What if one of the most commonly used childhood medications carries risks that medicine has failed to fully confront? In this episode of Demystifying PANS/PANDAS, I speak with Dr. William Parker about decades of research connecting acetaminophen exposure, susceptibility, and neurodevelopment, and why timing, metabolism, and immune stress matter more than most studies acknowledge.

One overlooked moment may explain far more about autism risk than decades of debate. On this episode of Demystifying PANS/PANDAS, I speak with Dr. William Parker about why acetaminophen exposure around the time of birth has emerged as a consistent trigger in susceptible children, and how metabolism, oxidative stress, and timing intersect in ways mainstream research often fails to address.

We explore toxicology data, animal studies, cord blood findings, regressive autism patterns, and why adjusting out susceptibility leads to misleading conclusions. The conversation also examines fever suppression, immune stress, and how broader immune tolerance research helps explain why certain children are more vulnerable than others.

Dr. William Parker is a biochemist and immunologist with nearly three decades of research experience in microbiology, neurodevelopment, and immune function. His work has focused on how environmental exposures interact with susceptibility to shape long-term health outcomes.

He is widely known for his research on acetaminophen and neurodevelopment, the role of oxidative stress in autism spectrum disorder, and the function of the human appendix as a reservoir for beneficial gut bacteria. His work has been published in multiple peer-reviewed journals and continues to influence conversations around immune tolerance, inflammation, and pediatric care.

Dr. William Parker 

Website: preventautism.org

Nancy O’Hara, MD, MPH, FAAP, FMAPS

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In this episode of Demystifying PANS/PANDAS, I talk with TruDOSE leaders Tapley Holland and Elena Herning about how precision-dosed platelet therapy works to modulate immune dysfunction, calm neuroinflammation, and support healing in children and adults with complex conditions like autism and PANS/PANDAS.

When healing finally starts working, it doesn’t always look comfortable at first. In this episode of Demystifying PANS/PANDAS, Tapley Holland and Elena Herning join us to explore TruDOSE, an IV therapy using a patient’s own platelets, precisely dosed and retested to stimulate repair and immune balance rather than suppress symptoms.

They explain why the body doesn’t recognize diagnoses, only dysfunction, and how TruDOSE works systemically to modulate inflammation, immune signaling, and repair pathways. The conversation also dives into emerging research, early microbiome findings, real-world outcomes in autism and PANS/PANDAS, and why understanding why a therapy doesn’t work is just as important as celebrating when it does.

Tapley Holland and Elena Herning are the leaders behind TruDOSE, a precision-based IV platelet therapy focused on immune modulation and systemic repair. Their work centers on using a patient’s own platelets, carefully tested and retested for dose accuracy, to support healing across complex inflammatory, neurological, and immune-driven conditions.

Together, they are advancing TruDOSE through provider education and multiple IRB-backed research initiatives, including studies in autism, PANS/PANDAS, microbiome health, sports medicine, women’s health, and more, driven by a mission to better understand why therapies work, and sometimes don’t.

Tapley Holland and Elena Herning

Website: https://trudose.com

Nancy O’Hara, MD, MPH, FAAP, FMAPS

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What if the fastest way to change a child’s diet is to stop trying to take foods away? In this episode of Demystifying PANS/PANDAS, I talk to Dr. Joshua Green on integrative care for complex illness, how he helps kids with restrictive eating by focusing on 'adding' first, and why a membership-based practice can restore time, trust, and better outcomes.

What if families aren’t failing treatment, but medicine is failing to meet them where they are? In this episode of Demystifying PANS/PANDAS, I sit down with naturopathic physician Dr. Joshua Green to explore why integrative, individualized care is often essential for complex chronic illness.

He shares how his personal experiences shaped his approach to medicine, why lifestyle and nutrition changes must be realistic to work, and how he helps children with restrictive eating by focusing on small, achievable additions rather than rigid rules. He also explains why he transitioned to a membership-based practice, allowing more time, deeper listening, and coordinated care, and why he believes this model could help restore both patient trust and physician fulfillment.

