Hello Health, Moms Empowered
Hello Health, Moms Empowered
Healing from PANDAS and Chronic Inflammation with Ethan Pompeo
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Ethan's life took a turn for the worst when he was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease called PANDAS as a kid.
Life dramatically changed for Ethan and no one had any answers. His parents tried everything to help. With good intentions, they turned to their doctors, who prescribed Ethan a long list of pharmaceutical drugs. But the side effects outweighed any benefits.
After an agonizing 10-year journey, Ethan knew he had to take responsibility for his own health. Eager to find a natural solution, Ethan discovered the benefits of CBD.
For the first time in his life, he saw immediate relief. CBD helped reduce the frequency and severity of his tics, and enabled him to relax, refocus, and leap back into his life the way nature intended.
Today, his company is transforming the health and lives of others with simple, effective wellness solutions for the whole family.
Sign up to be notified when Ethan's book is released: www.greenvalleynutrition.com/pages/book
Hi, this is Pamela Wirth with the Hello Health podcast. And today I have Ethan Pompeo, super happy to have him on. He can tell us firsthand what it was like to have a serious autoimmune uh disorder called Pandas and how he came through it and what he's doing today. So thank you, Ethan, for being here.
SPEAKER_00Oh yeah, my pleasure. Thanks for having me. Uh I always joked that pandas is not the uh cuddly black and white bamboo munching animal that we all know and love.
SPEAKER_01No, it's not. And it's near and dear to my heart because that's inevitably what all the misdiagnoses that came out of one of my kiddos, it was actually pandas, which has the formal name of autoimmunocephalitis or pans. Um you know, tell us a little bit about your journey and and how how things are are going and progressing for you throughout your your life.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, glad to. And I I may preface that just by saying, you know, when I when I was diagnosed or when I first started exhibiting symptoms, rather, almost 20 years ago, um, I felt very alone, very isolated, um, and it's just wasn't the truth. It wasn't the case. And experts are estimating now one in 200 kids uh have pandas or symptoms of it. And so my first my first intro to this, I you could say, is uh exhibiting ticks, motor ticks. And as is characteristic of pandas, it came out of the blue completely. I mean, I was a healthy, otherwise normal 13-year-old boy doing my thing, playing baseball, involved in Boy Scouts. I'm the oldest of uh two brothers and one sister, and life was great. And then one day I woke up and I had to do this skip step. I had to step twice with my right foot, and it was this unusual feeling where I felt imbalanced, and I had to do the skip step in order to counteract that feeling of anxiety or warmth or whatever it is, and I didn't know why. I didn't really think much of it, and neither did my parents at the time. You know, teenagers, young kids can do weird things as they grow. Uh, we didn't think much of it, but as time went on, those symptoms progressed and became worse and worse. Uh, the ticks became more severe and more numerous, and uh, I had one tick I remember that where I would have to hit myself in the head over and over again out of a response to the triggers in the environment that were driving me crazy, and it could be very very frustrating, very painful at times, and I suffered through that for many, many years uh without any answers.
SPEAKER_01So what inevitably kind of helped you understand what it was or what to do? Did you test for anything? Did you find that certain things would help take it away, or certain things would make it worse, or what was some of the things that you did?
