Back and Spine Health Dr. Jimenez Chiropractic for Children: A child’s health includes physical, mental, and social well-being. Knowing the basics of keeping kids healthy, like healthy foods, making sure they get enough sleep, exercise, and safety. It is also important for kids to get regular checkups with their health care providers. Regular visits offer a chance to check a child’s development.
They are also a good time to catch or prevent problems. Other than checkups, school-age kids should be seen for significant weight gain or loss, sleep problems or change in behavior, a fever higher than 102, rashes or skin infections, frequent sore throats, and breathing problems.
Chiropractic care for children offers a solid foundation for wellness. A regular chiropractic lifestyle offers choices and benefits for your greater health and well-being throughout pregnancy, birth, and childhood. The following video and articles will help you understand the importance of the chiropractic family wellness lifestyle.
Now in the heart of the school year � new shoes, haircuts, homework, and their bulging backpacks. Think about the backpack your child is carrying. Sure, they load them up with books, but did you know that wearing a heavy backpack for a long time can actually hurt your child? The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has provided some helpful guidelines for choosing a backpack for your child and avoiding the injury that can result from one that is too heavy.
What are the health risks of a heavy backpack?
Wearing a heavy backpack can strain the shoulders, back, and neck. As the child�s body tries to compensate for the extra weight, such as leaning forward, it can adopt positions that put the spine out of alignment. It can also cause the muscles to fatigue and weaken. This results in poor posture and a misaligned spine.
The longer he or she carries the extra weight, the worse it gets. Over time, the child can experience pain, stiffness, and problems with flexibility and range of motion. This can significantly increase the child�s potential for injury. The effects may include backache, sore or stiff neck, sore shoulders, and headaches.
How heavy is too heavy for a child�s backpack?
According to the AAP, a child�s backpack should weigh less than 10 to 20 percent of his or her body weight � and no more. However, a Consumer Reports survey showed that the lower end of the range, around 10 percent or less, is preferable. In short, the lighter the backpack, the healthier it is for your child. A good rule of thumb is to observe your child wearing the backpack. If they are stooped or leaning forward, it is too heavy.
Children who are shorter, as well as girls, may be more prone to back pain caused by carrying heavy backpacks. This means that for these children you need to aim for even lighter weights. Children who are overweight may also be at risk for injury. The excess weight already puts a strain on their joints and muscles; the heavy backpack exacerbates the situation.
Children who wear their backpack over one shoulder also increase their risk of injury. This puts all the weight on one side, causing the child to bend or lean in an effort to compensate for the off-kilter weight. This can strain the shoulder and back, eventually causing injury and pain.
Helping your child avoid carrying a heavy backpack.
If you notice that your child cannot stand up straight while wearing the backpack, then it is too heavy. You should inspect your child�s backpack on a regular basis to test the heaviness. When purchasing a backpack, aim for wide, padded straps that are adjustable. It should fit the child well and to be too big. The straps should not be too loose. You want it to fit close to your child�s body and should come to just below the waist � but not too far. Don�t allow your child to carry the backpack on one shoulder, encourage them to wear it on both shoulders. This distributes the weight more evenly.
If your child is carrying a heavy backpack, you may need to talk to their teacher to see what is necessary for him or her to carry daily, and what can be left at home or at school. Work together to find ways to lighten the load and avoid injury. Also, keep in mind, your child may not bring your attention to the fact that their backpack is too heavy. It is up to you to observe and intervene for them.
Imagine a world where clothing feels like sandpaper, light is excruciating, or sounds make you feel like your ears are going to bleed. That is what it�s like for someone with sensory processing disorder�or SPD.
Approximately 1 in 6 children have SPD (some reports say 1 in 20, but this appears to be based on earlier research). It is unclear how many adults are affected; it is typically seen in children with autism and ADHD. There is very little research on adults with these issues at this time.
