

Demystifying PANS/PANDAS Podcast
Nancy O'Hara MD
Welcome to the Demystifying PANS/PANDAS Podcast with Dr. Nancy O'Hara! Ever wondered why some kids experience sudden, life-altering behavioral changes? This podcast delves into PANS (Pediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome) and PANDAS (Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Strep). Experts explore the triggers, symptoms, and innovative treatments for these autoimmune disorders, blending science and heartfelt guidance. From strep to Lyme, natural therapies, emotional support, and recovery stories—this is your guide to hope and healing.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Oct 1, 2025 • 40min
Fake Food, Real Damage: Protecting Kids’ Gut and Immunity
Dr. Michelle Perro, a seasoned pediatrician and integrative medicine expert, discusses the impact of 'fake food' on children's health. She emphasizes how environmental toxins disrupt gut health and immunity, linking processed foods to rising autoimmune issues. Dr. Perro shares actionable steps for families, such as prioritizing organic foods, cooking at home, and gardening with kids. She also highlights the importance of breastfeeding and nutrient testing to enhance children's well-being. The conversation is both informative and empowering for parents.

Sep 24, 2025 • 51min
Mommy Movement: The Story Behind the Look. Foundation
These moms turned heartbreak into hope—and created a movement that’s changing lives. In this episode of Demystifying PANS/PANDAS, Jennifer Vitelli and Cathy Witkos join us to share how the Look. Foundation is tackling PANS/PANDAS through the three pillars of support, education, and awareness. From over $400,000 in healing grants to nationwide school outreach, we outline practical ways families can find help, community, and hope.-----In this episode of Demystifying PANS/PANDAS, we sit down with the co-founders of the Look. Foundation, Jennifer Vitelli and Cathy Witkos to trace their journeys from isolated parents to movement-builders. They outline their foundation’s three pillars—support, education, and awareness—and share what that looks like on the ground: over $400,000 in healing grants, regular group calls that connect families across the country, and practical resources that shorten the learning curve and end isolation.We also address common misconceptions and emphasize early detection: when kids experience abrupt behavioral changes, families and clinicians should look for medical triggers and document symptoms, while partnering with schools to connect the dots. The conversation highlights bold awareness campaigns and a long-term strategy to make access equitable, expand grants, and build a national infrastructure so no child with PANS/PANDAS is overlooked or left behind.-----Jennifer Vitelli serves as the executive director of the Look. Foundation, where she helps children and young adults affected by infection-triggered neuroinflammatory disorders like PANS/PANDAS. She has co-led and co-founded the Massachusetts Coalition for PANS/PANDAS Legislation, achieving key legislative wins. Jennifer was also a founding board member of the New England PANS/PANDAS Association.Cathy Witkos is the president of the Look. Foundation and has been a leading advocate in the PANS/PANDAS community. She is a mother of three (one child healing from PANS/PANDAS) and has helped build support networks and awareness from the ground up. Cathy was a founding board member of the New England PANS/PANDAS Association and has spearheaded efforts in community education, school and nurse outreach, public awareness, and financial grant support for families facing this often misunderstood illness.-----Website: https://www.lookfoundation.org/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LookFoundationInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/look.foundation/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/look-foundation-inc/-----Website: https://www.drohara.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/drnancyohara/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nhoharamd/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancy-o-hara-md-mph-faap-390781258/----PODCASTThank you for listening. Please subscribe and share.This podcast is produced by DrTalks.comhttps://drtalks.com/podcast-service/

