Transcript:


One day your child is themselves. They’re laughing, playing, arguing with their siblings, asking for snacks, being who they have always been. And then something shifts. It can feel like it happens overnight. Suddenly there is fear where there wasn’t fear before. Anxiety that doesn't make sense. Obsessive thoughts. Out of nowhere rituals and OCD like behaviors. Maybe tics. Rage that feels completely out of character. Sleep goes to heck. Separation becomes unbearable. And you’re left standing there wondering what just happened to my child.

I want to start by sharing a story with you.

A mama wrote to me after months of not sleeping and said, “I feel like I am grieving my child while they are still standing in front of me.” She told me her 12 year old daughter woke up one morning and refused to eat because she was convinced her food was poisoned. She developed intrusive thoughts that she couldn’t control. She began washing her hands until they were raw. She couldn’t fall asleep without repeating the same phrase over and over. She was terrified to be alone. And this was a child who, just before, was steady and social and completely herself.

At first they thought maybe it was stress. Maybe middle school. Maybe hormones. They tried to stay calm. They tried to reassure her. But the behaviors intensified. The anxiety became unbearable. The rigidity took over their home. 

Doctors told her it was anxiety. Maybe OCD. Maybe behavioral. Maybe stress. Therapy was recommended. Anti anxiety medication was discussed. And because there had been a recent illness in the house, antibiotics were prescribed as well, just in case something deeper was driving the shift.

For a few weeks after starting the antibiotics, things softened. The edge came down. The intrusive thoughts were quieter. They could breathe again. And then a mild cold came through the house and everything came roaring back, louder than before.

If you are listening to this and your chest feels tight because this is your story, I need you to hear me. You are not imagining this. Your child did not just decide to become someone else. And you are not dramatic for knowing something deeper is going on. I don’t care how many specialists you have gone to, how many times you have been told it’s just anxiety, just OCD, just behavior, or just a phase. When a child shifts like this, it is our responsibility as mothers to look for answers and I am so proud of you for being here. 

Maybe you have heard of PANS and PANDAS. Maybe you have been deep in research for months. Or maybe this is the first time you are hearing those words. PANS stands for Pediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome, and PANDAS stands for Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal infections. They are immune responses associated with strep bacteria, but not only the kind found in strep throat.

There are many strains of strep, and most children never show classic signs of infection. No sore throat or white spots. No obvious warning. Strep is incredibly common. There are over one hundred different strains, and many of them can live quietly in the body for years. In fact, a large percentage of children and adults carry certain strains of strep in their sinuses, gut, on their skin, or even vaginally, without ever knowing it. It can remain dormant for months or even years until something shifts the immune system. A virus. A mild cold. The flu. A growth spurt. Chronic stress. The stress of a move. Changing schools. A heartbreak. A big emotional event. Even something that seems small can be enough to tip an already vulnerable immune system into overdrive. When we either contract strep or a dormant strain becomes active in the body, it can trigger an immune response that impacts the nervous system. It can influence the brain. It can create intrusive thoughts or change behavior.

This is where we have to zoom out and look at the body as a connected system.

Seventy to eighty percent of the immune system lives in the gut. So when harmful bacteria such as certain strains of strep begin to outweigh beneficial bacteria, the gut environment becomes inflamed. The gut lining becomes very irritated. Immune signaling becomes weaker and more chaotic. And because the gut and brain are directly connected through the largest communication pathway nerve in the body, that inflammation doesn’t stay contained in the digestive system. It travels. It influences the nervous system. It influences mood. It influences intrusive thoughts. It influences behavior and the way the brain functions.

This is why the symptoms can look neurological. Because the gut, immune system, and brain are not separate systems. They are deeply intertwined.

So typically, if you suspect PANS/PANDAS, most doctors won't even acknowledge that it’s a thing. They go into how strep presents as a throat infection, how it should respond to antibiotics, and how once the infection is cleared the issue should be resolved. The focus stays on whether there is an active positive throat swab, not on what’s happening inside the immune system or the gut.

And if you do find a professional who recognizes PANS or PANDAS, the approach is often still centered around suppressing and eliminating the infection. Long courses of antibiotics. Anti inflammatory medications. Sometimes immune suppressing therapies. And while these can calm symptoms temporarily, they don’t address the deeper microbial imbalance and gut disruption that allowed the immune system to become dysregulated in the first place.

As someone who sees the world through a microbiome lens, I see this very differently.

I see PANS and PANDAS as a gut, immune, and brain issue. I see it as chronic immune activation layered on top of microbial imbalance, which means the goal is not just to quiet the symptoms or suppress a flare. The goal is to eliminate the strep and other harmful overgrowths triggering the immune response while simultaneously restoring balance in the gut so the immune system can regulate and function the way it was designed to.

If we only eliminate without rebuilding, if we only suppress without restoring the gut ecosystem, we can unintentionally deepen the imbalance underneath. Beneficial bacteria become further depleted. The gut lining becomes more vulnerable. The immune system stays in a chronically activated state and so when the next illness comes, even something mild, the flare can return just as intense, or sometimes even stronger. 