Dr. Joshua Green is a naturopathic physician providing integrative primary and specialty care for patients with chronic complex illness, including tick-borne disease and mold-related conditions. He completed his undergraduate training at Bastyr University with a focus on whole foods nutrition and has a naturopathic medical degree. 

He is a member of the Medical Academy of Pediatric Special Needs (MAPS), the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society (ILADS), and is ILADEF-trained, and is passionate about accessible care, operating a membership-based practice designed to give patients more time, coordination, and individualized attention.

Dr. Joshua Green

Website: https://vermontnaturalfamilymedicine.com/

MAPS: https://www.medmaps.org/clinician-directory/vt/burlington/joshua-green/

Nancy O’Hara, MD, MPH, FAAP, FMAPS

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Why does neuroinflammation look different as children grow? In this episode of Demystifying PANS/PANDAS, pediatric neurologist Dr. John Gaitanis explains the continuum of neuroinflammation, why regression represents loss of brain function, and how energy metabolism, immune activation, and the cell danger response shape symptoms across childhood and adolescence.

Regression isn’t loss without cause. It’s the brain conserving energy under inflammatory pressure. In this episode of Demystifying PANS/PANDAS, Dr. John Gaitanis reframes autism regression, PANS/PANDAS, and chronic fatigue as points along a continuum of neuroinflammation rather than separate diagnoses.

He explains how repeated inflammatory and infectious stressors can lock the brain into a low-energy survival state known as the cell danger response, disrupting development, behavior, and learning. We also explore cerebral folate deficiency, mitochondrial stress, autonomic dysfunction, and why true recovery takes time, physiologic regulation, and individualized care, not symptom suppression alone.

Dr. John Gaitanis is a pediatric neurologist who cares for children and adolescents with complex neuroimmune and neuroinflammatory conditions, including developmental regression, PANS/PANDAS, seizures, chronic fatigue, and dysautonomia. By following patients over decades, he has developed a clinical perspective that connects these diagnoses along a single continuum rather than treating them as isolated disorders.

In this conversation, Dr. Gaitanis shares how concepts like cerebral folate deficiency, mitochondrial energy demand, autonomic imbalance, and the cell danger response help explain why symptoms change with age, and why restoring physiologic balance is essential for recovery.

Dr. John Gaitanis

Website: brainfoundation.org/brain-investigators/brain-pi-john-gaitanis/

MAPS: medmaps.org/faculty/john-gaitanis/

Nancy O’Hara, MD, MPH, FAAP, FMAPS

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Lyme disease: what if everything you know about it was only a fraction of the truth? In this episode of Demystifying PANS/PANDAS, Dr. Tom Moorcroft joins us to break down misdiagnosis, co-infections, persistence, testing pitfalls, immune dysregulation, and the mindset shifts that helped him recover after eight years of undiagnosed illness.

Most people think Lyme disease is simple—until they get it. In this episode of Demystifying PANS/PANDAS, Dr. Tom Moorcroft joins us to share his eight-year journey of misdiagnosis, brain fog, joint pain, and debilitating fatigue that no doctor could explain. He walks through how Lyme, Babesia, Bartonella, and other co-infections overlap, why conventional treatment often falls short, and how immune suppression, total toxic load, and persistent forms of Borrelia complicate diagnosis and healing.

We dive deep into testing accuracy, the limitations of standard labs, the power of herbal protocols, and why slow-growing organisms require a fundamentally different treatment strategy. We also explore the emotional side of chronic illness, offering hope and direction to anyone navigating long-term symptoms.

Dr. Tom Moorcroft is one of the nation’s leading experts in Lyme disease, tick-borne co-infections, and complex chronic illness. With almost two decades of frontline clinical experience, he blends osteopathic medicine, advanced infectious-disease training, and root-cause functional approaches to help patients recover from conditions often dismissed or misunderstood by conventional medicine.