There are not many treatments for SPD or ways for people with it to get relief. Cutting tags out of clothing and laundering it multiple times before wearing (so it is soft) can help with tactile issues. Precision tinted lenses can help with photophobia, and earplugs can help with auditory issues. However, chiropractic has been found to help.
What is Sensory Processing Disorder?
SPD is a neurodevelopmental disorder that occurs because the brain is unable to process and integrate common sensory information that is received from one or several of the five senses (taste, touch, smell, vision, sound) as well as two other senses, the proprioceptive system,�and vestibular systems. The proprioceptive system extends throughout the spine and joints. When there is a problem with this system, it can cause problems with motor skills, learning, behavior, and emotional and social development.
The vestibular system is located in the cerebellum (base of the brain), the cervical spine, and inner ear. It regulates all sensory information that the body takes in and of the sensory systems in the body, is the most important.
The result is an inability to tolerate certain types of stimulation including being touched, eating certain foods, and hearing certain noises. It can also affect other seemingly unrelated issues like sleep problems, uncoordinated or clumsy, balance issues, and difficulty writing or reading in cursive. This can make life very difficult because the individual essentially lives in a world that they were not built to tolerate. They may feel depressed, anxious, frustrated, or afraid as a result. Parents may feel helpless because they don�t know how to help their child cope in a world that often feels scary and painful.
How is SPD treated?
There are several ways that treatment for SPD is approached. One very effective treatment is chiropractic for SPD.
Another popular treatment for SPD is therapy. Children work with a specially trained, licensed therapist in a sensory gym. The goal is to help them better adapt to their environment.
Diet is an important aspect of SPD treatment, particularly gut health. A clean diet (no processed foods, all natural and organic) is a very good start. Some doctors recommend a gluten-free diet.
Whatever the case, it must be well balanced and provide the necessary vitamins and minerals needed for good health. Magnesium and Omega 3 fatty acid supplements may also be advised. This works very well with chiropractic as it also addresses the root of the problem.
How does Chiropractic Help Sensory Processing Disorder?
It is the primary role of the spine to protect and contain the fragile nervous system. The nervous system is what controls how we process our environment. Its function is to respond and adapt to internal and external environments.
Structural shifts caused by injury, habits, even a forceps birth can affect the alignment of the spine. This creates neurological stress that hinders the processing and flow of information. By bringing the spine into alignment, chiropractic can help ease the neural stress, improve neural processing, and facilitate better flow of information and neural firing. This, in turn, helps to alleviate the symptoms of sensory processing disorder.
More than 80% of children will experience at least one ear infection before they turn three-years-old. Ear infection is one of the top reasons that parents seek medical treatment for their children, causing fever, irritability, and ear pain. Also known as otitis media, an ear infection is caused by fluid buildup behind the eardrum that results in inflammation. It is typically caused by bacteria. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), antibiotics are not a recommended treatment for most ear infections.
Types of Childhood Ear Infections
There are three types of childhood ear infections. Each type has its own distinct set of symptoms that can aid in diagnosis and treatment.
Otitis Media with Effusion (OME) � This results from a fluid buildup that occurs in the middle ear although there are no symptoms or signs of infection. While it can happen when the fluid remains after an ear infection has run its course, other causes may include allergies, previous respiratory infections (like cold or flu), elevation changes, environmental irritants, air travel, and drinking while lying down (usually on the back). Antibiotics are not sufficient for this type of ear infection.
Acute Otitis Media (AOM) � This type of ear infection is the most common, affecting the middle ear, and is marked by infection, swelling, and trapped fluid behind the eardrum. Symptoms may include an earache and fever. It may be seasonal (most earaches occur in the winter and fall months), environmental pollutants (second-hand smoke), age (children under two years of age are more prone to earaches), and attendance at daycare. AOM may also be caused when the fluid from OME becomes infected. Antibiotics are sometimes prescribed for more acute cases.
Chronic Otitis Media with Effusion (COME) � This can be a serious condition if left untreated. It occurs when fluid in the middle ear continuously returns or remains trapped for a long time. Often infection is not present, and there are no symptoms. Children with COME have a more difficult time fighting new infections, and they may suffer from hearing damage or loss.