And in many children, you begin to see other symptoms show up. Increased sensory overwhelm, skin rashes, season allergies, new food allergies or sudden intolerances to foods they used to tolerate just fine, ADHD like behavior that you have never seen before, really sour smelling poop, constipation or diarrhea. Oh, a big one is undigested chunks of food in their poop because the gut lining is so irritated that it is not absorbing and breaking nutrients down properly.

It is not that your child is falling apart. It is that the gut, immune system, and nervous system are all deeply out of balance.

This is the cycle so many families get trapped in, illness, flare, antibiotics, temporary steadiness, more antibiotics, deeper imbalance, bigger flare, and over time you feel like you have completely lost your child.

So what do you do?

First, you have to stop chasing symptoms and start supporting the foundation. Rebalancing means eliminating and replenishing at the same time. It means reducing harmful bacteria (including strep), yeast, mold, fungus, parasites, and pathogens that are contributing to inflammation, while simultaneously restoring beneficial bacteria that strengthen the microbiome and regulate immune signaling. It means supporting detox pathways so inflammatory byproducts are bound and eliminated instead of recirculating, and restoring essential minerals that the nervous system relies on for steadiness, sleep, and emotional regulation.

When you start supporting the gut, the immune system, and the nervous system as one connected system instead of separate problems, you begin to see the cycle soften. The flares become less intense, they don’t last as long, and they don’t come as frequently. Emotional regulation becomes more consistent, sleep starts to improve, and the body is no longer constantly reacting to every small trigger. It slowly begins to stabilize, and you start to see glimpses of your child coming back to themselves. 

This is exactly why I created the PANS and PANDAS Healing Bundle. It is a complete sixty four day system designed to support microbial balance, repair gut imbalance, calm inflammation, strengthen immune function, and support nervous system regulation. And most importantly, you are not doing this alone. The ōNLē Method course is included so you know exactly how to prepare, what to expect, foods to focus on and how to move through this process with clarity and confidence.

Healing from PANS and PANDAS is not about flipping a switch. It is about restoring balance at the foundation so the body is no longer stuck in chronic immune activation.

If you are navigating this right now, I see you. You are rightfully scared. The grief is unbelievably deep. Add in the exhaustion and it can feel like you will never get your child back. But your child is not broken. Their body is responding to something very real. It is communicating with you through symptoms as a way of asking for help. And when you listen to the body and support it at the root, healing becomes possible. They can and they will heal.

Despite what anyone has ever told you, you are not crazy for knowing there is more to this story. And you are not powerless. I cannot wait for you to see what happens when you stop chasing flares and start restoring balance at the foundation. The steadiness you are longing for is not out of reach. It starts right here. I will have the PANS/PANDAS healing bundle linked for you in the show notes. Sending you so much love as you navigate this.

Transformation of the week:

I am going to read this message that came in recently because I think so many of you will see yourselves in it.

"I almost didn't order the Mold Recovery Bundle because I felt like I was grasping at straws. My son wasn't dramatically sick like a lot of the pictures of rashes you show, he was just wasn't himself. We had a small leak in our basement the year before and I kept wondering if it was connected, but I kept talking myself out of it and telling myself I was crazy for even thinking that. And then I saw a post of yours on instagram and it all clicked. 

The first change I noticed is he started sleeping through the night. He started pooping more and the biggest thing was his mood. He wasn't so reactive. He could handle small things without melting down. I didn't even realize how inflamed his body had been until it wasn't anymore. Thank you. 

It feels like I have my happy kid back. "

What I love about this is that nothing about her son looked extreme. He just wasn’t himself. So often we wait until symptoms are screaming so loudly and we don’t have to. When you know something is off, it is. And it is so important to listen. 

And the part of this message that I have to acknowledge is, “I kept telling myself I was crazy for even thinking that.” For any of you having this same thought… You are not crazy for being in tune with your own body or your child’s and connecting dots. You are not crazy for looking deeper. You are the most brave and courageous leader of your family and you should be incredibly proud of yourself. 

Question of the week:

"How long will this healing take?"

I know you want a very clear, definitive answer. When you or your child are struggling, you want a date on the calendar when it will all be over. I understand this deeply. And I wish I could give you an exact timeline, but the truth is that every healing journey is unique.

Here is what I can tell you. Every Gut Rebalance Kit and every symptom specific bundle is designed as a full 64 day rebalancing cycle. That gives the body enough time to eliminate harmful overgrowth and begin rebuilding and stabilizing the gut environment.

Some families rebalance proactively to support their microbiome or address mild symptoms, and in those cases one full cycle is often enough. But for children or adults who have had symptoms for a long time, or whose symptoms are severe, it took time for the body to become this imbalance and it can take time to heal. It might take multiple cycles for the body to heal. Neither is better or worse. It just is and I invite you to embrace every part of your journey. 

Healing is not about rushing. It’s about restoring. And when you stay consistent and support the foundation, the body heals.