PANS, PANDAS, and Basal Ganglia Encephalitis: What Every Parent Must Know

Dr. Nancy O’Hara explains how immune dysfunction can affect a child’s brain—and what parents need to know about PANS, PANDAS, and recovery.

Dr. Nancy O’Hara shares her personal and professional journey into understanding PANS, PANDAS, and immune-related brain inflammation. Drawing from years of experience—and her own son’s health challenges—she explains how infections and environmental triggers can disrupt a child’s immune system and affect behavior, mood, and learning. This episode offers clarity, validation, and hope for families navigating complex neurological and immune conditions.

Nancy O’Hara, MD, MPH, FAAP, is a board-certified Pediatrician. Before her medical career, Dr. O’Hara taught children with autism. She graduated with highest honors from Bryn Mawr College and as a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. She earned a Master’s degree in Public Health from the University of Pittsburgh. After residency, chief residency, and general pediatric fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh, Dr. O’ Hara entered general private practice in 1993, and in 1999 began her consultative, integrative practice solely for children with special needs. Since 1999, she has dedicated her functional medicine practice to the integrative and holistic care of children with chronic illness and neurodevelopmental disorders such as ADHD, PANDAS/PANS, OCD, Lyme, and ASD. She is also a leader in the training of clinicians, both in the United States and abroad. Dr. O’Hara has written a comprehensive guidebook, “Demystifying PANS / PANDAS: A Functional Medicine Desktop Reference on Basal Ganglia Encephalitis”, which is available on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B8BC6XFR.