He is the founder of the Lyme Disease Practitioner Certification and Mentorship Program and host of The Lyme Insider Podcast, where he trains clinicians to diagnose and treat Lyme disease, Babesia, Bartonella, mold illness, and infection-triggered autoimmune conditions like PANS/PANDAS. Dr. Moorcroft is also a sought-after educator and a fellow of both the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society and the Medical Academy of Pediatrics Special Needs.

Dr. Tom Moorcroft

Website: tommoorcroft.com

Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/4MF1vvgVernzmORc6JdkG4?si=a33a63c4b4cf4778

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/tommoorcroft

Nancy O’Hara, MD, MPH, FAAP, FMAPS

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This is the mistake most protocols make with complex kids… In this episode of Demystifying PANS/PANDAS, Dr. James Neuenschwander, also known as Dr. Neu, joins us to talk about root-cause biochemistry, why there’s no one-size protocol for autism or PANS/PANDAS, and how patterns like immune dysfunction, gut issues, methylation problems, and the cell danger response can drive chronic illness.

Why complex illness refuses to follow a checklist. In this episode of Demystifying PANS/PANDAS, Dr. James Neuenschwander shares how he left surgical residency after seeing his own family experience improve with herbs, homeopathy, dietary changes, and detox-focused approaches—sparking a decades-long commitment to treating illness at its source rather than chasing symptoms.

He unpacks why MAPS teaches biochemistry that applies beyond pediatrics, and why labels like PANS, PANDAS, autism, ADD, chronic fatigue, and even long COVID can share underlying processes like inflammation, immune dysfunction, mitochondrial stress, gut dysbiosis, and nutrient issues. Dr. Neu explains the cell danger response as a short-term protective shift that becomes destructive when it’s chronically activated—and emphasizes the core message for both parents and practitioners: keep learning, keep investigating root drivers, and don’t give up. Tune in to hear how patterns reveal what protocols miss.

Dr. James Neuenschwander, also known as Dr. Neu, is an integrative physician and the president and director of the Medical Academy of Pediatric Special Needs (MAPS). He leads BioEnergy Medical Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where he sees chronically ill children and adults with complex immune, gut, and neuroinflammatory presentations.

After training in conventional medicine, he shifted toward root-cause care centered on biochemistry—focusing on identifying what’s driving symptoms rather than treating diagnostic labels. Through MAPS, he helps train practitioners to understand key pathways and apply science-based, individualized strategies to complex chronic illness.

James Neuenschwander, MD

Website: bioenergymedicalcenter.com/provider/james-neuenschwander-md

Instagram: instagram.com/theneumd

MAPS: medmaps.org/faculty/james-neuenschwander/

Nancy O’Hara, MD, MPH, FAAP, FMAPS

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What if you did everything right in pregnancy… and your child still developed autism and PANS/PANDAS? In this episode of Demystifying PANS/PANDAS, functional clinical nutritionist Inna Topiler joins us to talk about autoimmunity, preconception health, hidden triggers, flares, and the deep emotional work of parenting a neurologically sensitive child.

What happens when you spend years restoring your own health, and still face your child’s autism diagnosis? In this episode of Demystifying PANS/PANDAS, functional clinical nutritionist Inna Topiler joins us to share her path from chronically sick child to practitioner, and then to a mom navigating her son’s autism spectrum disorder. She opens up about decades of infections, heavy metals, gut issues, and thyroid autoimmunity, and the grief of realizing that even with all her preparation, her son needed a different kind of support.

We explore how parental autoimmunity, thyroid health, environmental triggers, and even subtle trauma shape a child’s nervous and immune systems. Tune in to this honest, validating conversation for any parent who feels they did everything right and is still searching for answers.