Sep 17, 2025 • 53min
Dentists Reveal: How Breathing Patterns Affect Kids’ Health
Could something as simple as your child’s breathing be affecting their behavior? In this episode of Demystifying PANS/PANDAS, Drs. Lynda and Krystle Dean-Duru join us to explain how our breathing patterns shape sleep, immunity, and behavior in our children. We also delve into various aspects, such as birth factors, breastfeeding, nasal hygiene, and chewing, all aimed at reducing inflammation and promoting healing.----In this episode of Demystifying PANS/PANDAS, we explore the tight link between airway health, craniofacial development, and systemic inflammation in children. Drs. Lynda and Krystle Dean-Duru join us to trace patterns from birth to early feeding, showing how breastfeeding and chewing help the jaws widen, the palate lower, and the nose open for efficient nasal breathing. They emphasize that mouth breathing bypasses filtration and nitric oxide, strains the brain and body, and reinforces sympathetic overdrive that impairs sleep and healing.They also outline a practical integrative toolkit that includes nasal hygiene to support lip seal as well as whole foods and posture for growth. Their message is hopeful: start as early as infancy when possible, but it’s never too late to improve airway, sleep, and overall health.----Dr. Lynda Dean-Duru and Dr. Krystle Dean-Duru are a pioneering mother–daughter team transforming pediatric dentistry with an integrative, airway-centric approach. Together at Ashburn Children’s Dentistry, they combine laser-assisted therapies, myofunctional training, and growth-guidance appliances to optimize craniofacial development, sleep, and breathing from infancy through adolescence. Their shared mission is to empower families with early, preventative strategies that transform oral health, airway function, and overall health----Website: https://www.kidzsmile.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AshburnChildrensDentistry/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ashburnchildrensdentistry/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashburn-childrens-dentistry-60a63537/?trk=public_profile_browsemapYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGrgxoVVrQRf6je6H_OkkDw----Website: https://www.drohara.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/drnancyohara/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nhoharamd/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancy-o-hara-md-mph-faap-390781258/----PODCASTThank you for listening. Please subscribe and share.This podcast is produced by DrTalks.com https://drtalks.com/podcast-service/

Sep 10, 2025 • 51min
Lyme in Disguise: When Tics, Anxiety, and Depression Aren’t What They Seem
At NutraMedix, our mission is to address complex health challenges by supporting medical professionals and their patients with the highest quality nutraceuticals, education, and service.With over 30 years of experience in the nutraceutical industry, we have earned a trusted reputation among healthcare practitioners worldwide.We take a holistic approach to every step of our process from sourcing and formulation to scientific validation and sustainability. Our goal is to provide products that support not only individual health but also economic, social, spiritual, and environmental well-being.By combining traditional wisdom with modern science, NutraMedix ensures that every product is crafted with the highest quality standards, offering practitioners safe, effective, and reliable solutions for patient care.We collaborate with healthcare professionals to create targeted solutions that support a wide range of health challenges. Our unique supplements, including our signature liquid extracts, are designed to optimize absorption and effectiveness. Many of our products have been used in clinical settings and are trusted by practitioners for their reliability and results. ----Website: https://www.nutramedix.com/pages/practitioners15% Discount Code: AVEATALKS----Lyme disease wears many disguises. In kids, it can look like anxiety, depression, and even tics, symptoms also common for PANS/PANDAS. In this episode of Demystifying PANS/PANDAS, Dr. Jaquel Patterson joins us to unpack how infections, a leaky blood–brain barrier, hormones, sleep, and nutrients interact. She also unveils what lifestyle, botanicals, and targeted testing can do to support recovery.----What if your child’s tics were rooted in an infection no one’s testing for? In this episode of Demystifying PANS/PANDAS, Dr. Jaquel Patterson joins us to share her clinical journey from personal diagnosis to treating complex tick-borne illness. She explains how chronic inflammation weakens the blood–brain barrier, activates microglia, and disrupts brain regions to fuel anxiety, depression, cognitive symptoms, and tics in kids.Dr. Patterson talks about botanicals with antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory actions, including stevia and cordyceps. She also discusses hormone considerations in adolescents and women, mold’s impact, and the need for individualized testing, realistic relapse planning, and steady advocacy toward full recovery. Watch the full episode to gain insights and discover practical strategies you can use today to protect brain health, calm inflammation, and support lasting recovery.----Dr. Jaquel Patterson is a naturopathic physician and bestselling author with almost a decade of clinical expertise. She is the founder of Fairfield Family Health, where she specializes in tick-borne infections, autoimmune conditions, integrative psychiatry, autism spectrum disorder, allergies, and environmental medicine. Inspired by her mother’s struggle with lupus and her own journey overcoming tick-borne infections, she blends professional expertise with personal experience to provide compassionate, root-cause care. She is the author of Women and Lyme: An Integrative Guide to Better Health and a frequent speaker and trainer for healthcare providers worldwide. A past president of the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians and current treasurer of the American Academy of Environmental Medicine, her work has been featured in Forbes, USA Today, New York Magazine, CBS, NBC, and ABC.----Website: https://www.drohara.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/drnancyohara/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nhoharamd/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancy-o-hara-md-mph-faap-390781258/----PODCASTThank you for listening. Please subscribe and share.This podcast is produced by DrTalks.com https://drtalks.com/podcast-service/

