December 03, 2025

Leaky Skin, Leaky Gut, Leaky Brain: The Hidden Connection in Kids

51 minutes

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/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