Inna Topiler is a functional clinical nutritionist specializing in Hashimoto’s and hypothyroidism—expertise shaped by her own long battle with infections, gut issues, heavy metals, and autoimmune thyroid disease. Her search for answers led her from Wall Street to a master’s degree and two decades of training in functional nutrition. For 21 years, she has helped clients address autoimmunity, hormone imbalances, digestive issues, and toxic overload through a root-cause, whole-body approach.

As a mom to a son with autism and PANS/PANDAS and a neurotypical daughter, Inna brings a rare dual perspective as both practitioner and parent. She’s passionate about blending conventional and functional tools, optimizing thyroid health, and creating cleaner, healthier homes. She is the creator of Thyrolove, a targeted multi-nutrient formula for Hashimoto’s and hypothyroidism, and shares her podcast, programs, and resources at InnaTopiler.com and Thyrolove.com.

Inna Topiler, CNS, MS

Websites: innatopiler.com; thyrolove.com

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/inna-topiler-mooney-cns-ms-9a85b27

Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/3RQT9bHpyPTWgVbObDvxHF?si=97abed9e34d9454e

Instagram: instagram.com/innatopiler

Facebook: facebook.com/InnaTopiler

YouTube: youtube.com/@innatopilerofficial

Tiktok: tiktok.com/@innatopiler

Nancy O’Hara, MD, MPH, FAAP, FMAPS

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What happens when a ten-year-old wakes up as a completely different child, hearing voices, gripped by terror, and no one can explain why? In this episode of Demystifying PANS/PANDAS, Isabel Witkos shares her story of years of misdiagnosis, trauma, self-harm, and suicidality, and how she rebuilt her life through therapy, community, and a stubborn kind of hope.

She went to bed a typical ten-year-old and woke up terrified of her own mind. In this episode of Demystifying PANS/PANDAS, Isabel Witkos joins us to talk about what PANDAS feels like from the inside. She describes going to bed as a typical ten-year-old and waking up overwhelmed by fear, intrusive thoughts, and symptoms no one could explain. Her family faced months of confusion, misdiagnoses, and missed school before learning about PANDAS. Even then, her recovery was long and complicated. She shares the grief of losing normal childhood experiences, the isolation of feeling misunderstood, and the struggle of living for years with a brain and body that no longer felt safe.

Izzy also opens up about the emotional side of her journey, including trauma, self-harm, and moments when she had to choose to keep going. Today, after years of hard work, she talks about finding calm, gratitude, and a desire for a peaceful life. Her story reminds families that this season is not the whole story and that recovery is possible.

Isabel Witkos is a young adult who spent a full decade living inside PANDAS. She was diagnosed at age ten after an overnight change that left her hearing voices, battling tics, intrusive thoughts, severe anxiety, and long stretches out of school. Her case was complex, with multiple triggers and layers of medical and emotional trauma, including self-harm and a suicide attempt in college.

Today, she speaks openly about the loneliness, grief, and identity loss that often go unseen in PANDAS. Through years of treatment, intensive therapy, and the steady presence of her family and friends, she’s learned that she is far more than her diagnosis, and now uses her story to offer validation, hope, and a vision of true healing to other families walking the same road.

Nancy O’Hara, MD, MPH, FAAP, FMAPS

Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.drohara.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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What if your child’s sudden tics, rages, anxiety, or personality changes were signs of the immune system attacking the brain after an infection? In this episode of Demystifying PANS/PANDAS, Dr. Craig Shimasaki reveals how a simple blood test can uncover hidden immune reactions, explain the most confusing symptoms, and point families toward real answers and real healing.

If your child changed overnight, this conversation may explain why and what to do next. In this episode of Demystifying PANS/PANDAS, Dr. Craig Shimasaki joins us to talk about how a simple infection can confuse the immune system and cause it to accidentally target the brain, leading to the sudden tics, rages, anxiety, and behavior shifts so many families experience. Tune in as we explore why these immune reactions are easily accepted when they affect the joints or thyroid, yet are dismissed as ‘behavioral’ when they affect the brain. Dr. Shimasaki also highlights the powerful role of gut health, microbiome diversity, and everyday exposures in shaping the immune system. His message is simple: when families understand the root cause, and when clinicians treat what the immune system is actually doing, kids and adults can improve in ways once thought impossible.

