This is a quick reminder that The Autism, ADHD and Sensory Processing Disorder Summit starts tomorrow.
I really enjoyed Dr. Brandon Brock’s interview, Understanding PANS and PANDAS role in ASD, ADHD and SPD, and it is particularly relevant for anxiety and OCD. During the interview he describes what he often finds with these children with PANS (Pediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome) and PANDAS (Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infections):
A lot of times the child may come in having nightmares or they just start bed wetting or they’re having fears or a little bit of irritability and they get blamed on all kinds of things. You know they get blamed on maybe a sketchy home environment that’s really not that sketchy, or maybe they just say it’s normal for a child to go through this, or maybe they’re just starting to hit puberty so they’re getting more aggressive. In other words there’s always a reason other than looking at the brain physiology. Why is it changing? Is the brain physiology changing because maybe there is an environmental factor? You know maybe there is some abuse or something. And that does happen.
But on a bigger scale maybe they had some sort of infectious disease, or maybe they had a toxin that got into their body, and it made their immune system react, and it started giving them symptoms like abnormal movements, ticks, especially in the face, lip smacking, hair twirling.
He talks about how these immune reactions to the brain and basal ganglia cause symptoms:
So when you have an immune response against the basal ganglia it’s kind of like pushing the play button over and over and over again. So now we see things like obsessive compulsive disorder, we see tics, we see choreiform movements [repetitive and rapid, jerky, involuntary movement that appears to be well-coordinated], we see nightmares and bizarre thoughts, or the kid does something that we call a perseveration. It is the repetition of a particular response (such as a word, phrase, or gesture), so they say something over and over and over. So there’s a fine line between a kid being a kid and then a kid having something like PANDAS. And really what we call that is auto-immune encephalitis, which just means inflammation of the brain. So the kid’s brain really is kind of like, if you want to say it metaphorically, on fire.
Dr. Brock talks about the 2 strep tests or anti-streptococcal antibody titers that are commercially available and determines whether the child has had a previous strep infection:
- Antistrepolysin O (ASO) titer,* which rises 3-6 weeks after a strep infection, and
- Antistreptococcal DNAse B (AntiDNAse-B) titer, which rises 6-8 weeks after a strep infection.]
In addition to the many other labs tests they do, he goes on to discuss another whole set of antibodies that can become positive down the road:
Dopamine antibodies, calcium calmodulin mechanisms, and then all of the intra-cellular structures, like the tubulin structures, the alpha and beta tubulin structures, the micro-tubulin structures, and even the cell wall. So we have an antibody panel that really says it’s either the structure, it’s either the receptor, or it’s the actual pumping mechanism that makes dopamine.
He didn’t mention this but it’s the Cunningham Panel done by Moleculera Labs
Dr. Brock goes on to talk about functional neurology, diet, how to find a good practitioner and much more. It’s a great interview!
The Autism, ADHD and Sensory Processing Disorder Summit, hosted by Tara Hunkin, NTP, runs from June 19-28, 2017.
It will be 10 days of eye opening information into the root causes of your child’s neurological dysfunction. Imagine learning about what may have caused their symptoms and how to address them with nutrition and biomedical approaches and leverage the power of positive neuroplasticity to improve function, health and their lives.
As I mentioned in the prior summit announcement many of the interviews on this summit may be applicable for you even if you don’t have a child with a sensory processing disorder, ADHD and/or autism – many of my clients with anxiety often benefit from the biomedical support that many of these speakers are addressing. Simply replace sensory processing disorder, ADHD and/or autism with anxiety and listen and learn.
And if you’re new to my work, do also tune into my interview: Anxiety’s Role in ASD, ADHD and SPD and how nutrient therapy can help.
Here are a few other speakers and their interesting topics (and I can’t wait to hear them all):
- David Perlmutter, MD: The role of the microbiome in neurological health.
- Alex Doman: Using music to heal your child’s brain
- Derrick MacFabe, MD: The role of propionic acid in the multi-system challenges found in ASD.
- Sonia McGowin, DC: How to know if biomedical intervention is right for your child.
You can register for The Autism, ADHD and Sensory Processing Disorder Summit here
marti lembcke says
I am trying to leave a comment about bipolar disorder and just do not know how to do this. my son is bipolar, has anxiety, adhd and previous substance abuse issues I would like to see him wean off some of the meds he is on do you have any info that references this it seems with all the readings many of the amino acids say caution or do not take with bipolar disorders and recommendations or direction for help with this thanks
Trudy Scott says
Marti
It would be best to work with an integrative or functional medicine practitioner to help guide this process. Here is a blog post you can share with the prescribing doctor – hopefully he/she can help too https://www.everywomanover29.com/blog/taper-from-antidepressant-tryptophan-amino-acids/.
Here is an interview I did with Dr. Kelly Brogan https://www.everywomanover29.com/blog/medication-tapering-withdrawal-kelly-brogan/
In the meantime you can start with all the dietary changes that I teach – real food, no additives, no sugar, no caffeine, no gluten. And start to improve gut health with sauerkraut and kefir. My book “The Antianxiety Food Solution” (here on Amazon http://amzn.to/2kptFWm) covers it all + there is so much here on the blog (simply use the search box)
Eric says
Hi Trudy,
Do you recommend Homeopathy for OCD, Anxiety, Sleep Problems, or Depression?
Trudy Scott says
Hi Eric
Homeopathy is not my area of expertise so I do not recommend it for OCD, anxiety, sleep problems or depression. I always start with diet (real whole foods, blood sugar control, no caffeine, no gluten or sugar) and trials of the amino acids tryptophan and GABA, adding inositol for OCD if the tryptophan isn’t enough. With OCD PANADS/PANS must also always be considered
That being said, homeopathy is powerful (I love it for immunity and pain) and it may well work for some people because we are all unique and respond to different approaches.
Eric says
Hi Trudy,
I hope the follow up questions are OK. Is it true that GABA does not cross the Blood Brain barrier but PharmaGABA does? If so, how is GABA helpful? How much Tryptophan, GABA, and Inositol do you use for Treatment-Refractory OCD? Are you familiar with Magnesium-l-Threonate and do you recommend it?
Thank you,
Eric
Trudy Scott says
Eric
I prefer GABA but some people do fine with pharmaGABA. More here on the BBB misinformation https://www.everywomanover29.com/blog/gaba-blood-brain-barrier-trial-anxiety/ and much more on the blog (feel free to search and read about GABA).
Each person is unique and I use the trial method https://www.everywomanover29.com/blog/how-to-do-an-amino-acid-trial-for-anxiety/
Yes I like this form of magnesium and often recommend it.
But we must always go back to the basics as I mentioned in my previous comment. If you’re just starting on this journey I recommend my book “The Antianxiety Food Solution” (on Amazon here http://amzn.to/2kptFWm – affiliate link)
On a side note, Treatment-Refractory simply means the root cause has not been found and this is where nutritional psychiatry comes in.