 🍽️🌿💪

The Autism Community in Action has created an amazing resource for parents. This workbook is a roadmap for parents to help them understand not only the medical ways to help their children but also resources for behavior, education, dietary interventions and planning the future.

We can't recommend it enough!

TACA Autism Workbook Resources In your hands, the journey of navigating autism becomes clearer, more structured, and significantly less overwhelming. The TACA Autism Workbook is not just a book; it’s a roadmap designed for families like yours. Covering a wide range of topics from diagnosis to education to medical issu...

Dr. Peirson will be speaking about Immunometabolism at this upcoming fall MAPS conference. Share this information about the conference with your child's pediatrician.

Given the role that infections play in the development of neuropsychiatric and neuroinflammatory conditions in children, the metabolic state of the child must be considered. The immune system is highly metabolic, depending on optimal lipid and glucose metabolism to function properly. The immune system abnormalities reported in children with autism and other neurodevelopmental conditions are characterized by a decreased number of lymphocytes and their reduced response to stimulation. Lymphocytes require optimal glucose uptake and metabolism for normal survival and function. In addition, a low metabolic rate contributing to poor immune system function can lead to loss of immunological self-tolerance. The role autoimmunity plays in autism is widely recognized yet the role that the metabolic state plays in the development of autoimmunity and overall immune system function deserves more attention. This lecture will review:

Objectives:

•Role of metabolism in immune system function and links to autoimmunity
•Signs, symptoms and labs to detect low metabolic rate in children
•How to optimize metabolic rate to support the immune system

To read more of our amazing Fall Lineup and register to join us follow this link: MAPS Fall 2024 Conference | MAPS (medmaps.org)

"Treatment for both acute and chronic Lyme is a puzzle. For most patients who are accurately diagnosed with acute Lyme, a course of antibiotics (often doxycycline) wipes out the infection. But about 10% of the time, that approach doesn’t work, leaving a small-but-significant minority of patients with PTLDS...But right now, doctors don’t know why treatment sometimes fails, or for whom it will; some outright reject the idea that treatments don't always work. “Instead of admitting that it fails 10% of the time, we have just been sweeping this under the rug and calling these people crazy,” Tal says."

Long Dismissed, Chronic Lyme Disease Is Finally Getting Its Moment Researchers are racing to understand the condition following a surge of interest in Long COVID.

🌸It’s your last chance to save during our Spring Wellness Sale!

🌸Save on high quality supplements and wellness products before it’s too late:

https://us.fullscript.com/welcome/peirsoncenter

🌿May 12-18 is Naturopathic Medicine week!

Does your child's gastroenterologist or pediatrician ask about their diet?
Do they discuss the microbiome?
Do they know how to optimize the gut microbiome or the consequences of an unhealthy gut microbiome?

Naturopathic Physicians have always honored the role that gut health plays in the overall health of their patients. A growing body of research now supports that we've been right to do so.

Influence of diet on the gut microbiome and implications for human health
https://translational-medicine.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12967-017-1175-y

Manipulating the Human Microbiome to Manage Diseasehttps://www.peirsoncenter.com/uploads/6/0/5/5/6055321/10.1001_jama.2019.19602.pdf

www.peirsoncenter.com

🌿May 12-18 is Naturopathic Medicine week!

Did you know that Naturopathic Medical Doctors are educated at accredited medical universities? The rigorous curriculum is comparable to conventional medical school and includes:

- Biochemistry
- Human Physiology
- Histology
- Gross Human Anatomy
- Microbiology
- Immunology
- Human Pathology
- Neurology
- Orthopedics
- Gastroenterology
- Urology
- Cardiology & Pulmonology
- Eyes, Ears, Nose and Throat (EENT)
- Dermatology
- Pharmacology

along with...

- Clinical Nutrition
- Botanical Medicine
- Lifestyle Counseling
- Mind-Body Medicine
- Laboratory and Diagnostic Medicine
- Minor Surgery and Office Procedures
- Traditional Chinese Medicine
- Physical Medicine
- Hydrotherapy
- Homeopathy

and a lot more!

You can see a sample curriculum here:
https://www.peirsoncenter.com/uploads/6/0/5/5/6055321/catalog-2018-2019.pdf

You can also see how Naturopathic medical education compares to that of Johns Hopkins, Yale and Stanford here:
https://www.peirsoncenter.com/uploads/6/0/5/5/6055321/nd_vs_md.pdf

Choline is crucial for:
1. supporting brain function, aiding in memory, cognition, and neural development by contributing to acetylcholine synthesis
2. maintaining liver health
3. facilitating the proper functioning of cell membranes throughout the body
4. optimizing lymphocyte function and survival

Methylation impacts choline synthesis by regulating the activity of enzymes involved in the methylation pathway, such as phosphatidylethanolamine N-methyltransferase (PEMT), which converts phosphatidylethanolamine into phosphatidylcholine, a major source of choline in the body.

The production of phosphatidylcholine is the second largest draw on methylation in the body because it requires the transfer of methyl groups from S-adenosylmethionine (SAM), a key methyl donor in cellular processes, to phosphatidylethanolamine via the enzyme phosphatidylethanolamine N-methyltransferase (PEMT). This methylation reaction is essential for the synthesis of phosphatidylcholine.

