Lindsey Wells ND, LLC

Lindsey Wells ND, LLC Dr. Lindsey Wells is a Naturopathic Physician in CT.

Her practice focuses on pediatric consultative care for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), PANDAS/PANS, tick-borne diseases, and various chronic illnesses.

08/26/2026

A pattern I keep seeing in my PANS/PANDAS patients is these kids are incredibly intelligent and gifted. Deep thinkers, highly perceptive, intensely creative.

It’s made me wonder for years — does the same wiring that makes these brains so exceptional also make them more vulnerable to inflammation?

What I do know is that behind the neuropsychiatric symptoms is a remarkable kid with a remarkable brain.

Does this sound like your child? Tell me below.

08/25/2026

Something more PANS/PANDAS parents need to hear: the treatment itself can create a whole new layer of symptoms.

Many kids with PANS/PANDAS are on long-term prophylactic antibiotics, which is necessary for keeping infection load down and decreasing flares. But antibiotics can also disrupt the gut microbiome and open the door to yeast overgrowth.

And yeast doesn’t always look like bloating or thrush. Sometimes it shows up as behavior: silliness that seems “off,” anxiety, paranoia, aggression, brain fog, even a drunk-like presentation.

If your child is still struggling despite being on prophylactic antibiotics, yeast may be part of the picture.

This is why treating these kids means asking two questions, not one: Is the infection being addressed? And what’s happening to the terrain of the body while we treat it?

08/24/2026

One of the most common misconceptions about PANS/PANDAS is that it is rare.

Current estimates suggest that PANS/PANDAS may affect approximately 1 in 150–200 children.

That is not rare.

The challenge is not rarity, it is recognition.

Many children with PANS/PANDAS are instead diagnosed with conditions such as OCD, anxiety, ADHD, tics, or behavioral disorders, without the underlying post-infectious immune trigger ever being considered.

The hallmark of PANS/PANDAS is the sudden onset of neuropsychiatric symptoms, often following an infection.

Increasing awareness is essential to helping more children and their families receive the proper diagnosis and treatment.

08/21/2026

Have you ever noticed changes in your child’s tongue during a flare?

On physical exam, I may see:
• a darting tongue
• small fasciculations or tremors
• difficulty holding the tongue out
• or the tongue deviating to one side

In one study, about 31% of children with PANS who were in a flare showed abnormal tongue movements on exam.

And importantly, these findings often improve as the flare resolves.

This is why a careful physical exam is so important.

Because PANS/PANDAS are clinical diagnoses based on both medical history and physical exam findings, not just labs.

Starting folinic acid?Best to go low and slow, increasing gradually over weeks. This is how we help the body adjust and ...
08/20/2026

Starting folinic acid?

Best to go low and slow, increasing gradually over weeks.

This is how we help the body adjust and minimize side effects

This graphic is a general guide. Your child’s provider should always be directing the dosing process.

08/19/2026

If your child is starting folinic acid, do not start at the full dose.

In my practice I start at a fraction of the full therapeutic dose and increase gradually from there - working up each week toward the full dose of 2 mg per kilogram of body weight per day.

On average it takes 6 to 10 weeks to reach the full therapeutic dose. For some children it takes even longer.

Going low and slow gives the body time to adjust and helps prevent the negative side effects that can come with starting too high too quickly.

This is exactly why working with an experienced healthcare provider is so important. Dosing needs to be individualized for your child specifically

FRAAs are not a genetic mutation but that doesn’t mean they can’t run in families.Research has shown that first degree r...
08/18/2026

FRAAs are not a genetic mutation but that doesn’t mean they can’t run in families.

Research has shown that first degree relatives of children with FRAAs, parents and siblings, also test positive for FRAA.

We believe this is related to where folate receptors are found in the body, including the placenta, fallopian tubes, uterus, and epididymis. Because of their presence in the very tissues involved in reproduction and early development, we think this is how FRAAs can be passed from parent to child.

Not through genes but through the environment of early development.

This is why we refer to FRAAs as a non-genetic hereditary trait.

If your child has tested positive for FRAAs it may be worth having a conversation with your provider about whether other family members should be evaluated as well

08/17/2026

FRAAs are not a genetic mutation but that doesn’t mean they can’t run in families.

Research has confirmed that first degree relatives of children with FRAAs are also testing positive. That means parents and siblings. We are also seeing grandparents testing positive.

Here is why we think this happens:

Folate receptors are found in very specific locations in the body including the microvillus plasma membrane of the placenta, and the epithelium of the fallopian tubes, uterus, and epididymis.

Because of where these receptors are located, the tissues involved in reproduction and early development, we suspect this is how FRAAs can be passed from parent to child. Not through genes, but through the environment of early development.

This is why we refer to FRAAs as a non-genetic hereditary trait.

If your child has tested positive for FRAAs it may be worth having a conversation with your provider about whether other family members should be evaluated as well.

A negative FRAA test does not necessarily mean your child doesn’t have FRAAs.FRAAs can fluctuate over time — influenced ...
08/15/2026

A negative FRAA test does not necessarily mean your child doesn’t have FRAAs.

FRAAs can fluctuate over time — influenced by dairy exposure and immune response at the time of testing.

If your child tested negative but is still struggling, two things are worth discussing with your provider:

1️⃣ Re-testing — FRAAs may be elevated at a different point in time

2️⃣ A therapeutic trial of folinic acid — given its high safety profile this can be a reasonable clinical consideration

Please work with a knowledgeable provider who can provide guidance on this

08/14/2026

A negative FRAA test does not necessarily mean your child doesn’t have Folate Receptor Autoantibodies.

Folate Receptor Autoantibodies can fluctuate over time.
This means a child could test negative at one point — and positive at another. A negative result is a snapshot, not a permanent answer.

This fluctuation may be related to diet, specifically dairy exposure, or to immune response at the time of testing.

If your child tested negative but is still struggling, two things are worth discussing with your provider:

1️⃣ Re-testing — autoantibodies may be elevated at a different point in time like during a flare
2️⃣ A therapeutic trial of folinic acid — given its high safety profile, this can be a reasonable clinical consideration even with a negative test

This is not a decision to make on your own. Please work with a knowledgeable healthcare provider who understands folate receptor dysfunction and can guide this decision for your child specifically.

Save this and share it with a mom whose child tested negative but is still searching for answers.

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Trumbull, CT
06611

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