Risk Factors for Ear Infections
Children are more prone to ear infections than adults. This is because the eustachian tubes (connecting the middle ear to the upper part of the throat) are smaller in children and more level. This means that the fluid does not drain as easily and if a respiratory illness like a cold causes the eustachian tubes to become blocked or swollen, the fluid may become trapped because it can�t drain. Other risk factors include:
Drinking while laying on their back
Respiratory illness such as a cold
Allergies
Air travel (changes in air pressure)
Cigarette smoke and other environmental pollutants
Changes in elevation
Childhood Ear Infection Symptoms and Signs
Most of the time children get ear infections before they are old enough to verbalize their discomfort so parents must rely on telltale sure signs and symptoms.
Crying and fussiness
Fever (most prevalent in younger children and infants)
Pulling or tugging at the ears
Difficulty hearing or failure to respond to quiet sounds
Fluid draining from the ear
Difficulty sleeping
Balance problems or clumsiness
Chiropractic for Ear Infections
Several studies have shown Chiropractic for ear infections to be an effective, natural, antibiotic-free treatment. While full spine adjustments are commonly used, other techniques include occipital subluxation, atlas subluxation, and axis subluxations.
Chiropractic care not only treats ear infections, but it also improves their overall health and ability to function. It has a strong focus on whole-body wellness so the chiropractor may recommend diet and lifestyle adjustments in addition to treatment. Parents need to realize that they have a choice when it comes to the type of care their children receive for ear infections and other kinds of illnesses.
Every new parent has experienced a fussy baby with colic � some more often than others. It is always the same, though, an inconsolable baby and frustrated, frazzled parents who only want to comfort their child but can�t. It hurts to know that your baby is uncomfortable, or worse, in pain, and there is nothing you can do about it.
Colic can leave parents feeling helpless. There is a treatment, though, that has given many parents hope and brought relief to their little ones. Chiropractic is an effective treatment for colic that is drug-free and gentle. Both infants and their parents reap the benefits because when a baby is happy, mom and dad are happy.
What is Colic?
Colic is a condition that occurs in healthy, well-fed infants, beginning when the baby is a few weeks old. By the time the baby is three months old, the condition usually improves, and by five months it is often no longer occurring. It is marked by inconsolable crying that meets three criteria regarding length:
More than three hours a day
Three days a week or more
For three weeks or longer
During these episodes, it seems as if there is nothing that can be done for the baby. The good news is, it is relatively short-lived, but while it is happening it can cause a great deal of distress to the baby and the parents.
Symptoms of Colic
All babies cry and even get fussy from time to time. That is just normal baby behavior; it does not necessarily point to colic as the culprit. When a baby that is well fed and otherwise healthy, symptoms of colic may include:
Episodes of crying that are often predictable. Colic usually occurs in the latter part of the day � late afternoon or evening � and at around the same time each day. So a baby with colic will usually get fussy at the same time and the period of distress can last a few minutes to several hours.
Baby is inconsolable with intense crying. The baby with colic will seem very distressed. The cry is very high pitched and no response to attempts to comfort. The baby�s face may become flushed, and near the end of the episode they may pass gas or have a bowel movement.
The crying does not seem to have a source or reason. Babies cry, all babies � but they are usually crying because they need something. They may cry because they are hungry, need a diaper change, or want to be held by mom or dad. A colicky baby will cry for no apparent reason.
There are Changes in posture. Several posture changes are relatively consistent with colic. The baby will often clench their fists, curl their legs, and tense the abdominal muscles.
Chiropractic for Colic
Childbirth is not easy, and it isn�t gentle. As the baby passes through the birth canal and emerges, it�s little body is stretched and compressed which can cause misalignment of the back and neck. If the labor was extensive, there was prolonged pushing, or if a device like forceps or vacuum extraction is used, the chances of misalignment are very likely. These misalignments can lead to difficulty nursing and even impede normal organ function. This can lead to digestive issues which may lead to colic.
