Join Us in Defeating PANS and PANDAS
Learn about the groundbreaking therapies and resources that are bringing hope and healing to families with PANS/PANDAS
What is PANS/PANDAS?
In the early 1990s, a group of researchers at the National Institute of Mental Health began collecting data on children who had developed neuropsychiatric disorders (OCD and tics) following infections. They found evidence in some of these children that antineuronal antibodies were attacking a specific region of the brain, and MRI and PET scans showed inflammatory changes in the same area. In 1997, these researchers published the first article about a syndrome they named PANDAS (Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorder Associated with Strep infections).
PANS/PANDAS are inflammatory conditions where the patient’s immune system attacks the basal ganglia. The basal ganglia is an area of the brain that helps regulate voluntary movement, learning, emotions, and routine behaviors or habits. As a result, the inflammation associated with PANS/PANDAS typically leads to sudden onset OCD and other mental health symptoms, causing drastic changes in attitudes and abilities almost overnight.
Previously energetic and outgoing children may become terrified, angry, and withdrawn, unable to connect with others or understand schoolwork. Adults who develop symptoms may suddenly feel overwhelmed and enraged, frightened of the world around them and driven to change their habits without understanding why.
PANS/PANDAS typically affects children between 3 years old and puberty, and boys are twice as likely as girls to develop PANDAS. However, PANS or PANDAS may start after the teen years, in which case the disorder is referred to as autoimmune encephalitis.
Facing PANS/PANDAS can be a terrifying, isolating experience for both the patient and their community. PANS/PANDAS also offer a particular challenge to physicians attempting to diagnose and treat these complex disorders.
Causes of PANS/PANDAS
PANDAS (Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infections) happens when a Group A Strep infection causes an autoimmune response. PANS (Pediatric Acute-Onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome) is essentially the same autoimmune disorder, but the onset of symptoms occurs in the absence of Streptococcus bacteria.
There is less known about what causes a child to develop PANS, but recognized triggers include:
Chickenpox
Mycoplasma
Lyme disease
Epstein-Barr virus
H1N1 flu virus
Bartonella bacterial infection
Toxin exposures, especially mold
Stress
We have seen patients develop the disorder after events as varied as a stay in a damp beach vacation rental to a bad case of mono or an unexpected loss.
PANS/PANDAS Symptoms
1) Food restrictions: Refusing to eat or eating much less, even foods that used to be favorites
2) Extreme anxiety or aggression: Unusually rebellious or defiant behavior, violent episodes, or extreme fears or phobias
3) Behavioral or learning regression: Disorganization, the loss of skills or mastery that were once routine
4) Sensory abnormalities: Hearing voices or seeing things that no one else hears or sees, changes in sensitivity to sounds, tastes, or textures
5) Somatic symptoms such as night terrors or bedwetting: Trouble sleeping, terrible nightmares, or the loss of bladder control
6) Tics or other involuntary movements: Repeated and uncontrollable twitches, blinking, throat clearing, or other movements or sounds
7) Symptoms of obsessive compulsive disorder: Intense, unwanted repetitive thoughts or behaviors, such as excessive hand washing, touching objects, or asking the same questions repeatedly without regard for the answer
Signs of PANS/PANDAS often occur suddenly, with large-scale physician and parental surveys showing that 88% of cases ramp up within 3 days. The most common symptoms include:
Until recently, very little was known about PANS/PANDAS. Doctors often mistook the symptoms for mental illness, or even attributed the multitude of behavioral symptoms to poor discipline at home. This is not the case!
We know now that PANS and PANDAS are evidence-based clinical diagnoses and far more prevalent than first thought. In fact, some adults with OCD and anxiety represent missed cases of PANS/PANDAS during childhood.
A Note from Dr. Scott Antoine:
I had been an attending physician and the head of nationally recognized Emergency Departments for 15 years when our daughter developed PANDAS.
