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Nancy O'Hara MD, MPH, FAAP

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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.

03/26/2026

This is the misunderstanding that hurts families the most:

When people can’t see the illness, they assume it’s a character problem.

In this episode, we talk about the reality that PANS involves brain inflammation — and inflammation in the brain can change behavior, emotion, impulse control, and perception… even in a child who is kind, loving, and trying their best.

Aiden also describes something we hear often:
Teachers or adults who never knew the “before” version of the child may think the flare is who they are.

But families know:
This isn’t their personality. It’s their physiology.

When we shift from punishment to understanding, the entire approach changes:

- safety improves

- stimulation can be reduced

- expectations become realistic

- recovery becomes more possible

🎧 If this resonates, I encourage you to listen to the full episode:
Episode 53 of Demystifying PANS/PANDAS — “Inside a PANS Flare: A Child Explains What It Feels Like.”

03/25/2026

Episode is live — and it’s one of the most important conversations we’ve had about what PANS actually feels like from the inside.

Aiden answers a question I wish more people would ask:

“What do people get wrong about PANS/PANDAS?”

His response is powerful:

When you’re in it, it can look like you’re not trying — but the reality is that it can feel like your brain can’t fully control your body, even when you desperately want it to.

Many children describe this as feeling trapped, panicked, or “not themselves.”

Some even say what Aiden shared here — that they just want to be out of their body.

That is not defiance... That is distress.

🎧 Episode 53 of the Demystifying PANS/PANDAS Podcast is available now on your favorite podcast platform! (Link in bio)

If you know a parent, teacher, or clinician who needs a clearer understanding of these behaviors, please share this episode with them Demystifying PANS/PANDAS, wherever you get your podcasts.

03/24/2026

One of the hardest parts of PANS is that the child is still there… but the ability to self-regulate can feel out of reach.

In this clip, Aiden shares an analogy that stopped me in my tracks:

He describes himself in the trunk of a car — while anger, repetition, and overwhelm sit closer to the front, making the decisions.

Not because he wants them to… but because during a flare, it can feel like he can’t reach the driver’s seat.

This is exactly why “just try harder” and “make better choices” so often miss the mark.

When the brain is inflamed and under stress, the usual pause between thought → action can disappear.

Tomorrow’s episode is one I hope every parent, teacher, and clinician hears — because Aiden puts words to what many kids can’t explain.

🎧 Episode 53 of Demystifying PANS/PANDAS drops tomorrow wherever you get your podcasts!

03/23/2026

I’m honored to be speaking at the ILADS European Scientific Conference this spring in London.

If you work with patients who present with complex, multi-system illness—where symptoms span neurological, immune, inflammatory, and psychiatric domains—you know how quickly these cases can outgrow a “single-system” approach.

This conference is one of the few settings where clinicians can step back, connect with colleagues who see these patterns every day, and explore:

How the field is thinking about tick-borne disease and co-infections in 2026

What’s evolving in diagnostic reasoning and treatment strategy

And how to better support patients with layered, overlapping presentations that don’t fit neatly into one specialty

My lecture is entitled, What Am I Missing in Treating Vector-Borne Disease? Could It Be Cerebral Folate Deficiency? SO join us!

Beyond the education, it’s also a valuable opportunity to network with physician leaders and researchers from around the world—and bring practical ideas back to your clinic right away.

👉 Registration details are in the link in my bio.

03/19/2026

So often, families who come into my practice are carrying an invisible mental load:

Which medication is right? Which supplement is right? Which diet is right?
And when you’re parenting a child with PANS/PANDAS, that constant decision-making can become exhausting.

In this clip, I’m reflecting on something Stephen Saint-Onge brings into the conversation so beautifully:

Sometimes support doesn’t have to be another protocol.
Sometimes it can be a lifestyle shift that brings a little joy back into the day — without spending money.

A few gentle reminders if you’re in that “overwhelmed” season:

Your home doesn’t need to be a “dream house” to be a healing space

Small changes in light, layout, and comfort cues can shift the emotional tone of a room

Creating a supportive environment can help caregivers feel more grounded, too

Joy matters — not as a luxury, but as part of resilience

Even if you’re in a starter home, a condo, or an apartment: it’s still your space. And small choices can help it feel more calm, more regulated, and more like a place you can exhale.

🎧 If you’d like the full conversation, listen to Episode #52 of Demystifying PANS/PANDAS: “Is Your Home Affecting Your Child’s Brain?”

Soft invitation: it’s a practical, hopeful episode — and you may leave with one small change you want to try this week.

03/18/2026

When we talk about supporting children with PANS/PANDAS, we often focus (appropriately) on infections, inflammation, immune regulation, and treatment planning.

But there’s another layer that matters more than many families realize: the environment your child has to process every day.

In this clip, Stephen Saint-Onge makes an important point: many of our kids are already living with intrusive thoughts, anxiety, and internal “mental clutter.” When their room, desk, or workspace is also visually chaotic, it can add to that overload.

At the same time, we have to be thoughtful. For some children, too much change can feel destabilizing — familiarity can create a sense of control when so much else feels unpredictable.

So the goal isn’t to “redo everything.” It’s to find the balance:

Reduce visual noise where you can

Keep a few key items or arrangements the same so your child feels grounded

Create one small “calm zone” that supports regulation

Small shifts can make a meaningful difference — especially for sensitive nervous systems.