Some parents may be uncomfortable at first when they consider getting chiropractic care for their infant, but it is safe and gentle. The popping and cracking that is associated with chiropractic is not a part of infant and child chiropractic. The doctor applies gentle pressure to areas on the neck and back, using his fingers. Many times the baby will completely relax during these adjustments.
Chiropractic for colic is very useful. Parents considering this type of treatment for their baby should look for a chiropractor who has experience providing treatment for babies. It can make a world of difference for a colicky, distressed baby.
Hypermobility Syndrome is a condition of the joints. Characterized by the ability of the joint to move beyond its normal range of motion and is sometimes called �loose joints� or �double jointed.� It is typically a genetic disorder and often identified in children. The gene passes from parent to child, so the condition tends to run in families. Estimated that 10 to 15 percent of children who are otherwise considered to be normal have joints that are hypermobile. However, it can be found in all ages and does not seem to be confined to a particular age group, ethnic group, or population although there are more cases of girls being hypermobile than boys.
Hypermobility Signs and Symptoms
The signs and symptoms of hypermobility can vary widely from person to person. Some people may not experience any symptoms while others have muscle and joint pain along with mild swelling. Usually noted in the evening or later afternoon as well as after moderate physical activity or exercise. The most common areas for pain and achiness are the elbows, knees, thigh muscle, and calf muscle. Often rest will provide relief.
A person who is hypermobile is usually more prone to soft tissue injuries and sprains. Additionally, the affected joints may be more inclined to become dislocated. It can also cause back pain, impaired joint position sense, and even flat feet, osteoarthritis, and nerve compression disorders. Other symptoms include increased bruising, chronic pain, loose skin, and thin scars. Children and young people who are hypermobile often experience growing pains more often than other children.
Most children will grow out of hypermobility; their joints will lose some of their flexibility as they get older along with the symptoms of rarely persist beyond childhood although some adults do find that they get dislocations and sprains much easier.
Causes of Hypermobility
The exact cause of hypermobility is not known, although it does seem to run in families. Genes play a large part in the process, particularly those involved in collagen production which is a vital protein for tendon, joint, and ligament development and function. There are also several�associated�conditions. Genetic disorders like Ehlers-Danlos and Marfan have hypermobility as a component as does Down Syndrome.
Hypermobility Treatment
Treatment for hypermobility depends on the patient. It depends on the symptoms that they are experiencing as well as the severity and how much of an impact the condition has on their quality of life. Mild symptoms may not require any treatment while more moderate to severe symptoms may warrant medication like naproxen, ibuprofen, or acetaminophen for pain. All of which,�can be bought over the counter.
Patients can ward off many of the symptoms or eliminate them by engaging in regular exercise, protecting the joints, practicing good posture, muscle strengthening exercises, and balancing techniques. Orthotics to correct flat feet can also be beneficial.
Chiropractic for Hypermobility
Many people use chiropractic for hypermobility pain and discomfort. The doctor will use adjustments to bring the joints into the appropriate movement pattern and the body into proper alignment, allowing the body to function as it should and relieves stress from joints that were compensating due to misalignment.
The patient may also be advised to do specific exercises at home, and get counseling on improving their posture. Because chiropractic treats the entire body, the patient will find that they learn how to best live with the condition without medication and manage pain naturally. Patients report dramatic improvement in their distress and mobility after regular, consistent chiropractic visits.
Knock knee is a condition that many children acquire when they are toddlers. Often, within a few years they grow out of it and their legs straighten naturally with no lasting effects.
Occasionally, though, a child�s legs don�t straighten and this is a cause for concern. There are many problems that can stem from knock knees, some of which will follow the child into adulthood and for the rest of his or her life. While there are several recognized treatments for knock knee, including surgery, chiropractic care has an excellent track record in managing and remedying this disorder.