Our bubbly, athletic 12-year-old was suddenly lost to us over a matter of days. She could no longer bear to sleep or eat, and she spent hours every day washing her hands until they were raw. She cycled through bouts of crippling anxiety and shocking rage, targeting us and her four brothers as if we were strangers. At the height of her illness, she kicked our locked bedroom door off its hinges – all 65 pounds of her. It was like our daughter was gone.
My physician wife and I struggled for months to understand what was happening to our child. More than that, we fought to find a doctor who would look for a physical cause or offer a diagnosis.
We were told to medicate her and put her in a psychiatric facility. Not a chance. Even after a physician colleague conclusively diagnosed her with PANDAS, we were told repeatedly by her care team at home that PANS/PANDAS wasn’t real.
It was only because we were doctors ourselves that we were able to find help, or convince our insurance company to provide desperately needed therapies that are routinely denied out of hand.
As our daughter came back to us, I realized I had found my purpose: to understand the causes of PANS and PANDAS and develop an integrative, science-based approach to treating them.
I came to the situation with plenty of medical qualifications, including being triple board certified in Emergency Medicine, Integrative Holistic Medicine, and Metabolic, Nutritional and Functional Medicine. I am also an Army veteran who served as Ambulance Service Medical Director and Chief of the Emergency Departments for both Fort Gordon and Fort Knox.
But it is my experience as a scared dad – feeling helpless and exhausted as our daughter seemed to slip from our grasp – that motivated me to develop a comprehensive PANS/PANDAS treatment program for the patients we see at The Center for Fully Functional Health. A decade later, I have now written the first PANS/PANDAS medical text for physicians and created a PANS/PANDAS course for parents.
My wife and I understand firsthand how scary it is to face PANS/PANDAS, and our practice is dedicated to ensuring no family ever has to endure what ours went through.
Whether you are a parent fighting for your child or a healthcare provider searching for solutions, please don’t give up. We see you, and there are answers.
The Comprehensive Physicians’ Guide to the Management of PANS/PANDAS
Equipping Clinicians with Extensive Research and Proven Evidence-Based Protocols for Patients with PANS and PANDAS
After more than a decade of research and work with patients, Dr. Scott Antoine authored the first and only medical textbook dedicated entirely to the diagnosis, testing, and effective treatment of PANS/PANDAS.
Disturbing symptoms consistent with many DSM-5 psychiatric disorders manifest in patients with PANS and PANDAS – yet there is a documented biologic basis for the changes in these children. As a result, these disorders require physicians to view mental illness in an entirely new way.
Resistance to this change in paradigm has made PANS and PANDAS controversial for scholars to accept, difficult for clinicians to diagnose, and unbearable for parents to endure. As such, there is no recognized standard of care. Dr. Scott has written this work in an effort to change that.
PANS and PANDAS are complex disorders that demand a rich, multifaceted response with novel treatment approaches. This is a textbook by physicians for physicians, written to bring back some of the art of medicine to caring for a group of children and families who really need it.
The Comprehensive Physicians’ Guide to the Management of PANS/PANDAS includes extensive peer-reviewed medical literature, in combination with the results of over thirty years of clinical experience caring for the sickest patients, both in and out of the hospital.
Conclusive evidence for the existence and pathophysiology of PANS and PANDAS
Proven testing and treatment interventions
Commonly used labs, doses of medications, and supplements
A sample flare protocol
Extensive support for parents
Sample IVIG orders and more
In this text, you will find:
Dr. Scott’s goal is to offer a resource that allows you, the physician, to help these suffering families heal.
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“This textbook establishes what will be recognized as the standard of care for patients with PANS and PANDAS from this point forward.
It is well-referenced and evidence-based, while maintaining some of the art of medicine by addressing biochemical individuality and recognizing the impact these disorders have on family systems. This book should be required reading for any healthcare provider caring for children with post-infectious neuropsychiatric disorders also known as PANS and PANDAS.”
