In the last article, we delved into the world of PANS/PANDAS OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder) and how to differentiate it from ‘traditional’ OCD. OCD is commonly caused by a variety of conditions other than PANS/PANDAS. But PANS/PANDAS rarely shows up without OCD.
While traditional childhood OCD often develops gradually, OCD triggered by PANS/PANDAS is sudden and dramatic, accompanied by a range of additional symptoms, including anxiety, motor abnormalities, sensory sensitivities, and more. Recognizing these differences is crucial in identifying whether your child may be affected by PANS/PANDAS, however, whether the onset is rapid or gradual, the path to healing OCD in your child always involves reducing stress by isolating and removing both emotional, and neuroinflammatory stressors.
This week, we’ll explore practical steps you can take to address to reduce your child’s OCD symptoms. I understand the challenges and emotions you may be facing. And I’m here to offer guidance and support to help you help your child on their journey to better health.
👉 The key to PANS/PANDAS OCD treatment is reducing brain inflammation while addressing the anxiety that is triggering your child’s compulsive behaviors. 👈
Natural OCD Treatment Options
You don’t have to sit by and watch your child struggle. You have lots of options when it comes to natural PANS/PANDAS OCD treatment. Of course, as always, you should talk to your child’s practitioner when you’re considering PANS/PANDAS OCD treatment options.
🟢 Increase GABA
Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) blocks certain brain signals and decreases nervous system activity. It’s known to produce a calming effect. GABA counterbalances the action of the neurotransmitter glutamate — an excitatory brain chemical.
Low GABA activity can cause severe anxiety symptoms. Healthy GABA levels can help calm symptoms and make your child’s feelings more manageable.
To increase GABA, you can add calming activities like meditation or breathwork. You can also support GABA by giving your child GABA-rich foods like bok choy, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, collard greens, mushrooms, potatoes, rice, and tomatoes.
🟢 Increase Serotonin
Serotonin is a chemical produced by the nerves that’s responsible for sending signals from one nerve cell to another. Serotonin acts as a mood stabilizer and regulates feelings like happiness and anxiety. When serotonin levels are too low, you’ll find symptoms including mood problems, depression, anxiety, sleep issues, (and yes) OCD.
There are medications commonly prescribed to boost low serotonin levels — selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs).
But medication often isn’t the best option. In my practice, I always utilize gentle and natural ways to get the body back in balance. And there are a lot of effective natural, non-invasive strategies you can use to boost your child’s serotonin levels:
✅ Find things that make your child smile and laugh.
✅ Spend time outside.
✅ Improve your child’s gut health.
✅ Add a good probiotic supplement.
✅ Make sure your child is getting adequate sleep.
✅ Eat foods that increase serotonin production, including salmon, eggs, cheese, turkey, pineapple, nuts, gluten free oats, and seeds.
🟢 Reduce Glutamate
Glutamate is the most abundant excitatory neurotransmitter released by nerve cells in your brain. It plays a major role in learning and memory.
Excess glutamate remains in the space between nerve cells, which can cause the nerve cell receptors to become over sensitive to glutamate. Too much glutamate can cause nerve cells in the brain to become overexcited.
⚠️ Watch out for foods high in glutamate or foods where glutamate is used as an additive. Avoid monosodium glutamate (MSG), as well as hydrolyzed vegetable protein, autolyzed yeast, hydrolyzed yeast, yeast extract, soy extracts, and protein isolate. ⚠️
🟢 Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Cognitive behavioral therapy involves working with a trained therapist to challenge and change the cognitive distortions and behaviors that are causing issues. CBT can help your child improve emotional regulation and develop effective coping strategies, potentially serving as an effective PANS/PANDAS OCD treatment.
🟢 Neurofeedback Therapy
Neurofeedback is a non-invasive treatment that helps the brain develop healthier patterns of activity. Neurofeedback can change how your child thinks and feels by changing their brain on a biological level.
Your child will be connected to an EEG machine that will monitor their brain waves. Healthy brain wave patterns are rewarded with positive audio and visual feedback, training the brain to repeat these patterns.
🟢 EFT Tapping
Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT), or “tapping,” is a therapeutic method that combines elements of cognitive therapy with acupressure. It involves gently tapping on specific meridian points on the body—primarily on the face and upper body—while focusing on a particular issue, such as anxiety, stress, or obsessive thoughts.
EFT tapping helps regulate the nervous system, lower cortisol levels, and reduce emotional distress by disrupting negative thought patterns.
For children with PANS/PANDAS, OCD, or anxiety disorders, EFT can be an effective tool to reduce obsessive and compulsive behaviors, restore emotional balance, and create a sense of calm.
It is easy to learn and can be practiced anywhere, making it a great self-regulation technique for both children and adults.
🟢 Acupuncture
According to several studies, acupuncture can help with OCD treatment. Acupuncture can help lower stress and anxiety levels and may even slow down the production of stress hormones. The specific placement of the acupuncture needles causes the nervous system to stimulate the part of the brain that controls emotion.
🟢 Gentle Detox
Isolating and removing environmental stressors that are increasing brain inflammation and triggering symptoms is a foundational piece of the puzzle when it comes to healing OCD and reverse engineering its root cause. We are all exposed to environmental toxins every day in the foods we eat and the air we breathe, although children are particularly vulnerable. Most chemicals, pesticides, and heavy metals are lipophilic, meaning they are attracted to the fatty tissues in the body. In children, this typically means the brain which, as the fattiest organ in the body, is composed of 60% fat. Reducing the brain’s total load is key in healing from neuroinflammatory conditions like PANS/PANDAS, especially when OCD is a primary symptom.
For more on healing from PANS/PANDAS with homotoxicology and gentle detox, please click here.
🟢 Supplements for OCD
Adding nutrients in the form of high-quality supplements can make a tremendous difference in your child’s PANS/PANDAS symptoms, including OCD. As always, I recommend you speak with your practitioner about which supplements are right for your child. I can only offer general information, not specific recommendations without working directly with you and your child. If you need help choosing the right supplements, you can book a free discovery call with my team and we can talk about how we can best support you and your family.
Some supplements that I have found helpful when working with children affected by PANS/PANDAS and/or OCD.
✅ GABA/Theanine combination
✅ N-acetylcysteine (NAC)
✅ Inositol
✅ Zinc
✅ Glycine (although not if glutamate is an issue)
✅ Sarcosine
✅ Curcumin
✅ Coffee fruit extract
✅ Magnesium (especially magnesium threonate)
✅ Milk thistle
✅ Probiotics
✅ EFA Borage oil
✅ Ashwagandha
✅ Valerian root
Watching your child struggle with OCD is challenging. It affects your child, but it also impacts you and your entire family. It’s a difficult journey, but there is hope. There are effective OCD treatments — both pharmaceutical and the alternative methods I’ve gone over here.
Need Extra Support?
I’ve worked with hundreds of children affected by complex, chronic illnesses and I’ve seen dramatic changes occur when we focus on gentle detoxification, appropriate supplements, nutrition, and lifestyle shifts.
If you’re ready to take the next step and jumpstart your child’s healing consider joining my parent mentorship program, The Neuroinflammation Solution. Over the course of 6 months, we will work together in a group setting to unravel your child’s individual stressors, reverse engineer their diagnosis, and foster true healing.
Click here for more information, and to register for step one of the Foundations in Healing 8-Week Jumpstart, the first and most important step in the Neuroinflammation Solution Program.
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