Sep 3, 2025 • 42min
Healthy Baby Roadmap: Can Preconception Planning Prevent Chronic Illness?
Could planning before pregnancy reduce your child’s risk of chronic illness? In this episode of Demystifying PANS/PANDAS, functional medicine dietitian Vicki Kobliner joins us to talk about her Healthy Baby Roadmap program. Discover how preconception planning, critical nutrients like iodine and choline, and simple lifestyle steps can give your child the best start in life and help lower the risk of chronic illness.----In this episode of Demystifying PANS/PANDAS, we welcome functional medicine dietitian Vicki Kobliner to explore how parents can give their children the best start in life through her program, Healthy Baby Roadmap. Vicki explains why preconception planning is critical, emphasizing the importance of nutrients like iodine, choline, and methyl folate, along with safe fish consumption and reducing environmental toxins. She also shares practical steps for gut health, lifestyle support, and navigating pregnancy tests and birth planning with confidence. This empowering conversation offers hope to parents who want to reduce their child’s risk of chronic illness through informed, proactive choices.----Vicki Kobliner is a registered dietitian and certified nutrition specialist with decades of experience in integrative and functional nutrition. She is the founder of Holcare Nutrition, where she specializes in supporting children and adults with complex chronic illnesses.Vicki partners with families to create personalized nutrition and lifestyle plans that address root causes and promote lasting healing. She is a frequent lecturer, educator, and advocate, dedicated to helping patients optimize their health through the power of nutrition, functional testing, and integrative care.----Website: https://holcarenutrition.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vkoblinerInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/holcarenutrition/----Website: https://www.drohara.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/drnancyohara/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nhoharamd/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancy-o-hara-md-mph-faap-390781258/----PODCASTThank you for listening. Please subscribe and share.This podcast is produced by DrTalks.com https://drtalks.com/podcast-service/

Aug 27, 2025 • 52min
From Mother to Movement: Gabriella True’s Fight for PANS/PANDAS Awareness
Bringing PANS/PANDAS into the spotlight: one mother’s mission for awareness and change. In this episode of Demystifying PANS/PANDAS, Gabriella True shares her journey as a mother of two children and her path to leading ASPIRE, a national nonprofit dedicated to PANS/PANDAS. She emphasizes the role of family and school support programs and the growing movement to bring these conditions into public consciousness.----In this episode of Demystifying PANS/PANDAS, Gabriella True joins us to share her powerful story as both a mother navigating these conditions with her children and as the President of ASPIRE, a leading nonprofit dedicated to raising awareness and supporting families. She recounts her children’s struggles, the challenges of delayed diagnoses, and the breakthrough moments that shaped her advocacy journey. Gabriella emphasizes how ASPIRE has become a lifeline, offering webinars, support groups, and vital educational resources for families and schools.The conversation highlights ASPIRE’s multifaceted approach, from empowering families with knowledge to training educators and advocating for policy change. Gabriella also addresses why PANS/PANDAS remains underrecognized, the role of stigma in delaying diagnoses, and the importance of creating community connections. Above all, she shares words of hope, encouraging families to find gratitude each day and reminding them that progress, though sometimes slow, is real and ongoing.----Gabriella True is a dedicated advocate, educator, and community leader supporting families impacted by PANS/PANDAS. As a mother of children affected by these complex disorders, she turned her personal journey into a mission to raise awareness, expand resources, and empower caregivers worldwide.She serves as the President of ASPIRE (Alliance to Solve PANS and Immune-Related Encephalopathies), where she leads initiatives to advance education, promote research, and connect families with vital support. Gabriella also collaborates with clinicians, researchers, and policymakers to ensure that patients and families receive the recognition, care, and compassion they deserve.----Website: https://aspire.care/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabriella-true-581a9a9/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aspirepans/----Website: https://www.drohara.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/drnancyohara/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nhoharamd/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancy-o-hara-md-mph-faap-390781258/----PODCASTThank you for listening. Please subscribe and share.This podcast is produced by DrTalks.com https://drtalks.com/podcast-service/

