Nancy O'Hara MD, MPH, FAAP

Nancy O'Hara MD, MPH, FAAP Dr. Nancy O’Hara's functional medicine practice integrates the care of children with neurodevelopmental disorders and various chronic illnesses.

06/11/2026

One of the most interesting (and under-discussed) clinical considerations in congenital vector-borne illness is this:

testing the placenta and cord blood.

Dr. Somer DelSignore explains why examining placental tissue can sometimes provide valuable clues — both through molecular testing (looking for DNA/PCR signals) and through placental pathology that may show signs of inflammation.

It’s not a perfect test. Nothing in this space is 100%.

But for the right clinical picture, it can be an important piece of the puzzle — especially when families are trying to understand whether in utero exposure could have played a role.

Listen to the full discussion on Episode 58 of the Demystifying PANS/PANDAS Podcast!

06/10/2026

This is a gentle reminder for moms-to-be — and for clinicians supporting them:

Optimizing health before pregnancy matters, especially when there’s a history of immune dysregulation, chronic infections, or inflammation.

Dr. Somer DelSignore outlines a thoughtful “state of the state” approach:

- evaluate for underlying infections (not only vector-borne)

- look at immune markers and inflammatory patterns

- support thyroid and autoimmune risk factors thoughtfully

- prioritize nutrition, sleep, and nervous system balance

This isn’t about perfection or panic.
It’s about reducing inflammatory burden and supporting a healthier environment for both mom and baby.

Episode #58 of the Demystifying PANS/PANDAS Podcast goes deeper into how immune activation during pregnancy may influence later neurodevelopment and neuropsychiatric symptoms.

06/09/2026

“Is my child’s brain permanently damaged… or can this get better?”

Dr. Somer DelSignore reminds us of something deeply hopeful: the brain is not “static.” We now understand that the brain is always adapting, always capable of rewiring — especially when we reduce inflammation and provide the right supports.

That doesn’t mean there’s a quick fix.
But it does mean the story isn’t over.

Supporting neuroplasticity can include fundamentals that are often overlooked in complex cases:

- targeted nutrition and healthy fats

- reducing inflammatory load

- building the right environment for healing over time

If you’ve been carrying fear about your child’s long-term outlook, I hope this clip offers a breath of hope.

Listen to the full conversation on Episode #58 of the Demystifying PANS/PANDAS Podcast: “When Neurodevelopmental Symptoms Start in the Womb.”

In case you missed it, U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. recently announced a series...
06/08/2026

In case you missed it, U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. recently announced a series of major initiatives to strengthen the nation’s response to Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses. HHS actions include a multi-million-dollar pilot program focused on tick control, up to $2.5 million in innovation challenges, funding for NIH researchers to combat Alpha-gal syndrome, and a public-private collaboration to help patients connect with experienced providers.

06/04/2026

Fear will travel with you… but you don’t have to let it drive.

When families are dealing with complex neuroimmune symptoms, fear can become a constant companion — fear of missing something, fear of worsening, fear of the unknown.

Dr. Somer DelSignore offers a simple reframe: we can acknowledge the fear, but still choose a different driver — curiosity, steadiness, and next right steps.

That’s what a root-cause approach is meant to do: reduce chaos, build a plan, and give families back a sense of direction.

Check out the latest episode of the Demystifying PANS/PANDAS Podcast if you want a hopeful, practical conversation that helps you think differently about early roots of neuroinflammation. Also check out all the informaiton on our website, drohara.com

06/03/2026

I want families to hear this message clearly: This is not a death sentence. There is hope.

Dr. Somer DelSignore speaks directly to parents and practitioners who are new to this topic and understandably scared. She shares what I’ve seen, too: with the right investigation and a thoughtful, root-cause approach, many children and moms can reach remission and live full, happy lives.

The work can be layered — and sometimes the more we look, the more we find. But “finding more” doesn’t mean doom. It means we finally have a clearer map.