Dr. Craig Shimasaki is a molecular biologist, entrepreneur, and long-time leader in turning scientific discoveries into real-world medical breakthroughs. With more than three decades of experience in molecular biology, infectious disease, and immune-triggered brain disorders, he co-founded Moleculera Biosciences, a precision medicine company helping families uncover the immune root causes behind sudden neurologic, psychiatric, and behavioral symptoms. Today, he teaches biotechnology entrepreneurship and works with scientists and clinicians around the world to bring urgently needed medical innovations to patients. Dr. Shimasaki has become a leading voice in understanding how infections can trigger autoimmune reactions in the brain, and how identifying these reactions can change the trajectory of a child’s life.

Craig Shimasaki, PhD, MBA

Website: moleculera.com

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/craig-shimasaki-45b4a618

Nancy O’Hara, MD, MPH, FAAP, FMAPS

Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.drohara.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/drnancyohara/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/nhoharamd/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancy-o-hara-md-mph-faap-390781258/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Leaky skin. Leaky gut. Leaky brain. The connection is real, and it’s impacting our kids. In this episode of Demystifying PANS/PANDAS, Dr. Sheila Kilbane joins us to connect the dots between eczema, atopic issues, histamine, and neuropsychiatric symptoms. Join us as we break down the surprising overlap between leaky skin, leaky gut, and a leaky blood-brain barrier in kids with chronic inflammatory issues and offer practical, doable steps to support healing.

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What if your child’s eczema, gut issues, and rages were all connected? In this episode of Demystifying PANS/PANDAS, Dr. Sheila Kilbane joins us to explore a big question on so many parents’ minds: How are my child’s skin issues, gut issues, and brain symptoms all connected? She breaks down her ‘inside out and outside in’ approach to eczema in simple, practical terms, while also asking why the fire started in the first place. We also look at the major triggers in a child’s ‘inflammation bucket’ and show how things like allergy season or a dust-mite–filled mattress can be the hidden reason tics, rages, or anxiety explode.

Dr. Kilbane also dives into when it actually helps to use medications or antihistamines at the beginning, and how to slowly layer in kid-friendly tools like smoothies, better snacks, and more plants in the diet without stressing the whole family. Tune in to hear real stories of kids whose eczema, ear infections, and behavior improved when a few key foods were removed, why giant food panels are unreliable, and how simple patterns and parent observations can guide your next steps.

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Dr. Sheila Kilbane is a board-certified pediatrician and integrative medicine physician who helps families get to the root of chronic childhood illnesses, from eczema and allergies to gut issues, asthma, and behavioral symptoms. After years in a busy conventional practice watching kids return again and again without lasting improvement, she set out to create a better model of care, one that listens deeply, looks for patterns, and uses both nutrition and medicine to support healing from the inside out.

Today, she runs a private practice and is the creator of the Healthy Kids, Happy Moms Program, a seven-step process designed to reduce inflammation and restore children’s health naturally and sustainably. A sought-after speaker and author, her mission is to transform pediatric healthcare and help one million kids get off medications they may not need while giving parents the clarity, confidence, and tools they deserve.

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Sheila Kilbane, MD

Website: sheilakilbane.com

Instagram: instagram.com/sheilakilbanemd

Facebook: facebook.com/sheilakilbanemd

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sheilakilbane

Twitter: x.com/sheilakilbanemd

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Nancy O’Hara, MD, MPH, FAAP, FMAPS

Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.drohara.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/drnancyohara/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/nhoharamd/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancy-o-hara-md-mph-faap-390781258/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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PODCAST

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This podcast is produced by DrTalks.com

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