PANDAs/PANS
PANDAS is short for Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infections. PANS stands Pediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome. These syndromes are sometimes sudden onset which makes them easier to diagnose, but what they have in common is the symptoms are due to infection or due to the inflammatory effects of infection.
Infection, whether or not it is streptococcus or “strep”, may not be acting like a typical infection which should respond to treatment and be short lived in the body. Some infections stick around and make a mess out of the immune system while doing so.
Although this condition is labelled as pediatric, it can exists in adults as well. Common symptoms may include:
- Obsessions and or compulsions
- Food restriction
- Seizures
- tics (involuntary, purposeless movements)
- Uncontrollable emotions
- Irritability and/or anxiety and/or depression. Typically including separation anxiety
- Aggressiveness or oppositional behaviour
- Loss of academic ability
- Loss of handwriting skills or balance or small/gross motor skills
- urinary frequency and/or enuresis
- Increased sensory sensitivities
- choreiform finger movements
- Sleep disruptions are also common
in PANS other agents may trigger the disease, including Mycoplasma pneumonia, Influenza viruses, Epstein Barr virus, Borrelia Burgdorferi, Herpes simplex and Varicella viruses.
Treatment of PANDAS/PANS is a step by step approach which deals with issues such as chronic infection of 1 or multiple agents, biofilm treatments where infection hides, chronic infection constipation which allows infection to hide in the digestive system, and inflammatory treatments to stabilize the immune system and allow it to achieve optimal function.
There are also key nutrients what when infections depletes them, may create a block to treatment. The main 2 nutrients are carnitine and vitamin A. carnitine depletion will result in a protocol not being carried to where it needs to go and vitamin A deficiency will stop the immune system from killing infection and creating stability.
Those with medical issues need treatment and PANDAS and PANS are conditions that have treatments.
The biomedical approach to treating PANDAS and PANS is a system approach to optimize systems and functions in the body.
Biomedical treatment is not a “quick fix” and this is an ongoing process. Those who undergo long term biomedical treatment generally experience high levels of success.
One of the reasons biomedical treatment is so successful is that treatment is individualized.
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