Episode 65: Homeopathic Treatment of PANDAS and PANS with Dr. Jennifer Bahr

https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-mi3id-1025e69

On this week’s episode, I have the opportunity to interview Dr. Jennifer Bahr of Resilience Naturopathic on homeopathic treatments for PANDAS (Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated With Streptococcal Infections) and PANS (Pediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome). We talk about how homeopathy works, what the treatment entails, how it differs from conventional medicine in treating PANDAS/PANS and what the long-term effects of treatment are. You will not want to miss this conversation! Check out Dr. Bahr on Facebook and her Homeopathy for PANDAS and PANS Facebook Group as well.

#autoimmunedisease #neurodiversity #autoimmuneencephalitis

#parenting #parentingtips

#panspandas #pandaspans #OCD #anxiety #TICs #childrensmentalhealth #middlegrade

 

As always, this podcast is based on experiences and should not be construed as medical or professional advice. Please speak with a medical professional.

My new middle-grade fiction novel Pendulum by S.E. German is available on FriesenPress, Barnes and Noble, Amazon Worldwide (Amazon.com,  Amazon.ca) and more!

The novel follows a young boy whose personality and behaviour changes overnight from happy, funny, energetic and silly to anxious, obsessive, emotional, angry and depressed. After visiting over 20 doctors, getting seven misdiagnoses and his mental health declining further, the boy is finally diagnosed with a little-known and understood disorder without a cure called Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorder Associated with Streptococcal Infections (PANDAS). The heartwarming story follows the boy as he enters middle grade with regular school and peer challenges, moving for a healthy lifestyle and continues to cope with mental health issues like anxiety, OCD and depression. 

Check out the Real Life Project Co. webpage to sign up for the email list and receive a free Self-Care Calendar !

Please subscribe, review & share the Podcast!

Follow me on IG: @saraladygluten and visit the Learning to Slay the Beasts

Page: Real Life Project Co.

Blog: www.theallergybeast.wordpress.com

 

Episode 62: Raising Strong, Confident Daughters with Anasha Khan

https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-me7sn-1006d63

This week I had the pleasure to speak with Anasha Khan, Certified Life Coach and Blogger at anashakhan.com about raising strong, confident children. She gives tips on using mantras daily with our children to increase their confidence. We also talked about the importance of self care, techniques like EFT Tapping and NLP and how she transitioned from a brick and mortar business to coaching amidst the COVID 19 pandemic. You will not want to miss our conversation!

As always, this podcast is based on experiences and should not be construed as medical or professional advice. Please speak with a medical professional.

My new middle-grade fiction novel Pendulum by S.E. German is available on FriesenPress, Barnes and Noble, Amazon Worldwide (Amazon.com,  Amazon.ca) and more!

The novel follows a young boy whose personality and behaviour changes overnight from happy, funny, energetic and silly to anxious, obsessive, emotional, angry and depressed. After visiting over 20 doctors, getting seven misdiagnoses and his mental health declining further, the boy is finally diagnosed with a little-known and understood disorder without a cure called Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorder Associated with Streptococcal Infections (PANDAS). The heartwarming story follows the boy as he becomes a middle-schooler with regular school and peer challenges and continues to cope with mental health issues like anxiety, OCD and depression.

Check out the Real Life Project Co. webpage to sign up for the email list and receive a free Self-Care Calendar!

Please subscribe, review & share the Podcast!

Follow me on IG: @saraladygluten and visit the Learning to Slay the Beasts

Page: Real Life Project Co.

Blog: www.theallergybeast.wordpress.com

Episode 54: Self Love Meditation

https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-vu4qy-fab1f4

In this episode we switch from loving others on Valentine’s Day to some self love, as we walk through a 10-minute Self Love and Acceptance Meditation.

I also mention the publication of my new middle-grade novel, Pendulum by S.E. German, which is available on FriesenPress, Amazon.com and Amazon.ca. The novel follows a young boy as he changes overnight from happy and silly to angry and anxious. We learn that he has developed a neuroimmune disorder called PANDAS (Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorder Associated with Streptococcal Infection). We hear the boy’s perspective through his diagnosis, treatment and throughout regular middle-grade experiences.

Lastly, if you are interested in taking Self-Care to the next level, check out the Real Life Project Co. webpage to sign up for the email list and receive a free Self-Care Calendar!

As always, this podcast is based on experiences and should not be construed as medical or professional advice. Please speak with a medical professional.

Please subscribe, review & share the Podcast!

Follow me on IG: @saraladygluten and visit the Learning to Slay the Beasts

Page: Real Life Project Co.

Blog: www.theallergybeast.wordpress.com

Episode 52: A Parent’s Perspective on PANDAS/PANS

https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-mh8qu-f937ae

In this episode, I speak with Marnie (IG: @marniedeschenes and FB: Marnie Deschenes) and Richard Deschenes on their family’s experience with PANDAS (Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorder Associated with Streptococcal Infections). They also speak about their recent efforts to help the PANDAS/PANS community through establishing the “Inflamed Brain Alliance”.

