Press Release “We Feel Your Pain” P.A.N.D.A.S. to air 6.14.10 on Discovery Health. KNOWLEDGE IS POWER.

PANDAS    www.savingsammy.net info@savingsammy.net

Contact: Marci S. Lichtenwalter Moondance2cure@gmail.com twitter @Moondance2cure

UPDATE 6.15.10 Response overwhelming. We must not stop. Let us continue to unite to help to these very sick children. Our Time Is NOW!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  Date June 4, 2010

OCD caused by strep. Medical Mystery to air on Discovery Channel June 14th, 2010 10PM eastern 7PM pacific

Seattle, Washington The national TV show, Mystery Diagnosis, will highlight the plight of PANDAS syndrome this month on a family in Kennebunkport, Maine.  It will air on June 14, 2010 at 10:00 PM eastern, 7:00 PM pacific on Discovery Health Channel. But this disorder hits closer to home than you may think. I saw Beth Maloney on the Today Show where she presented  her story about her son’s severe struggles with Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Strep. I responded with my you tube video which 3,675 of you have watched. My you tube video describes what my son, Jamie went through in 2001. Since this time, over 13,000 of you have visited my blog site.

Many researchers, including the National Institutes of Health, believe that PANDAS (pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with streptococcal infections) occurs in some children when antibodies that are produced to fight a strep infection mistakenly attack the brain and trigger a sudden onset of behavioral disorders, such as Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and Tourette syndrome.

Worldwide, families are finding that seemingly normal kids can change almost overnight after being exposed to STREP. They have noticed how different their child acts weeks or months after a strep related illness . The child may seem hyperactive, moody, and may develop tics. The child may become very particular about the way he/she does certain things. The child’s teacher may say that he/she is not paying attention in class, and the teacher may having trouble reading the student’s writing.

The child may have developed what the medical community has named PANDAS. Basically, it means that when the body’s defences are trying to attack the Streptococcal bacteria  there is some degree of mistaken identity and it also attacks parts of the brain. Some children never have a sore throat, so the parents have no idea the children ever contracted strep.

Affected children can have any combination of the following symptoms:

• Cognitive inflexibility, difficult to reason with, as if stuck on an idea,
• Obsessive/repetitive/compulsive argumentative behaviors,
• TICS (repetitive vocalizations or body movements),
• Tourette Syndrome,
• Attention deficits and oppositional/defiant behaviors,
• Eating disorders,
• Frequent urination,
• Hair pulling.

In our case our child, Jamie had overnight changes which appeared a lot like OCD & Tourette Syndrome. He has been in remission since 2002 because he received immediate high dose and prophylactic antibiotic therapy. The diagnosis and treatment of PANDAS may surprise you.  To localize this national story please contact me via email to learn about our discovery and struggles with PANDAS Syndrome. I have been in touch with MANY families in the Seattle area who are currently facing Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated With Strep. These children are extremely ill and need IMMEDIATE attention.

What: PANDAS Syndrome

Who: Marci S Lichtenwalter, Northwest Region “got strep” coordinator Pandas Foundation.

Where: Seattle, WA

When: June 14th 2010 on Discovery Health Channel 10:00PM eastern, 7:00PM pacific Mystery Diagnosis (Please watch my you tube video prior to this viewing http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0EyBTuSODA)

I am also a Seattle blogger, Here’s my blog site. http://www.jamiesstory.wordpress.com

Why: To help educate others about this prevalent disorder

How: The result of a STREP Infection

My book Fighting P.A.N.D.A.S. As we MoonDance To The Cure will be coming out this summer. Interested parties can email Moondance2cure@gmail.com for details on how you can obtain a copy of this book detailing our family’s experience with this serious childhood illness.

Resources: There are many resources available on the internet that may be helpful.

http://www.savingsammy.net/

http://www.pandasfoundation.org/

http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/pandas/pandas-frequently-asked-questions-about-pediatric-autoimmune-neuropsychiatric-disorders-associated-with-streptococcal-infections.shtml

http://www.ocfoundation.org/uploadedFiles/MainContent/Find_Help/PANDAS%20Fact%20Sheet.pdf?n=4866