What Is Knock Knee?
Knock knee, or genu valgum, is a condition that causes a person�s knees to bow in toward each other. In other words, when they stand with their knees touching and feet flat, parallel to each other, facing forward, their ankles do not touch. There may be a few inches between them or a foot, depending on its severity.
Most children go through a stage at around 3 or 4 years where they are knock kneed but by around age 8 or 10 they grow out of it and their legs straighten. Many parents become concerned when they first see their child becoming knock kneed. This is why it is vital that they understand a child�s normal growth patterns. It helps them worry less about something completely normal as well as know when to seek help if the condition does not right itself.
Aside from normal physiological child development, the atypical version of knock knees can be caused by several factors including:
Bone deformities
Knee malalignment
Genetics
Infection
Weak knee infrastructure
Injury
Rickets Disease
Scurvy
Blount�s Disease
What Health Problems Can Be Caused By Knock Knee?
Knock knee can cause pain and inflammation in the knees, ankles, and feet, as well as the hip and back. The pain can make mobility difficult. This is exacerbated if the patient is overweight because the added pressure on the joints as they are set at an unnatural position that does not adequately support the body can result in injuries to the bone, ligaments, and tendons.
A difference in leg length, a common issue with knock knee, can also cause the body to become misaligned, leading to back and hip pain. Over the long term and in severe cases, knock knee can lead to arthritis in adults and children.
How Is Knock Knee Treated?
Treatment for knock knee depends on the cause and age of the child. If the child is young and it has been determined that the knock knee is just a normal part of their growth pattern, very little action is taken although some experts advise laying a good foundation for the child by teaching them the importance of a healthy diet, regular exercise, and good posture.
Cases that are caused by some underlying factor, or that extend beyond the age that the child�s legs are expected to straighten, may require bracing. If there is an underlying cause such as infection or injury, that will need to be addressed in order to correct or manage the problem. In severe (and rare) cases, surgery may be necessary.
Is Chiropractic Care An Effective Treatment For Knock Knee?
Chiropractic care is an exceptional treatment for children of all ages who have knock knee. For younger patients who are experiencing it as a normal stage of development, it will help to keep their spine aligned and encourage good, healthy posture. In children who have an underlying cause, it can help to relieve any pain while increasing mobility as well as bringing the spine into proper alignment.
Many of the factors that cause knock knee can be addressed through chiropractic treatment and it has the added benefit of providing a whole-body wellness approach that teaches proper diet, exercise, and lifestyle changes. This noninvasive, gently, natural treatment can give children their best chance at being free from this condition.
Injury Medical Clinic:�Chiropractic Care Knee Injury
Difficulty making eye contact, gestures and words at the same time
Little imitation of others
No longer uses words they used to use
Uses another person�s hand as a tool
Social Interaction
Difficulty making eye contact
Lack of joyful expression
Lack of responsiveness to name
Does not try to show you things they�re interested in
Repetitive Behaviors & Restricted Interests
Unusual way of moving their hands, fingers or body
Develops rituals, such as lining up objects or repeating things
Focuses on unusual objects
Excessive interest in a particular object or activity which interferes with social interaction
Unusual sensory interests
Under or over reaction to sensory input
ASD Diagnostic Criteria (DSM-5)
Persistent deficits in social communication and social interaction across multiple contexts, as manifested by the following, currently or by history (examples are illustrative, not exhaustive; see text):
Deficits in social-emotional reciprocity, ranging, for example, from abnormal social approach and failure of normal back-and-forth conversation; to reduced sharing of interests, emotions, or affect; to failure to initiate or respond to social interactions.
Deficits in nonverbal communicative behaviors used for social interaction, ranging, for example, from poorly integrated verbal and nonverbal communication; to abnormalities in eye contact and body language or deficits in understanding and use of gestures; to a total lack of facial expressions and nonverbal communication.