~ Terry Wahls, MD, IFMCP, author of The Wahls Protocol: a Radical New Way to Treat All Chronic Autoimmune Conditions
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"This resource guide needs to be in the hands of every physician, medical provider, and mental health professional across the globe.
If you're treating children and teens, you need accurate, well-written information from a highly trained expert, and that is what Dr. Scott Antoine has done with this text."
~ Dr. Roseann Capanna-Hodge, EdD, LPC, BCN, LLC, integrative and children's mental health expert and founder of The Global Institute of Children’s Mental Health
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“Dr. Scott Antoine delivers a much needed resource for clinicians treating children with complex chronic disease.
PANS and PANDAS are complex and multifaceted medical conditions which require an integrated, root-cause approach. For the novice or the expert, Dr. Antoine provides a well-referenced and rich text to guide the latest testing and treatments in these complex cases, leading us to success in reversing or mitigating the otherwise tragic effects of the pathology.”
~ Jill Carnahan, MD, ABIHM, ABoIH, IFMCP, best-selling author of Unexpected: Finding Resilience Through Functional Medicine, Science and Faith
Defeating PANS & PANDAS: The Online Course
Empowering Families Facing PANS and PANDAS with Knowledge, Tools, and Strategies for Healing
In addition to writing the physician’s guide to PANS/PANDAS treatment, Dr. Scott and his wife, Dr. Ellen Antoine, also created a comprehensive online course for families facing these challenging disorders. The content in Defeating PANS/PANDAS was guided by one question:
What do we wish we had known as parents of a child with PANS/PANDAS?
The answers are contained in 14 lessons, each with its own videos, guides, and hands-on help. You’ll find out which questions to ask, tests to request, and concrete steps you can take at home to help your child.
And because the Antoines know what it’s like to be on this journey, the Defeating PANS/PANDAS course included thoughtful written resources, designed to break down answers into bite-size pieces you can understand without adding to your overwhelm.
Every lesson comes with a video, as well as a transcript so you can easily read or take notes later.
All course documents are ready for use with your child’s school, extended family, or pediatrician, and course topics include:
Module 1: Confirming PANS or PANDAS
Learn more about the signs and symptoms of PANS/PANDAS and what testing to request. You’ll have evidence ready to hand to your child’s teacher or pediatrician, proving PANS/PANDAS is a documented clinical diagnosis with science-based treatment available.
Shareable Printables & Hands-On Resources:
Signs & Symptoms of PANS/PANDAS (for you and friends and family)
Parent Resources for Your Child’s School (for you and your child’s school)
Testing in PANS/PANDAS (for you and your child’s doctor)
Why Some Doctors Think PANS/PANDAS Isn’t Real (for you and your child’s doctor)
PANS/PANDAS Lab Orders (for your child’s doctor)
Information for Physicians on the Evidence for PANS/PANDAS (for your child’s doctor)
Module 2: PANS & PANDAS Treatment Protocols
Shareable Printables & Hands-On Resources:
Kids Roadmap: Lifestyle Tips to Soothe & Heal (for you and your child)
Kids Diet Guide: Kid-Friendly Anti-Inflammatory Recipes & Menus (for you and your child)
PANS/PANDAS 5-Day Journal (for you and your child)
How to Battle OCD Obsessions (for you and your child)
Detox with Dry Brushing: Picture Instructions (for you and your child)
Fully Functional PANS/PANDAS Protocol (for you and your child’s doctor)
What to Expect from IVIG for PANDAS (for you and your child’s doctor)
Understand the science of PANS/PANDAS: why it happens, what’s going on in your child’s body, and the therapies and interventions most likely to help.
In a series of helpful videos, the Antoines explain the relationship between infection, toxins, and stress, as well as the roles of inflammation and detoxification. Information is provided in a straightforward way, so you don’t have to be a doctor to understand it, and assets include the guides and resources provided to PANS/PANDAS patients seen in the practice.