24 snips
Aug 20, 2025 • 46min
Healing Kids Starts With Healing Parents Too
Dr. Emily Gutierrez, a pediatric functional medicine practitioner and founder of Neuronutrition Associates, explores the profound impact of caregiver health on children's recovery. She discusses how parental stress and anxiety can hinder healing and emphasizes the importance of nurturing parents too. Dr. Gutierrez highlights integrative approaches, including anti-inflammatory diets and personalized genomic assessments, while addressing environmental toxins as crucial factors. The conversation wraps up with insights on fostering resilience in children and a hopeful mindset for families.

Aug 13, 2025 • 45min
When Therapy Fails and Antibiotics Heal: A Mother’s Discovery
When schools mislabel and systems misdiagnose, families are left to pick up the pieces. In this episode of Demystifying PANS/PANDAS, Sheilah Gauch shares her powerful personal and professional journey navigating PANS/PANDAS as a parent, clinical social worker, and school leader. She discusses the urgent need for integrative mental and medical approaches, systemic reform in education and diagnosis, and the overlooked trauma caregivers face.----In this episode of Demystifying PANS/PANDAS, Sheilah Gauch joins us to share her journey as a mother of two children diagnosed with PANS/PANDAS and as the clinical director of Dearborn Academy. Sheilah recounts the early misdiagnoses, the heartbreak of watching her children spiral, and the breakthrough that came when someone mentioned PANS/PANDAS. After seeing dramatic improvements with medical treatment, she began questioning the lack of awareness and integration between mental health and immune-driven illness in educational and therapeutic environments.Sheilah also dives into the neuroscience of anxiety, trauma, and caregiver stress, revealing how chronic caregiving trauma can distort decision-making and cause long-term harm if left unrecognized. She offers empowering insight into why mental health stigma persists, how professionals and families can improve differential diagnoses, and how therapeutic schools are pioneering trauma-informed, neuroscience-driven education. Her work in legislation and nonprofit advocacy is helping create systemic change, aiming to ensure no more families fall through the cracks.----Sheilah Gauch is a licensed independent clinical social worker, educator, and the Principal and Clinical Director of Dearborn Academy, a therapeutic day school for students with complex social, emotional, and learning needs. As a mother of two children diagnosed with PANS/PANDAS, she transformed her journey into professional advocacy, pushing for systemic change in schools, mental health care, and state policy.Sheilah co-founded the Massachusetts Coalition for PANS/PANDAS legislation, securing insurance coverage and establishing a permanent Department of Public Health Advisory Council. She also serves on the boards of the Alex Manfull Fund and the LOOK Foundation, working to expand research and caregiver support. Through her Psychology Today blog, The Whole Child, she bridges science, trauma-informed care, and lived experience to help families and professionals better understand immune-mediated psychiatric illness.----Website: https://dearbornacademy.org/----Website: https://www.drohara.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/drnancyohara/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nhoharamd/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancy-o-hara-md-mph-faap-390781258/----PODCASTThank you for listening. Please subscribe and share.This podcast is produced by DrTalks.com https://drtalks.com/podcast-service/