Deficits in developing, maintaining, and understand relationships, ranging, for example, from difficulties adjusting behavior to suit various social contexts; to difficulties in sharing imaginative play or in making friends; to absence of interest in peers.
ASD Diagnostic Criteria
Restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities, as manifested by at least two of the following, currently or by history (examples are illustrative, not exhaustive; see text):
Stereotyped or repetitive motor movements, use of objects, or speech (e.g., simple motor stereotypes, lining up toys or flipping objects, echolalia, idiosyncratic phrases).
Insistence on sameness, inflexible adherence to routines, or ritualized patterns of verbal or nonverbal behavior (e.g., extreme distress at small changes, difficulties with transitions, rigid thinking patterns, greeting rituals, need to take same route or eat same food every day).
Highly restricted, fixated interests that are abnormal in intensity or focus (e.g., strong attachment to or preoccupation with unusual objects, excessively circumscribed or perseverative interests).
Hyper – or Hyporeactivity to sensory input or unusual interest in sensory aspects of the environment (e.g. apparent indifference to pain/temperature, adverse response to specific sounds or textures, excessive smelling or touching of objects, visual fascination with lights or movement).
ASD Diagnostic Criteria
Symptoms must be present in the early developmental period (but may not become fully manifest until social demands exceed limited capacities, or may be masked by learned strategies in later life).
Symptoms cause clinically significant impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of current functioning.
These disturbances are not better explained by intellectual disability (intellectual developmental disorder) or global developmental delay. Intellectual disability and autism spectrum disorder frequently co-occur; to make comorbid diagnoses of autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disability, social communication should be below that expected for general developmental level.
ASD Diagnostic Criteria (ICD- 10)
A. Abnormal or impaired development is evident before the age of 3 years in at least one of the following areas:
Receptive or expressive language as used in social communication;
The development of selective social attachments or of reciprocal social interaction;
Functional or symbolic play.
B. A total of at least six symptoms from (1), (2) and (3) must be present, with at least two from (1) and at least one from each of (2) and (3)
1. Qualitative impairment in social interaction are manifest in at least two of the following areas:
a. failure adequately to use eye-to-eye gaze, facial expression, body postures, and gestures to regulate social interaction;
b. failure to develop (in a manner appropriate to mental age, and despite ample opportunities) peer relationships that involve a mutual sharing of interests, activities and emotions;
c. lack of socio-emotional reciprocity as shown by an impaired or deviant response to other people�s emotions; or lack of modulation of behavior according to
social context; or a weak integration of social, emotional, and communicative behaviors;
d. lack of spontaneous seeking to share enjoyment, interests, or achievements with other people (e.g. a lack of showing, bringing, or pointing out to other people objects of interest to the individual).
2. Qualitative abnormalities in communication as manifest in at least one of the following areas:
a. delay in or total lack of, development of spoken language that is not accompanied by an attempt to compensate through the use of gestures or mime as an alternative mode of communication (often preceded by a lack of communicative babbling);
b. relative failure to initiate or sustain conversational interchange (at whatever level of language skill is present), in which there is reciprocal responsiveness to the communications of the other person;
c. stereotyped and repetitive use of language or idiosyncratic use of words or phrases;
d. lack of varied spontaneous make-believe play or (when young) social imitative play
3. Restricted, repetitive, and stereotyped patterns of behavior, interests, and activities are manifested in at least one of the following:
a. An encompassing preoccupation with one or more stereotyped and restricted patterns of interest that are abnormal in content or focus; or one or more interests that are abnormal in their intensity and circumscribed nature though not in their content or focus;
b. Apparently compulsive adherence to specific, nonfunctional routines or rituals;
c. Stereotyped and repetitive motor mannerisms that involve either hand or finger flapping or twisting or complex whole body movements;
d. Preoccupations with part-objects of non-functional elements of play materials (such as their oder, the feel of their surface, or the noise or vibration they
generate).