Module 3: Parenting a Child with PANS/PANDAS
Parenting a child with PANS/PANDAS can be tiring and overwhelming on the best of days, and having the right support is key. Get helpful strategies about how to ask for help and how to prioritize self-care, even when your child seems to need every ounce of your time and energy.
Shareable Printables & Hands-On Resources:
Loneliness as a PANS/PANDAS Parent (for you and friends and family)
Self-Care for Caregivers (for you and friends and family)
In addition to all of these life-changing tools, you’ll also get bonus guides from other child health specialists and find out more about NLP and how to use it with a child who has PANS/PANDAS.
If traveling to The Center for Fully Functional Health in Carmel, Indiana, isn’t an option for your family, then Defeating PANS & PANDAS is the most practical, affordable way to access the knowledge and tools Dr.Scott offers his patients.
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“Our son had struggled with PANDAS for a few years with minimal improvement under another doctor’s care. As soon as we switched to Dr. Scott, we knew we were in good hands. Our son had debilitating anxiety and rage, sensory seeking behavior, and a facial tic and a tic that kept him from using his hands. Today, he is back to his normal self. He is able to enjoy life, he is willing to try new things, and is genuinely happy.
When anyone asks about how we treated PANDAS, I immediately recommend that they go to Dr. Scott for an evaluation and possible treatment. His testing was thorough, and his recommended treatment worked beautifully for our son. He was truly life changing for our family, and we will forever be grateful for Dr. Scott.”~Jen G.
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“Dr. Scott Antoine is a miracle worker! My son was suffering with PANS/PANDAS. We were at a loss finding help in Utah, so we flew to Indiana. He was having issues with arthritis, breathing, stomach pain, severe anxiety, panic attacks, tics and so much more! We were able to find the real underlying infection and are now treating my son. He is so much happier and improving week by week. We are two months into our journey and so grateful everyday! Dr. Antoine has changed my son's life!!!!! ❤️”
~ Jessica W.
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“After my daughter was diagnosed with PANS/PANDAS, we felt helpless. We had a hard time finding a doctor that had the knowledge and experience to treat this illness. Then we saw Dr. Scott Antoine. He offers an empathetic approach, is an active listener, takes his time, is resourceful, is encouraging, and is willing to meet my daughter where she is by being creative with her treatment plan. I have such relief that I no longer have to manage her illness on my own and that we have a team that is partnering WITH us in our journey to heal my daughter's health and return her to her life. We now have a hope that was lost before.”
~ Sarah S.
About The Center for Fully Functional Health
Without your health, nothing else matters.
The Center for Fully Functional Health was founded in 2011 by husband-wife duo Dr. Ellen and Dr. Scott Antoine in Carmel, Indiana. The mission of CFFH is to identify and treat the causes of chronic illness, so that patients can reclaim their energy and wellbeing. Treatment plans are personalized to each patient’s individual history, lifestyle, and needs in order to help them become Fully Functional: their most healthy, productive, and joyful.
The award-winning practitioners at CFFH take a whole-human approach to healing that recognizes the body is a series of connections woven together and designed to be interdependent. No one system in the body exists in a vacuum, whether it is biochemical, structural, mental, or spiritual.
That means nurturing every patient holistically with proven, science-based therapies that improve energy, appearance, and vitality. Every aspect of the practice is designed to bring patients comfort, with the knowledge and support needed to truly transform their lives.
The Center for Fully Functional Health services include:
Functional & Integrative Medicine Appointments
Direct Primary Care
Hormone Replacement & Pellets
Personalized TMS
Lymphatic Drainage
Full Spectrum Sauna
IV Therapy
Red Light Therapy with PEMF
Facials & HydraFacial
Laser Therapy
Injectables
You don’t have to combat chronic illness or optimize your health on your own. The CFFH team understands how discouraging and draining it is to face chronic illness or debilitating symptoms by yourself, searching for answers while you or your loved ones suffer. They devote their laser-like focus and decades of experience to empowering you with the clarity, support, and tools you need to become Fully Functional for life.
