Treatment

PANS/PANDAS

In the past few years I’ve seen a significant increase in the number of children I’m treating for PANS/PANDAS — and they respond really well to homeopathy.

PANDAS (Paediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorder Associated with Streptococcal infections) and PANS (Paediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome) are relatively new, commonly misunderstood, and frequently misdiagnosed conditions affecting children. PANDAS results from a Group A Streptococcal infection (“strep throat”); PANS is linked to other infections, including flu, chickenpox, mycoplasma, Lyme disease and worms/parasites.

Specific autoantibodies are able to cross the blood-brain barrier and cause inflammation — commonly described as a ‘flare’ — which can appear suddenly, out of the blue, resulting in extreme rage, vocal or motor tics, compulsions and obsessions. A flare is usually triggered by exposure to a pathogen a child is susceptible to, or by anything that challenges their immune system.

Symptoms

• Tics (motor or vocal)
• Sudden onset of intense anxiety
• Obsessive-compulsive behaviour (OCD)
• Frequent, exaggerated changes in mood
• Flares — sudden fog, listlessness, or anger and aggression
• Separation anxiety and loss of independence
• Sensitivity to noise
• Intrusive thoughts
• Withdrawal from social activities and group play

The most common conventional treatment is antibiotics and, in some cases, steroids. The symptoms can be extremely upsetting and exhausting — not just for the child, but for the whole family.

My approach

I prescribe a main constitutional remedy alongside a remedy to detox the underlying cause — the streptococcus bacteria itself — plus organ support remedies to help the liver and kidneys as toxins clear through the body. I also look for other contributing factors that can show up in functional medicine testing, such as candida, mould toxicity, heavy metals and worms.

Homeopathy works by clearing layers of pathology — as one layer clears, another set of symptoms (or a return of old ones) can come to the fore, usually not to the extent they first presented. Many families see flares become far less frequent and severe within months. Read the full case study on the blog, and the full testimonial from a parent whose son I’ve treated for PANDAS.

Common remedies

Remedies I reach for include Stramonium (rage, dark fears, fear of the dark), Carcinosin (low confidence, tics, sleep problems), and Tarentula (speedy, sensory children who respond well to rhythmic music). Read the full remedy breakdown on the blog.