Michael is a high school student with PANDAS who I have been treating for the last several months. He developed the condition at the age of 8 after a bout of strep throat that was treated with antibiotics. The strep kept on reoccurring and Michael began exhibiting odd behaviors. He would wiggle or shake his body and make stepping patterns with his feet or tapping patterns with his fingers. Then he started with various tics that presented like slurping and sniffing.
A Case of Asperger Syndrome
Beth was an 11-year-old girl whose mother brought her in for a consultation mostly to address behavioral and emotional issues. Over the years she had a number of neuropsych evaluations that led to an alphabet soup of diagnoses - ADHD, ODD (Oppositional Defiance Disorder), ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder), AS (Asperger Syndrome) and my personal favorite PDD-NOS (Pervasive Developmental Disorder - Not Otherwise Specified).
PANDAS, PANS & Homeopathy
Jack was a pretty normal, happy 7 year old who came down with a cough and fever one winter's day. He got over the acute physical symptoms after a few days but still didn't feel well. Jack complained of being sad and lethargic, poor sleep, low appetite, not being able to concentrate, and no longer wanting to go to school. His teachers also noticed that he seemed unusually withdrawn in the classroom.
This went on for about a month and then one day, while attending a sporting event with his family, he suddenly became acutely anxious and was overwhelmed by what he called 'bad thoughts'. The thoughts, mostly of a perverse sexual nature, and the anxiety continued on, becoming a chronic problem. Jack subsequently developed compulsive behaviors such as counting, repetitive questions, and particular hand motions as well. Eye blinking, which had first appeared a few months prior to getting sick but had resolved on its own, also reappeared as a tic like behavior.
Vexxed over Vaxxed
The movie ‘Vaxxed: From Cover-up to Catastrophe’ made the rounds of select theaters in Vermont over the last several months. These showings
The movie ‘Vaxxed: From Cover-up to Catastrophe’ made the rounds of select theaters in Vermont over the last several months. These showings - one of which took place in Brattleboro at the Latchis Theater this past Monday evening - are sponsored by the Vermont Coalition for Vaccine Choice (ww.voicesforchoice.com) and are part of an effort to raise awareness about risks associated with vaccinations.
What makes Vaxxed so compelling is two-fold:
There are many powerful, heart rendering scenes in which parents of vaccine damaged children testify to their experience of having their child vaccinated and then soon thereafter witnessing profound neurological degeneration. These interviews watched one after the other can leave the viewer emotionally stunned - and enraged at the forces that led to these outcomes.
Two Cases of Whooping Cough
Little 7 year old Teddy was one miserable fellow when his mother brought him to the office on a hot summer afternoon. He had been suffering from pertussis or whooping cough for a number of weeks - and suffering was the operative word. Every hour he would have a very violent and loud fit of coughing. He would literally jump into the air with the force of the cough and, because Teddy felt like he was choking, he would desperately stomp his feet. Then the fit would end in a spasm of vomiting or retching.
If you've ever witnessed a bout of whooping cough, it can be pretty scary. In infants it can be dangerous because they actually can suffocate.