As always, this podcast is based on experiences and should not be construed as medical or professional advice. Please speak with a medical professional.

As a parent, it can be a challenge when you don’t feel well. But when your child is struggling, it turns your whole world upside-down. If your child has multiple symptoms that are seemingly unrelated or easily mistaken for other issues, it can be hard to find answers. If you’ve noticed sudden and worrying behavior changes (like anxiety, OCD, tics, regression), this quiz designed by Drs. Ellen and Scott Antoine, which I interviewed on Episode 50 of the Learning to Slay the Beasts Podcast, may have some answers for you.

Take the quiz here: https://bit.ly/2QmpFac Feel free to send this link to anyone that you know that may benefit from the quiz. It is absolutely free.

My new middle-grade fiction novel Pendulum by S.E. German is available on FriesenPress, Barnes and Noble, Amazon Worldwide (Amazon.com,  Amazon.ca) and more!

The novel follows a young boy whose personality and behaviour changes overnight from happy, funny, energetic and silly to anxious, obsessive, emotional, angry and depressed. After visiting over 20 doctors, getting seven misdiagnoses and his mental health declining further, the boy is finally diagnosed with a little-known and understood disorder without a cure called Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorder Associated with Streptococcal Infections (PANDAS). The heartwarming story follows the boy as he becomes a middle-schooler with regular school and peer challenges and continues to cope with mental health issues like anxiety, OCD and depression.

Follow me on IG: @saraladygluten and visit the Learning to Slay the Beasts Blog: www.theallergybeast.wordpress.com

Gluten Free 4 Kids

My most recent episode of the Learning to Slay the Beasts Podcast focused on my account of transitioning my son to gluten free eating. I worked with a health professional in making the decision, but unfortunately, they weren’t able to be by my side to implement it everyday and many of the recipes they gave were aimed at the taste buds of adults.

Some things that worked well for me:

– focussing on foods he already loved that are naturally gluten free;

– buying a bento box for lunches (moves away from the classic sandwich with the weird small bread!);

– finding fast food (pizza, Subway) and treats (Kinnikinnick and Enjoy Life) that are gluten free;

– baking, cooking, experimenting;

– taking on the new diet when the parent has time to give, not when you are already maxed out!;

– being a gluten free role model for your child.

Let me know what worked for you below and listen to Episode 20 of the Learning to Slay the Beasts Podcast!

PANDAS and PANS

There is a relatively little known disorder that has effectively become the bane of my existence.

As I have outlined on the blog, my daughter has food allergies and more recently, she has developed asthma, which I understand tend to coexist. I hate this for her. I am terrified of potential reactions. I feel her frustration in having to take epipens everywhere, and now inhalers, and truthfully, it’s tough for mom to remember them as well!

But, there is a clear path for managing allergies. There are tests that can prove that they exist. There is medication available for doctors to prescribe. There are resources on how to best avoid the foods and handling difficult situations and reactions. There are support groups for those that have food allergies. There are teal pumpkins at Halloween and nut-free schools. There are laws that require foods to be properly labelled.

Yes, much more can be done, including a cure, and there is no doubt in my mind that all of this infrastructure took tons of effort by those families affected by food allergies.

But then there’s my son. He has a disorder called PANDAS. And there is nothing. There is virtually no help available for him, his family, his teachers, even his doctors. There are bits of information becoming available but it has been so slow while he continues to struggle with the disorder. Don’t get me wrong, every bit of progress is something, but the struggle to help him is real. The fact that a disorder has to be normalized and publicized in order for help to be provided is frustrating. Do I need a celebrity to promote PANDAS in order for it to be taken seriously?

PANDAS is a neuroimmune disorder, Pediatric Automimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorder Associated with Streptococcus. The brain becomes inflamed as the body produces antibodies that it believes are needed to fight a nonexistent Strep virus. It manifests itself through tics, OCD, anxiety and other symptoms. The response is essentially a mix of behavioural and autoimmune issues.

This disorder is virtually unknown beyond those of us that have children with it. That leads to quizzical looks from teachers and doctors alike. It means no funding, no resources and no clear path forward to a cure, or even treatment.

It leads to second guessing your parenting constantly as the rollercoaster ride continues for your child. It leads to frustration with the medical system as the uncertainty of the health profile of your child continues. It leads to a waste of time, effort and money as one constantly tries to find treatment that all seem to be dead ends or snake oil. It leads to ongoing heartache, stress and pain.

PANDAS is real, as are the feelings that the child and family experience, and they need to be taken seriously. I want to be part of the solution but that is challenging while also being weighed down by the disorder.

#PANDAS #PANS #neuroimmune