Episode 46: Healing Children with Challenging Neurodevelopmental and Infectious Issues

My guest this week is Stephanie Belseth, a board-certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner with over 25 years of experience in inpatient and outpatient primary care, pulmonology, asthma, early childhood screening, and neurodevelopmental disorders. Stephanie has a special interest in holistic wellness care, Gastrointestinal disorders, Autism, ADHD, Asthma, mental health disorders, PANS/PANDAS, Autoimmune disease, Pediatric Lyme and conditions that mimic it, and other complex chronic pediatric conditions.  In this episode, Stephanie and I discuss the various infections that we see in children who are struggling with neurodevelopmental issues. We also highlight some of the environmental dangers (right in your own home) like EMF radiation and mold, that could be exacerbating these issues. Finally, Stephanie walks us through some examples of treatment protocols for these issues that are very encouraging for parents and children. To learn more about Stephanie Belseth click here.   Episode Highlights Infectious issues related to neurodevelopmental challenges Lyme disease, Borrelia burgdorferi, Bartonella, Babesia Problems with mycoplasma, strep, viruses Many different kinds of conditions underlying parasitic or fungal overgrowth, bacterial dysbiosis in the gut and the microbiome PANDAS and co-infections Often times kids that come in diagnosed with PANDAS, actually have many other infections Blood-brain Barrier  Kids have leaky blood-brain barriers Their blood-brain barriers are more permeable than they should be, either due to concussions, due to infection, microbiome problems, the gut-brain connection If the gut has increased permeability then the brain will have increased permeability Treatments that can help Often times kids aren’t sleeping well, so improving sleep is a good place to start with treatment Melatonin, valerian root, and lemon balm can sometimes help Herbs, vitamins, CBD for lowering brain and gut inflammation Deep breathing skills, hopping skills, QNRT or Brainspotting or other kinds of techniques, EMDR Introducing more healthy fats into the diet and eating mostly anti-inflammatory foods can help Environmental dangers for kids EMF (electromagnetic fields) radiation from wifi and wifi enabled devices Too much screen time Overexposure to screens and devices can cause hyperactivity, irritability, and other neurological issues in kids There are physiological effects of EMF radiation, especially in kids that are extra sensitive, therefore, screen time and proximity to wifi should be limited Mold Exposure Mold can be a significant stressor on the immune system One out of two homes has some type of mold Test your home environment if you feel like you have tried everything for your child and they are still struggling to improve their neurological symptoms Where to learn more about Stephanie Belseth... New Bridge Wellness Facebook   Connect with Dr. Nicole Beurkens on... Instagram Facebook Drbeurkens.com   Need help with improving your child’s behavior naturally?  My book Life Will Get Better is available for purchase, click here to learn more.  Looking for more? Check out my Blog and the Better Behavior Naturally Parent Program - a resource guide for parents who want to be more effective with improving their child’s behavior.  Interested in becoming a patient? Contact us here.