Healing PANS/PANDAs and AE with Lauren Lee Stone | Emotional Dysregulation in Children | E46

Healing PANS/PANDAS in Kids: A Functional Medicine Approach with Dr. Lauren Stone

When your child is suddenly struggling with severe anxiety, OCD behaviors, or dramatic mood changes, it can feel like everything changed overnight.

Conditions like PANS/PANDAS in children and autoimmune encephalopathy are complex and overwhelming for families trying to find answers. But there are ways to support healing when you understand what’s happening beneath the surface.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• what PANS/PANDAS in children and autoimmune encephalopathy really are

• how these conditions connect to emotional dysregulation in children

• why inflammation and the immune system impact behavior and mental health

• how to support nervous system regulation in children during healing

Meet our guest

Lauren Stone is a highly trained practitioner with a background in nutrition, integrative health, and bioenergetics.

She holds degrees from Yale University and Cornell University, along with a Master’s in Human Nutrition, and is board-certified in multiple disciplines including nutrition and holistic health.

Lauren is the founder of Althea Health & Wellness, serves as a board member of Epidemic Answers, and is the author of Everyday Immunity and co-author of Brain Under Attack.

Her work focuses on helping families address complex chronic conditions through root-cause, functional approaches.

What’s really happening in the brain and body

PANS/PANDAS and autoimmune encephalopathy are driven by immune system dysfunction and inflammation that affect the brain.

This can lead to:

• sudden onset of OCD symptoms

• severe anxiety or mood swings

• behavioral regression

• sensory and cognitive challenges

For many kids, this shows up as intense child behavior problems or OCD in children—but the root cause is biological, not behavioral.

The reframe parents need

Behavior is communication.

It’s not bad behavior—it’s a dysregulated brain and body.

When inflammation and immune responses impact the brain, children lose the ability to regulate emotions and behavior effectively.

What you can do next

If your child has been diagnosed—or you suspect PANS/PANDAS:

👉 look beyond symptoms to underlying immune triggers

👉 work with experienced, integrative practitioners

👉 support both the body and the nervous system

Healing requires a comprehensive approach—not just managing behavior.

If you’ve been searching for how to calm a dysregulated child, addressing the root cause is essential.

Listen + Take the Next Step

If this episode helped you better understand these complex conditions, share it with another parent who needs it.

And if you want to connect with a community of parents navigating similar challenges, join us here:

👉 https://drroseann.com/group

Dr. Roseann Capanna-Hodge helps parents understand emotional dysregulation in children and teaches practical nervous system regulation and co-regulation strategies through her Regulation First Parenting™ approach.

Mentioned in this episode:

Is It ADHD or Something Else? Take the Quiz to find out!

➡️ Join our FREE Natural Parenting Community to receive science-backed resources for your child and family. Join here - https://www.facebook.com/groups/naturalparentingsolutions/ ➡️ Get help from Dr. Roseann and her team. Apply here. https://drroseann.com/apply ➡️ “Is it ADHD or something else?” Take the quiz.  To take the quiz, just text the word "quiz" to 13Alertmore. Then you'll know whether your child has ADHD or something else.