In my last newsletter I wrote about ADHD pretenders. In that line, I would like to introduce a relatively unknown disease in children that also mimics mental health problems, but is a reaction to an infection, often a strep throat. This disease has the innocent sounding name of PANDAS but is anything but sweet and cuddly – and it is not rare, affecting 1 in 200 children (in the US – the numbers are thought to be similar in other developed countries). Children present with a sudden onset of severe anxiety and OCD behaviours: a child who used to be happy and easy-going all ofy a sudden cannot bear to be separated from a parent at night or in school; they may wash their hands obsessively or refuse to eat food, as they have a new fear of germs; they may develop new, unusual behaviours, such as flipping light switches compulsively, or touching objects, compulsively performing symmetric movements with both hands or feet. Some children develop tics, such as eye blinking, shoulder shrugging, snorting, or throat clearing.

Anxiety, hyperactivity, sleep problems – these are very common concerns parents have about their children and that affect the entire family’s wellbeing. A parent can only be as relaxed as the least unruffled child in the family.

Our society seems to be steeped in anxiety – it is the most common mental health problem around the globe (Ritchie and Roser 2018). Teenagers and young adults are facing an epidemic of anxiety: 25% of Americans 13 to 18 year olds suffer from anxiety – that is one quarter of all teenagers! In Australia two national studies showed that 15.4% of 16 to 24 years olds (ABS 2008) and 7% of 4-17 year olds (Lawrence 2015) had experienced an anxiety disorder in the previous 12 months. These numbers are staggering. The other side of “not calm” is hyperactivity: Almost one in fifteen of children are diagnosed with ADHD in Australia and New Zealand: every primary classroom has several impulsive children who struggle to concentrate and seem to be bouncing off the walls. A large percent of them are being medicated and many suffer from side effects when the medication wears off and struggle to calm down in the evening and go to sleep – presenting another challenge for the family.

Most people, when asked, admit that they are stressed in one way or another…

Teenagers and young adults are facing an epidemic of anxiety.

25% of American 13 to 18-year-olds suffer from anxiety and in Australia, a study from 2008 showed that 15.4% of 16 to 24 years olds had experienced an anxiety disorder in the previous 12 months.

Could nutrition have anything to do with this?

Healthy nutrition is, of course, the key to a healthy mind. There are several specific nutrient deficiencies associated with anxiety; the most important are Magnesium and Omega 3.

Magnesium is Needed to Produce Serotonin and Sedate Anxiety…