The Better Behavior Show with Dr. Nicole Beurkens Episode 46: Healing Children with Challenging Neurodevelopmental and Infectious Issues
My guest this week is Stephanie Belseth, a board-certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner with over 25 years of experience in inpatient and outpatient primary care, pulmonology, asthma, early childhood screening, and neurodevelopmental disorders. Stephanie has a special interest in holistic wellness care, Gastrointestinal disorders, Autism, ADHD, Asthma, mental health disorders, PANS/PANDAS, Autoimmune disease, Pediatric Lyme and conditions that mimic it, and other complex chronic pediatric conditions.
In this episode, Stephanie and I discuss the various infections that we see in children who are struggling with neurodevelopmental issues. We also highlight some of the environmental dangers (right in your own home) like EMF radiation and mold, that could be exacerbating these issues. Finally, Stephanie walks us through some examples of treatment protocols for these issues that are very encouraging for parents and children. To learn more about Stephanie Belseth click here.
Episode Highlights Infectious issues related to neurodevelopmental challenges- Lyme disease, Borrelia burgdorferi, Bartonella, Babesia
- Problems with mycoplasma, strep, viruses
- Many different kinds of conditions underlying parasitic or fungal overgrowth, bacterial dysbiosis in the gut and the microbiome
- Often times kids that come in diagnosed with PANDAS, actually have many other infections
- Kids have leaky blood-brain barriers
- Their blood-brain barriers are more permeable than they should be, either due to concussions, due to infection, microbiome problems, the gut-brain connection
- If the gut has increased permeability then the brain will have increased permeability
- Often times kids aren’t sleeping well, so improving sleep is a good place to start with treatment
- Melatonin, valerian root, and lemon balm can sometimes help
- Herbs, vitamins, CBD for lowering brain and gut inflammation
- Deep breathing skills, hopping skills, QNRT or Brainspotting or other kinds of techniques, EMDR
- Introducing more healthy fats into the diet and eating mostly anti-inflammatory foods can help
- EMF (electromagnetic fields) radiation from wifi and wifi enabled devices
- Too much screen time
- Overexposure to screens and devices can cause hyperactivity, irritability, and other neurological issues in kids
- There are physiological effects of EMF radiation, especially in kids that are extra sensitive, therefore, screen time and proximity to wifi should be limited
- Mold can be a significant stressor on the immune system
- One out of two homes has some type of mold
- Test your home environment if you feel like you have tried everything for your child and they are still struggling to improve their neurological symptoms
Where to learn more about Stephanie Belseth...
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