🎧 If this resonates, the full conversation is in Episode #52 of Demystifying PANS/PANDAS: “Is Your Home Affecting Your Child’s Brain?”

A soft invitation to listen — it’s full of practical, low-cost ideas you can try right away.

03/17/2026

I’m honored to be part of Strength in Stages — a supportive, education-focused program created for caregivers navigating PANS/PANDAS.

If you’re parenting a child (or young adult) with PANS/PANDAS, you already know how isolating and overwhelming this journey can feel. My hope is that this series helps you feel more informed, more supported, and less alone — with practical guidance you can carry into everyday life.

Strength in Stages includes 4 virtual sessions:

March 16, 2026 – What Are PANS/PANDAS and Treatment Options (with me)
March 30, 2026 – Understanding & Managing Caregiver Trauma Associated with PANS/PANDAS (Sheilah Gauch, M.Ed, LICSW)
April 13, 2026 – Regulation & Resilience: Supporting the Caregiver (Melissa Glynn-Hyman, LICSW)
April 27, 2026 – Supporting Your Child with PANS/PANDAS at School & Home (Sheilah Gauch, M.Ed, LICSW)

Webinar access links will be emailed to registered participants before each session.

If finances are a barrier, please don’t let that stop you — you can reach out confidentially to Barbie@lookfoundation.org.

👉 Register via the link in bio.

03/16/2026

Great to see so many aspiring doctors and practitioners at medmaps.org!

03/13/2026

Healing isn’t only about what we do medically — it’s also about what a child’s nervous system is experiencing all day long.

Stephen Saint-Onge highlights something beautifully simple:
your home is constantly communicating through the senses.

What your child sees (visual clutter, harsh colors, unfinished spaces)

What they hear (noise, music, silence, tension)

What they smell (comfort cues, familiar routines)

For children with sensory sensitivity, anxiety, PANS/PANDAS, or neuroinflammation, these inputs can either add to overwhelm… or support regulation.

And the goal isn’t perfection.
It’s creating small “signals of safety” — the calming soundtrack, softer lighting, a familiar comforting scent, a more visually quiet corner — that help the body exhale.

🎧 Check out Episode #52: “Is Your Home Affecting Your Child’s Brain?”

If this resonates, I hope you’ll listen and share it with a parent or clinician who could use a practical, hopeful perspective and check out my website at drohara.com

03/12/2026

If your family feels overwhelmed right now, I want you to hear this clearly:

You don’t need a total home makeover to change the way your home feels.
You need one hour and one small, doable project.

In this episode, Stephen Saint-Onge talks about something I think many parents underestimate: the nervous system responds to the environment constantly — visual clutter, unfinished spaces, harsh lighting, chaotic “drop zones”… it all adds up.

And when you wake up to a space you improved — even something simple like a decluttered kitchen counter or a calmer homework station — you’re not just changing a room. You’re rebuilding something many families lose during chronic stress:

confidence.

That “I did that” feeling matters. And it often becomes the first step toward the next step.

🎧 Episode #52: “Is Your Home Affecting Your Child’s Brain?” of Demystifying PANS/PANDAS is available now wherever you get your podcasts.

I invite you to listen and choose one small change you can complete this week.

03/11/2026

Today’s new episode of Demystifying PANS/PANDAS is a gentle (and very practical) reminder for overwhelmed families:

Done is better than perfect.

When you’re parenting a child with PANS/PANDAS, anxiety, autism, or sensory challenges, the home can start to feel like one more thing you can’t “get right.” Unfinished projects. Clutter you don’t have the energy to tackle. A space that feels stagnant — and somehow adds to the stress without you even realizing it.

In this conversation, designer Stephen Saint-Onge shares something I see all the time in clinical practice:

small changes in a family’s environment can create a noticeable shift in stress, regulation, and resilience.

Sometimes the most healing thing isn’t another “perfect plan.”
It’s choosing one small change you can actually finish — and letting that win create momentum.

🎧 Episode #52 is live now! If you’d like to listen, tune in on your favorite podcast platform, it’s Demystifying PANS/PANDAS

03/10/2026

Parents raising children with PANS, PANDAS, or Basal Ganglia Encephalitis know how suddenly behavior can shift: rages, severe anxiety, OCD symptoms, aggression, shutdown, and nervous system overload that feels impossible to predict or manage.

While medical treatment is essential, families also need practical tools for navigating the intense behavioral and emotional storms that can accompany these diagnoses.

On March 11, Eileen Devine, LCSW is hosting a free Brain First Parenting Webinar for parents focused on:

Understanding explosive or extreme behavior through a brain and nervous system lens

Why traditional discipline approaches often backfire during flares

How to respond in ways that reduce escalation and build regulation over time

Supporting your child’s nervous system while also protecting your own capacity

This workshop is designed to help parents feel more steady, informed, and effective in supporting their complex child.

Join for free to attend live or receive the replay.

Register here: http://go.eileendevine.com/freeclass

Address

3 Hollyhock Lane
Wilton, CT
06897

Opening Hours

Monday	8am - 6pm
Tuesday	8am - 6pm
Wednesday	8am - 6pm
Thursday	8am - 6pm
Friday	8am - 4pm

Website

https://linktr.ee/drnancyohara

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