
Let’s talk about PANDAS (Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorder Associated with Streptococcal Infections ) and PANS (Pediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome) flares!
If you know, you know…but for those of you who don’t know or for those of you who are new to the world of PANS/PANDAS this post will help your child tremendously. Over the years my family has been exposed to toxic mold and each time it has brought on chronic health issues for our family. While PANDAS is primarily brought on by a strep infection and PANS is brought on by a number of illnesses; mold exposure can exasperate illnesses like strep, tummy bugs, the flu, etc. During our healing journey I have learned through my own experience as well as other families’ experiences and extensive researching what can be used safely and effectively to treat these symptoms and what brought them on.
Combining these four herbal tinctures can help pull your child out of a P/P flare if done properly. You need to ensure that your child is no longer being exposed to mold if that was a contributing factor as well as ensuring that they have a clean toxin-free diet. I go into that more on other posts. Imagine that your child is a cup that is full of toxins that are causing all of these symptoms, your job is to empty that cup safely and make sure it’s not filling back up every time it’s being emptied — creating a vicious cycle, which is no doubt putting your child’s body and mind on a rollercoaster.

- Cryptolepis (Cryptolepis Sanguinolental)
- treats Lyme disease, Malaria, & Babesiosis
- treats stubborn colds & tonsillitis
- antibacterial and antibacterial
- antifungal
- antiparasitic
- Red Root (ceanothus Americanus)
- lymphatic cleanser
- expectorant properties
- antibacterial & antiviral
- antispasmodic
- antibacterial
- Chinese Skullcap aka Huang Qin (Scutellaria Baicalensis)
- reduces cytokine cascades
- protects neural cells & mitochondria
- inhibits viral infection of neural cells
- reduces oxidative stress & anxiety
- Burbur Pinella – Burbur (desmodium molliculum) & Anise (pimpinella anisum)
- help ease Herxheimer reactions
- anti-inflammatory
- liver & kidney support
- brain & nerve support
- detoxification support
- neurological support
- antioxidant support
- microbial support
- gastrointestinal support
Depending on which company you choose to order from will determine dosage, but generally for kids you would start with 1/8-1/4 of the full recommended dose on the label or you can use Clark’s Rule (adult dose x [weight of child (lbs)/150]). My favorite herbal tinctures are made by NutraMedix, they are actually the only herbal company on the market that makes Burbur Pinella. You can use my code “HLBN” for 10% off at NutraMedix. You can also order all four of these herbal tinctures on my Fullscript page with my 30% discount. For Red Root and Chinese Skullcap you can find alcohol-free versions at Hawaii Pharm.
When starting any new approach, the key is to start low and slow so that you don’t cause a Herxheimer reaction or overwhelm their bodily organs. Depending on a person’s toxicity level, too many toxins can be released during detoxing causing a Herxheimer reaction due to your bodily organs not being able to flush them out quickly enough before they are redispersed and reabsorbed. Burbur Pinella, binders, trace minerals, plenty of filtered water and rest will help to avoid a herx reaction. Binders are another key component to helping your child detox comfortably during this protocol. Binders and drainers basically walk the toxins out safely. To learn more about binders and drainers, click here.
Pediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome (PANS) is a clinical diagnosis given to children who have a dramatic – sometimes overnight – onset of neuropsychiatric symptoms including obsessions/compulsions or food restriction. They are often diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) or an eating disorder, but the sudden onset of symptoms separates PANS from these other disorders. In addition, they may have symptoms of depression, irritability, anxiety, and have difficulty with schoolwork. The cause of PANS is unknown in most cases but is thought to be triggered by infections, metabolic disturbances, and other inflammatory reactions. (🔗)
Like PANS, children with Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorder Associated with Streptococcal Infections (PANDAS) have an acute onset – within 2 to 3 days – of neuropsychiatric symptoms, specifically OCD or tics (involuntary, purposeless movements). However, PANDAS patients test positive for a recent streptococcal infection, such as strep throat, peri-anal strep or scarlet fever. Like PANS patients, they also may suffer from uncontrollable emotions, irritability, anxiety and loss of academic ability and handwriting skills. Although PANDAS was identified as a medical syndrome more than a decade before PANS, it has been classified as a subset of PANS. To date, PANDAS is the only known subset of PANS, but we may discover more causes in the future. (🔗)
References: Herbal Antibiotics by Stephen Harrod Buhner and Herbal Antivirals by Stephen Harrod Buhner. Dr. O’Hara goes into great detail about treating P/P flares as well as the sudden onset of symptoms when P/P starts, click here to learn more.
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