Supplementing with phosphatidylcholine not only eases the "load" on methylation within the body it also supports acetylcholine synthesis, brain health, liver health, cell membrane function and lymphocyte survival and health.

www.peirsoncenter.com

It's been a few years since Dr. Peirson has written a blog post. This important topic inspired her to write again. Addressing this has made a profound difference in many of her patients.

Let us know if you have any questions in the comments.

https://www.peirsoncenter.com/articles/what-is-tetrahydrobiopterin-and-how-does-it-affect-brain-health

The Medical Academy of Pediatric Special Needs (MAPS) is the country's leading organization working to train physicians in how to use the rapidly increasing scientific evidence-based methods to support the health of children with autism spectrum and related medical disorders.

The spring conference was sold out and we expect the fall conference to sell out as well.
Register soon!

September 5-7, 2024 in Scottsdale, Arizona

Dr. Peirson will be speaking on the very important topic of Immunometabolism. Share this information with your child's physician if they're curious about more in-depth ways they can help their patients.

https://www.medmaps.org/events/fall2024/

Can we get an "Amen!"?

We've been saying this for years. This even applies to our kids with an extra chromosome! While our genetics do play a role in our physiology they're not the only thing that matters.

"Ultimately, Ball concludes that “we are at the beginning of a profound rethinking of how life works”. In my view, beginning is the key word here. Scientists must take care not to substitute an old set of dogmas with a new one. It’s time to stop pretending that, give or take a few bits and pieces, we know how life works. Instead, we must let our ideas evolve as more discoveries are made in the coming decades. Sitting in uncertainty, while working to make those discoveries, will be biology’s great task for the twenty-first century."

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-00327-x

(Link to purchase a copy of the book is in the comments.)

Congratulations Dr. Wells! This is crucial information for those of us who work diligently to help our patients with PANS and PANDAS.

"...63.8% of PANS/PANDAS patients (male = 15; female = 15) were found to have either the blocking and/or blinding FRAAs..."

🎉 Celebrating being published in a scientific journal for the first time!

Check out my post tomorrow to learn more about it! But if you don’t want to wait you can check out the full article 👇

https://doi.org/10.3390/jpm14020166

What if everything you thought you knew about autism and Down syndrome was wrong?

If you haven't seen "Spellers" the movie now's your chance. Tonight (Monday, January 29th) only!

They're all in there. We just need to give them the right way to show us. We've always known this was possible and are thrilled this is now not only just a movie, it's a movement. You may have to see it to believe it.

Register to see the movie here:
https://kinema.com/events/spellers-hosted-by-communication-4-all-and-the-flutie-foundation-for-autism-vcjmyv

https://youtu.be/aOk6pBnY7hQ

SPELLERS hosted by Communication 4 ALL and the Flutie Foundation for Autism Get tickets for the virtual screening of SPELLERS

Adequate production of melatonin requires more than just good sleep hygiene, exposure to sunlight during the day and reduction of light (and screens) in the evening. It also involves a fair amount of biochemistry.

Knowing all of the steps needed to make melatonin is important as is working with a practitioner who knows how to apply this clinically. Did you know that a saliva test can be done to check your child's melatonin level? It requires your child to spit into a tube, filling it 3/4 of the way full. We recommend parents always read test instructions thoroughly before running any specialty tests at home.

You can order it here! https://labs.rupahealth.com/store/storefront_xGAVm07?storefrontProduct=strprod_2xqoY37

Lab tests are the cornerstone of Functional Medicine. They often reveal aspects of a child's health that would otherwise be undetectable.

No one factor dictates anyone's health. Genetics play a significant role but equally important is the gut microbiome, diet, exposure to pharmaceuticals and other factors listed in the images here.

We run very extensive labs for our patients when possible and want these labs to be available for all children. Using specialty tests like an organic acid test or comprehensive stool analysis to screen your child for deeper information can help you decide whether working with a Functional Medicine or Naturopathic Physician is right for you. Unfortunately your conventional pediatrician is not trained to interpret these. We can help you interpret them or you can work with someone local to you who can.

Follow for upcoming information on how an organic acid test and comprehensive stool test can help your child.

All labs can be found here: https://labs.rupahealth.com/store/storefront_xGAVm07

If you're tired of arguing with your child's doctor about running thorough labs to assess the health of your child or to rule out underlying treatable causes to their behavioral, growth, sleep, focus issues or overall developmental delay those days are over!

You can now order labs yourself through our online Lab Services. We've partnered with Rupa Health to bring you this invaluable service. We've included bundles created by Dr. Peirson to help get you started along with individual blood labs and even very advanced specialty lab tests. We will be adding more bundles based on your child's main health issues in the future so check back soon to see if we have the right bundle for you.

If you've heard about organic acid testing, have always wondered if your child has any abnormal levels on this test and didn't know how to order one without going through a physician you can do that now. Of course, we recommend working with a trained practitioner who knows how to correlate the information from this test with your child's health history.

Take a look around and let us know what you think:
https://labs.rupahealth.com/store/storefront_xGAVm07