This episode is a compassionate, grounded discussion on:

congenital vector-borne infections and maternal immune activation

why kids often present differently than adults

and why recovery is often about addressing infection and inflammation, detoxification, gut health, and immune balance together

Episode #58 of the Demystifying PANS/PANDAS Podcast is available now: “When Neurodevelopmental Symptoms Start in the Womb.”

If this topic resonates for your family or your patients, I encourage you to listen to the full discussion!

06/02/2026

Tomorrow’s episode explores a topic that many families (and even clinicians) may not realize needs to be on the differential:

congenital vector-borne infections.

Dr. Somer DelSignore explains what “vector-borne” really means — and why it goes beyond the usual tick-only narrative. Mosquitoes, fleas, sandflies, and other vectors can transmit infections, and in some cases, maternal infection and immune activation during pregnancy may influence a baby’s developing brain and immune system.

What matters most is this: congenital presentations in children often don’t look “textbook.” They can show up as subtle developmental, behavioral, feeding, sleep, or regulation challenges — long before anyone thinks about infection or inflammation as part of the story.

Episode #58 of the Demystifying PANS/PANDAS Podcast drops tomorrow: “When Neurodevelopmental Symptoms Start in the Womb.” Stay tuned!

If you’re a clinician who’s tired of “symptom management” being the end of the conversation in pediatric mental health…I...
06/01/2026

If you’re a clinician who’s tired of “symptom management” being the end of the conversation in pediatric mental health…

I’d like to invite you to take a look at the Certified Pediatric Functional & Integrative Psychiatry Fellowship — led by Dr. James Greenblatt, myself, and an esteemed group of global leaders in pediatric functional and integrative psychiatry.

This is the first and only comprehensive training built specifically for clinicians who want to upgrade how they approach mental health care for children, adolescents, and teens.

Not with more “try this next,” but with a clearer, more personalized framework to answer:

Why is this child struggling?

What’s driving the symptoms underneath the surface?

What should we evaluate next — and why?

What interventions are most likely to create lasting change?

Inside the Fellowship, we focus on science-backed functional medicine and nutritional / metabolic psychiatry strategies you can apply immediately — especially for complex cases where standard approaches haven’t been enough.

If you want to feel more confident in your clinical reasoning, expand your toolkit, and build a practice that reflects how connected the body and brain truly are…

I’d love to have you join us. Visit my website to learn more!

05/29/2026

If you’ve ever felt like you’re doing everything to help your child… and yet the anxiety keeps coming back, this clip will explain why.

Dr. Sarah Bren describes the anxiety loop clearly:
anxiety → distress → accommodation → relief → anxiety returns

It’s not that parents are doing something “wrong.”

It’s that relief can become a short-term fix that accidentally trains the brain to rely on rescue.

Her analogy is perfect: Over-accommodating is like hitting the snooze button—the alarm quiets for a moment… but it comes right back.

This episode is about learning how to support kids in a way that helps them feel safe and capable, not dependent on reassurance.

For the full conversation and practical tools you can try, listen to Episode #57 of Demystifying PANS/PANDAS: “How Parents Can Stop Feeding the Worry Loop.”

05/28/2026

One of the biggest shifts parents can make isn’t “how do I get rid of my child’s anxiety?” — it’s “How do I help my child learn they can survive it?”

Dr. Sarah Bren explains a key idea from SPACE therapy: you don’t remove every accommodation at once. You choose one small thing to change, and that naturally creates an “exposure” moment.

Your child feels anxious… but in the context of a safe, supportive relationship, they get through it.

And that matters because the new story becomes:
“That was hard… and I can handle hard.”

Over time, that coping capacity generalizes — anxiety tolerance rises across situations, not just the one you targeted.

If you want the full framework (and how to do this in a way that still feels compassionate), listen to Episode #57 of Demystifying PANS/PANDAS: “How Parents Can Stop Feeding the Worry Loop.”

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