Remarkably, Stella began working with 9-year-old Dana’s
family only two months ago, but she has already made some phenomenal
progress. By identifying and focusing on adrenal health, detoxification pathways, mould toxicity
and extreme sensitivity to gluten, Stella developed a targeted
protocol to support Dana’s transformation from a highly anxious
child with a raft of distressing neurological symptoms associated with
her PANS diagnosis to a happier, calmer, more sociable young girl who
is well on the road to much better health.
Tell me a bit about your patient and the symptoms they first came to you with
Dana is a 9-year-old girl who lives in Northern Ireland. She had been diagnosed with the autoimmune condition PANS and
her symptoms included anxiety, separation anxiety, pathological demand
avoidance (PDA)-like behaviours, sensory issues, obsessive-compulsive
disorder (OCD), executive dysfunction, and difficulty interacting with
peers. Her symptoms began after a Coved infection in December 2021,
closely followed by a suspected streptococcal infection in January 2022.
In addition to PANS, Dana has a provisional diagnosis of Developmental
Coordination Disorder (DCD/dyspraxia). She is also intolerant to gluten,
which triggers hyperactivity and constipation. She has been on a
gluten-free diet from a young age.
How were her symptoms impacting Dana’s life?
Dana is unable to attend school and requires support from
medical professionals. Her symptoms have affected her sleep, and she was
unable to sleep without her Mum. Although antibiotics had helped with her OCD, she was left with a raft of symptoms which significantly impacted
her daily life and well-being. Dana’s family found it hard to maintain a
social life or a happy home life as so many things triggered Dana’s
anxiety.
What were your initial steps in helping Dana?
Often, children who have been unwell for a long time have
extreme adrenal depletion as a result of being in a chronically stressed
‘fight or flight’ state for a prolonged period. The first thing we need to do is support adrenal function so that the nervous system can calm down and children can become more receptive to other work we need to do. We decided to try a variety of adrenal support products
for Dana, one of which was Adrenal Cortex (an adrenal glandular
supplement), which is often an excellent choice for children with Dana’s
presentation. There is almost always a degree of systemic and
neuro-inflammation in children with PANS, so I also added in a form of
magnesium that crosses the blood-brain barrier. I then added in some
essential minerals, as well as supplements to support liver function. We
allowed a week between adding each new supplement. We always work in
this way as it allows us to track progress and gauge the impacts of
individual interventions much more effectively.
What lab tests did you do? What did the tests reveal, and how did that shape your therapeutic approach?
Dana had already undergone a host of tests before starting
with Brainstorm Health. But something that came up during our initial
consultation really jumped out at me. The family had holidayed regularly
in caravans from when Dana was very young. Caravans can harbour mould, and I wanted to explore further to see if this was part of the picture
for Dana.
The test results did indeed show significant mould
toxicity, and we are currently dealing with that in a very targeted way.
I also recommended that Dana test for the presence of peptides
(breakdown products) of casein and gluten in the urine. This is an
extremely sensitive test, and even though Dana was following a
gluten-free diet, we did detect some gluten peptides in the urine. Dana
is highly sensitive to gluten, so we are working on identifying and
strictly eliminating those hidden sources of gluten in her diet.
How long did it take before seeing positive changes to Dana’s symptoms?
The changes in Dana have been phenomenal, especially given
she had been so unwell for over two years. Dana’s Mum estimates that she has recovered by 80-90% in just two months. From the moment we
started to support her adrenal function, Dana has been much happier,
much more open and socially engaged, and she now wants to go out to eat.
Her separation anxiety is much reduced, and recently, her Mum managed a
four-day trip away, which would have been impossible previously.
What has been the biggest ‘breakthrough’ moment on Dana’s journey?
Everything we have done so far has yielded some benefit, but
I am almost certain that the adrenal support was the game changer for
her. It is such a simple strategy yet so often overlooked in protocols.
How is Dana doing now? What will you focus on next if you continue working together?
Although Dana is doing exceptionally well, she is only two
months into her health plan, and she is not back in school yet. That is
our goal now. We are going to continue to work on mould detox and make
sure that gluten does not find its way into Dana’s diet in any shape or
form because she is so highly sensitive. We are also going to introduce Microimmunotherapy to support the regulation of Dana’s immune system.
Always consult a qualified practitioner before introducing new supplements. Book your free discovery call today to discuss how we can help your child achieve optimal health.
Please note that we do not diagnose or treat illnesses
at Brainstorm Health, but we can help you advocate for the right medical
diagnosis from qualified doctors if necessary.
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