C. The clinical picture is not attributable to the other varieties of pervasive developmental disorders; specific development disorder of receptive language (F80.2) with secondary socio-emotional problems, reactive attachment disorder (F94.1) or disinhibited attachment disorder (F94.2); mental retardation (F70-F72) with some associated emotional or behavioral disorders; schizophrenia (F20.-) of unusually early onset; and Rett�s Syndrome (F84.12).
Asperger�s Syndrome Diagnostic Criteria (ICD-10)
A. Qualitative impairment in social interaction, as manifested by at least two of the following:
marked impairments in the use of multiple nonverbal behaviors such as eye-to-eye gaze, facial expression, body postures, and gestures to regulate social interaction.
failure to develop peer relationships appropriate to developmental level.
a lack of spontaneous seeking to share enjoyment, interests, or achievements with other people (e.g. by a lack of showing, bringing, or pointing out objects of interest to other people).
lack of social or emotional reciprocity.
B. Restricted repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behavior, interests, and activities, as manifested by at least one of the following:
encompassing preoccupation with one or more stereotyped and restricted patterns of interest that is abnormal either in intensity or focus.
apparently inflexible adherence to specific, nonfunctional routines or rituals.
stereotyped and repetitive motor mannerisms (e.g., hand or finger flapping or twisting, or complex whole-body movements).
persistent preoccupation with parts of objects.
C. The disturbance causes clinically significant impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning
D. There is no clinically significant general delay in language (e.g., single words used by age 2 years, communicative phrases used by age 3 years).
E. There is no clinically significant delay in cognitive development or in the development of age-appropriate self- help skills, adaptive behavior (other than social interaction), and curiosity about the environment in childhood.
F. Criteria are not met for another specific Pervasive Developmental Disorder or Schizophrenia.
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
Inattention – gets off task easily
Hyperactivity – seems to move about constantly
Impulsivity – makes hasty actions that occur in the moment without first thinking about them
ADHD Risk Factors
Genetics
Cigarette smoking, alcohol use, or drug use during pregnancy
Exposure to environmental toxins during pregnancy
Exposure to environmental toxins, such as high levels of lead, at a young age
Somatic signs including sleep disturbances, enuresis or urinary frequency
*The onset of PANS may start with infectious agents other than strep. It also includes onset from environmental triggers or immune dysfunction
Pediatric Autoimmune Disorders Associated With Streptococcus
(PANDAS)
Presence of significant obsessions, compulsions and/or tics
Abrupt onset of symptoms or a relapsing-remitting course of symptom severity
Pre-pubertal onset
Association with streptococcal infection
Association with other neuropsychiatric symptoms (including any of the PANS �accompanying� symptoms)
PANS/PANDAS Tests
Swab/Strep culture
Blood tests for strep
Strep ASO
Anti-DNase B Titer
Streptozyme
Test for other infectious agents
MRI preferred but PET can be used if necessary
EEG
False Negatives
Not all children who have strep have elevated labs
Only 54% of children with strep showed a significant increase in ASO.
Only 45% showed an increase in anti�DNase B.
Only 63% showed an increase in either ASO and/or anti�DNase B.
Treatment Of PANS/PANDAS
Antibiotics
IVIG
Plasmaphoresis
Anti-Inflammatory protocols
Steroid medications
Omega-3’s
NSAIDS
Probiotics
Injury Medical Clinic: Chiropractor (Recommended)
Sources
�Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.� National Institute of Mental Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder-adhd/index.shtml.
Autism Navigator, www.autismnavigator.com/.
�Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).� Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 29 May 2018, www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/index.html.
�Introduction to Autism.� Interactive Autism Network, iancommunity.org/introduction-autism.
Shet, Anita, et al. �Immune Response to Group A Streptococcal C5a Peptidase in Children: Implications for Vaccine Development.� The Journal of Infectious Diseases, vol. 188, no. 6, 2003, pp. 809�817., doi:10.1086/377700.
�What Is PANDAS?� PANDAS Network, www.pandasnetwork.org/understanding-pandaspans/what-is-pandas/.
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