SPEAKER_00Well, our first course of action, of course, you know, we went to my family pediatrician and he he wasn't really sure what was going on. He referred us to a neurologist, and I went into his office. We waited around for a couple of hours, you know, as is typical of these specialists. And uh I was in and out of his office in what felt like five minutes, you know. He said, Oh, this is a routine case of Tourette's syndrome, take this medication, it's a blood pressure medication, but it is used, uh has side effect uses in reducing ticks sometimes. So try this, see how it works, and off we went. And I had high hopes being my first treatment. I thought, you know, this was this is going to help get rid of my problem. I'll be able to take this pill and we'll be good. Uh was not the case. And until I was, you know, from there on, until I was about 17, 18 years old, I had been on over 40 different prescription medications, just feeling like a lab rat of the medical system, just being experimented on in a sense, you know, try this pill, see if it works. Doesn't work, increase the dose, cut back, try something else. Um, and it just didn't feel right to me. It didn't feel like the way medicine should be practiced. And after many years of going through this, I just had enough. I experienced what I call physician fatigue. I was sick of going to doctors' appointments, I was sick of trying medications, and I said, you know, enough is enough. I'm I'm gonna try to just grit through this and do my thing. The meds weren't helping anyway. In fact, some of the side effects I experienced outweighed any of the benefits that there may have been. So I was just over it. Um, I decided to focus on uh other avenues. Um, and I will say going through that experience as a young adult definitely normalized the use of substances and prescription medicines in my mind. And so moving on to non-prescription medications, illicit drugs, was not really a big deal in my mind. It seemed like no different than taking the prescriptions that my doctor was giving me. So when I was in high school, um I started um you know using a infamous green leafy substance that I don't know if I can mention without getting your podcast flagged. But I started to use this at in copious amounts because it was truly the only thing that ever gave me some relief. I knew that when I would smoke, I would feel better, my ticks would go away, my anxiety would go away, uh, and I could actually relax. And it was the only thing I ever found that gave me some relief. Uh so I relied on that for many years from through high school and college, and pretty soon the side effects of that caught up with me. Um, eventually it kind of backfired on me and made my anxiety worse. Uh, I started having asthma and breathing issues from the chronic use. I got in trouble with the law a couple of times. There was uh turmoil in my household because of the example I was setting for my younger kids and the viewpoint of my parents on this, they did not condone my use, even though they saw the impact it made on my uh immediate health. So I needed to find a different avenue. I needed to find something that worked but was not intoxicating, was not hazardous to my health. And that's when I was introduced to CBD. And I can talk about how I discovered that and my work in agriculture and on the farms and um so forth. But the bottom line is I I discovered CBD and it gave me the relief I needed without having to smoke or be intoxicated or have any of these health hazards. Uh I call it nature's most powerful anti-inflammatory. And that was the ticket for me to kind of give me a give me a moment of respite so that I could take a deep breath, refocus, relax, and focus on overarching lifestyle changes that I needed to make in order to truly heal.
SPEAKER_01Which is a huge and a lot to absorb and think about. And what many people don't realize is uh Theretz is from inflammation in the brain, which is causing motor, vocal, and mood uh changes. And to get rid of that inflammation, there's limited ways to do that. So can you talk a little bit more about you know CBD, what uh how it's different from the intoxicating effects that you have THC, for instance, the different types of C B D, the um uh what may or may not be safer compared to some of the over-the-counter things on your kidney and on your liver, and kind of talk a little bit about how that works in the body.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, absolutely. So in my viewpoint, the the medications and the treatments that I tried as a young adult were intended to kind of mask the symptoms, right? It never actually targeted the root of my problem. And you're right, it was inflammatory driven. And so I had inflammation of my basal ganglia, which is characteristic of pandas people. Uh and so that drove many of my neurological symptoms, and it took a long time to put the pieces together and realize like where this was coming from and what was happening. So the easier thing to do, especially in the physician's mind, he's got lots of patients, he has limited time to spend with me. The easiest thing to do is just say, here, take this medication to dull the symptoms, right? Um, that's not a pathway to healing, that's just masking your symptoms and letting the root issue continue to grow and fester within your body. And so for many, many years, that's what happened. The inflammation went untreated, uh, my symptoms got worse, and it was a very frustrating place to be in. So using dietary change, such as supplementing with CBD and other anti-inflammatory supplements, um, actually targeted the root cause of this issue. It started to reduce the inflammation in my brain and in my body overall, so that my symptoms would naturally be soothed and eased. That's a much more medicinal and holistic approach, and so that's where I've seen my greatest success. Now, people ask, you know, how does CBD work? The long story short is there's something in your body called the endocannabinoid system, and it is the largest system in the body. It's still very understudied, it's largely misunderstood, but it was first discovered in the 1960s by Israeli doctors, and there's myriad evidence