Lindsey Wells ND, LLC

04/30/2026

All children want to feel connected.
They want to do well.
They want to be loved.

When a child becomes aggressive, rageful, or explosive, especially with sudden onset, that is not their personality.

In some children, severe irritability and aggression can be associated with infectious triggers such as Bartonella.

When I see this pattern in clinic, I make sure it’s evaluated.

Not every case of aggression is infectious.

But not every case is behavioral either.

If something feels out of character, look deeper.

04/28/2026

Every practitioner has a moment that shaped their career.

Mine was a five-year-old boy I missed.

Early in my career, I didn’t recognize PANDAS when it was right in front of me.

And that realization changed everything.

It pushed me to study deeper.
To seek mentorship

Today, my practice is centered around helping families navigate PANS/PANDAS.

And I carry that early case with me

Sometimes the patients we miss become the reason we never stop learning.

04/22/2026

Around 50% of children with PANS may have vitamin D deficiency.

Vitamin D is not just about bone health — it is a critical immune regulator.

When levels are low:
• Infection risk increases
• Immune dysregulation worsens
• Flares become more frequent

Research has shown that lower vitamin D levels in children with PANS are associated with:
• Increased OCD severity
• More pronounced ADHD symptoms
• Greater overall symptom burden

This is not coincidental.

PANS is an immune-mediated condition.Vitamin D plays a key role in immune modulation and neuroinflammation.

In my clinical practice, I don’t aim for “just normal.”
I aim for optimal levels between 60–80.

Vitamin D alone will not resolve a flare.

But if it’s low, it can absolutely make flares more frequent and symptoms more intense.

Check vitamin D levels and optimize it.

04/20/2026

If your child has PANS and has a normal ferritin level, it may still not be optimal.

“Normal” on a lab report does not always mean optimal for a neuroimmune condition.

Ferritin measures stored iron and iron is essential for:
• Brain development
• Dopamine production
• Mood regulation
• Sleep
• Energy
• Immune system function

When ferritin is low or even low-normal in children with PANS, symptoms can worsen.

Low ferritin has been associated with:
• Increased OCD severity
• Worsening anxiety
• Irritability
• ADHD symptoms
• Restless sleep
• Greater overall flare intensity

In my clinical practice, I aim for a ferritin level of at least 50 in children with PANS.

Because “normal” is not the same as optimal.

It’s not always just about treating infections.

It’s about supporting the immune system and decreasing inflammation and that starts with foundational nutrient optimization.

04/13/2026

Cerebral folate deficiency (CFD) is often discussed in autism.

But in our findings, 63.4% of children with PANS tested positive for CFD.

Even more striking — levels were higher in our PANS cohort than those reported in ASD populations.

CFD occurs when folate transport into the brain is blocked — often by folate receptor alpha autoantibodies at the blood-brain barrier.

This means blood folate levels can appear normal while the brain remains deficient.

In our data, higher antibody levels were associated with increased likelihood of tics.

In clinical practice, treating cerebral folate deficiency in children with PANS often improves:
• OCD
• Anxiety
• Executive functioning
• Tics
• Speech regression
• Stuttering

Folate is foundational to brain regulation.
In PANS, this piece is frequently overlooked.

04/13/2026

"What experience does Lindsey Wells have treating kids with autism? Can parents help mitigate their children’s symptoms without expensive medical interventions? Are there any beneficial tests out there for identifying health triggers? Is there real hope for families dealing with these things? Tune in to “Pediatric Perspectives” to find out!"

https://live.childrenshealthdefense.org/chd-tv/shows/good-morning-chd/game-changer-tests-for-kids-with-autism/?utm_id=20260411

04/09/2026

When your child develops sudden OCD, tics, anxiety, regression, or rage…
it can feel terrifying.

Parents often ask me if this means permanent brain damage.

It doesn’t.

In conditions like PANS, PANDAS, and other neuroimmune disorders, we are often looking at inflammation and immune dysregulation — not irreversible injury.

Children’s brains are extraordinarily adaptable.

With the right support and time, healing happens.
And something else happens too…

Resilience is built.

04/06/2026

Following in big brother’s footsteps… we’ve officially reached 100 foods before 1 🥹✨

This journey felt different the second time around.

I was more intentional about focusing on nutrient-dense, ancestral foods to support his gut health from the very beginning.

We combined this with baby-led weaning, creating space for independence, curiosity, and openness to different textures and flavors.

And I’ve seen how powerful this foundation can be…

Big brother never experienced typical toddler pickiness and continues to explore new foods with ease—something I don’t take for granted.

Now I’m watching the same pattern unfold again.

3 meals a day since 6 months ✔️
A love for real food ✔️
An openness to try anything ✔️

Current favorites?
Chicken… berries… and more berries 🫐🍓

So proud of this milestone but even more grateful for the foundation it’s creating

04/03/2026

Everyone assumes it’s strep.

But many of the children I treat with sudden OCD, anxiety, or tics never had strep as their trigger.

Instead, their labs show Mycoplasma.

And they didn’t even have a history of pneumonia.

Sometimes there was:
• No cough
• No fever
• No obvious infection #

In PANS, children often don’t present with classic signs of acute illness.

Instead, the first and only signal can be abrupt neuropsychiatric symptoms.

Sudden OCD.
Anxiety.
Tics.
Emotional lability.

This is why, when evaluating sudden onset symptoms, I don’t just rule out strep — I rule out Mycoplasma as well.

04/01/2026

Behavior changes can be a sign of illness.

In children with PANS/PANDAS, the immune response doesn’t always show up as a fever or obvious infection. This is why so many parents say, “They weren’t sick” around the time of onset—and they’re not wrong.

The body may not show classic signs of illness, but the immune system can still be activated.

And instead, it shows up as:
• sudden anxiety
• OCD
• emotional lability
• rage
• tics
• regression
• sleep changes

Sometimes behavior is the clue.

Especially in immune-mediated conditions like PANS/PANDAS.

03/18/2026

Such an honor to be interviewed by Dr Paul Thomas. Check out this clip from our discussion on PANS/PANDAS

63.8% of children with PANS & PANDAS tested positive for cerebral folate deficiency. Dr. Paul sat down with Dr. Lindsey Wells on to discuss what this means for kids.
Watch: http://dlvr.it/TRX0zG

03/09/2026

Antimicrobial support needs to be strategic.
In my practice, I rarely rely on a single antimicrobial herb long-term. Just like we see with antibiotic resistance, microbes can adapt when we use the same tool over and over.
In practice, I find antimicrobial support is often most effective when multiple herbal antimicrobials are used and rotated, rather than staying on one continuously.

To learn more about favorite antimicrobial herbals are the ones I use clinically comment HERBS below