Aug 6, 2025 • 53min
Lyme, Loss, and the Diagnostic Failure That Changed Everything
The symptoms looked psychiatric. The cause was infectious. The consequences were irreversible. In this episode of Demystifying PANS/PANDAS, Nicole Bell shares her journey of losing her husband to a misdiagnosed tick-borne illness mistaken for early-onset Alzheimer’s. She reveals the systemic flaws in diagnostic testing, the overlooked connection between infections and psychiatric symptoms, and how she’s now leading efforts to revolutionize tick-borne disease detection.----In this episode of Demystifying PANS/PANDAS, Nicole Bell recounts the heartbreaking story of her husband’s decline from undiagnosed tick-borne infections that presented as psychiatric symptoms and were misdiagnosed as early-onset Alzheimer’s. Despite seeking answers through mainstream and integrative medicine, repeated false negatives and incomplete diagnostic tools left her without a clear path—until she uncovered the real root: chronic infections like Lyme, Bartonella, and Babesia. Nicole reflects on how this experience revealed systemic flaws in medicine, where symptom management too often replaces root-cause discovery, and how she turned her grief into advocacy by joining Galaxy Diagnostics.Nicole explains how they are now developing direct detection tools that go beyond traditional antibody tests—which often fail due to immune suppression. She breaks down how technologies like digital polymerase chain reaction and urine antigen testing are helping uncover stealth pathogens earlier and more accurately. We also discuss the emotional toll on caregivers, the power of community, and the importance of journaling and organizing information when navigating medical chaos. Nicole’s message is clear: demand better, trust your instincts, and never stop searching for the truth when it comes to complex, chronic illness.----Nicole Bell is an author, engineer, and CEO of Galaxy Diagnostics, a laboratory advancing diagnostic tools for tick-borne illnesses. After losing her husband to a tragic misdiagnosis, she turned her personal loss into purpose. Through her memoir What Lurks in the Woods, she brings awareness to the devastating consequences of undiagnosed infections, and as a leader in biotech, she’s pioneering innovative direct detection methods to uncover the root causes of chronic illness.With degrees from MIT and Duke, she combines her background in engineering and biomedical innovation with her mission to revolutionize the standard of care in tick-borne disease. She is a passionate advocate for better diagnostics, systemic change in healthcare, and the power of caregivers to demand answers and drive solutions.----Website: https://www.galaxydx.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicoledaniellebell/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nicoledaniellebell/----Website: https://www.drohara.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/drnancyohara/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nhoharamd/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancy-o-hara-md-mph-faap-390781258/----PODCASTThank you for listening. Please subscribe and share.This podcast is produced by DrTalks.com https://drtalks.com/podcast-service/

Jul 30, 2025 • 54min
Hidden Infections: The Overlooked Causes of Sudden Tics and Anxiety
Hidden infections, sudden behavior changes—here’s what parents need to know now. In this episode of Demystifying PANS/PANDAS, Dr. Denis Bouboulis joins us to uncover how infections like Lyme and strep can trigger autoimmune encephalitis and PANS/PANDAS in children. He explains the stepwise approach to diagnosing hidden infections, rebalancing the immune system, and why intravenous immunoglobulin must be used wisely for true healing.----In this episode of Demystifying PANS/PANDAS, Dr. Denis Bouboulis joins us to share his decades of expertise treating children with autoimmune encephalitis and PANS/PANDAS. Dr. Bliss explains how seemingly unrelated infections can derail a child’s immune system, triggering a cascade of neuropsychiatric symptoms that are often overlooked by conventional medicine.He breaks down the power and limitations of treatments like intravenous immunoglobulin, stressing the importance of addressing underlying infections first, rebalancing the immune system, and monitoring each step. Dr. Bliss also reveals how environmental factors, including family carriers, pets, and allergies, can cause flares. His holistic, methodical approach offers real hope for families desperate to help their kids heal without skipping steps that could make things worse down the line.----Dr. Denis Bouboulis is a board-certified immunologist and allergist with over a decade of experience diagnosing and treating complex conditions like autoimmune encephalitis, tick-borne infections, PANS, and PANDAS. An early pioneer in the field, he has helped countless children and families uncover the hidden infections and immune dysfunctions that conventional medicine often misdiagnoses or overlooks.As founder and director of the Advanced Allergy Immunology and Asthma Center and Superior Associates Infusion Center, Dr. Bouboulis specializes in neuroimmunology and immune modulation therapies, including intravenous immunoglobulin. Known for his detective-level medical approach and compassionate care, he’s committed to educating families and clinicians on the crucial steps needed to help kids heal, while raising awareness about this often misunderstood autoimmune disease.----Website: https://www.advanced-allergy.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-denis-bouboulis/----Website: https://www.drohara.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/drnancyohara/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nhoharamd/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancy-o-hara-md-mph-faap-390781258/----PODCASTThank you for listening. Please subscribe and share.This podcast is produced by DrTalks.com https://drtalks.com/podcast-service/