that this is a legitimate system, and it it controls homeostasis in the body. It helps to impact many of the different bodily functions. And what happens is the body creates its own cannabinoids. They're called endocannabinoids, they're these compounds that bind to the receptors in your body, the endocannabinoid receptors, and promote homeostasis and balance. Like I was saying, they can reduce inflammation. But when those when there are other parts of your life and your health that are out of balance, the endocannabinoid system stops functioning at its full capacity, like many areas of our health do. So, what you need to do is supplement by adding plant-based cannabinoids such as CBD to balance that out and give your body a fighting chance. I like to compare it to immunotherapy. I took allergy shots as a young adult as well, because I had horrible allergies, another symptom of inflammation in my body. Uh so I I treated that with allergy shots. And what they do when you go into your allergy appointment, they tell you to take an antihistamine before your appointment. And what the antihistamine does is it reduces the body's response to the allergens that are being injected or administered, however, whatever form of immunotherapy you're taking. So it doesn't impact the efficacy of the allergens on your body. Your body is still building up tolerance to these allergens, you're still training your body to respond differently to the introduction of the allergens, but it reduces your chance of a bad reaction, anaphylaxis, all that stuff. It makes your body, it makes it a little easier on your body to absorb those compounds and make progress in your fight. And that's how I view CBD oil in my life. It reduced the inflammation enough so that these other lifestyle changes I was making, cognitive behavioral therapy training, diet change, getting in an exercise routine, all of these things were made a little bit easier for me. Whereas dealing with a disability, you're often stuck. Like you're wallowing in your symptoms, you don't know what to do, you don't know how to start. Uh especially when you're dealing with motor ticks, you can get stuck in these ticks for what seemed like forever. It's so frustrating. And then you're worn out. The last thing you want to do is get up and go to the gym after that. So by finding something, some tools that can give you a little bit of relief, uh, it's it's a it's very critical.
SPEAKER_01Which is so true. There's there's different types of C BDs. So when someone is thinking about this, and whether they're an aging adult with knee pain, or a child with ticks or exhibiting motor uh ticks or ADHD, or what do you kind of suggest in terms of getting started or potential doses or um things that that you think might be helpful for someone that's just thinking about this?
SPEAKER_00So for many people, CBD is kind of a trigger word, like you say that and they think, oh, that's you know, that that's not safe, that's not good for my kids, I don't want that in my house. Well, CBD is completely separate from its counterpart THC. And I touched on that, but the bottom line is THC has its medical benefits, but it's certainly not for everybody. Uh it it is intoxicating as a side effect, or many people use it as the main effect, but it can definitely help with pain management and other other symptoms. But in my opinion, CBD is a far more powerful tool for our health, not only because it targets inflammation, which is the the catalyst of so many health issues that we face today, but also because it's safe for everybody. It's not completely non-intoxicating, it's been studied thoroughly over the years. There is no toxic level of CBD that we know of. I mean, you could drink an entire bottle and be completely fine. You might be a little bit sleepy, but for people who are looking for sleep support, that maybe that's a good thing. Uh for someone who's looking at giving this to their kids, right? For the for the worried mom who just wants to give their child some relief, make their day in school a little bit easier, help them wind down before bed, CBD can actually be a great option. You want to make sure that you're selecting a brand that has no THC in it. And that's really important. I I would never want to give my children THC, even in small amounts. Um, I feel like it's it's just an inappropriate way to do it. Um, CBD is the anti-inflammatory compound that's present in cannabis. So if you're looking for some kind of anxiety relief or anti-inflammatory benefits, CBD is a great way to get those benefits from the plant uh without any of the risks or the side effects. So that's typically what I would recommend. There's a bunch of different ways to get it. You can get it in gummy form, tincture, oil form, uh soft gels, even dog treats, right? Uh there's all kinds of ways. Uh I typically recommend the oil drops because they are the most fast-acting product. It's sublingually administered, so you drip it under your tongue, they will enter your bloodstream directly and get right to work very quickly. And when I when I take the drops, I notice a difference within 30 minutes or so. And it will depend on your metabolism. But I think that's that's the best product. There's no added sugar. Uh, it works well, it's easy to dose and manipulate your dose. That's easily portable. There's just it's just a great product. Um, gummies are super popular as well, but keep in mind there is like some added sugar in there, so you know, just some food for thought.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, when I've taken a look at this, I have found that the gummies are not nearly as powerful and they're full of sugar, and that really counteracts what you're trying to do in getting rid of inflammation and pain. So um in in you know, what you touched on with the THC, I think is is is very helpful as well. And um you know, we we've been using this with my mother with cancer, and and she has experienced um less pain and and more more comfort. So it's and when we were having her kidneys tested, her kidneys came up normal when she was taking C BD, but they were under a lot of stress when she was taken out of. So it's all very interesting. Um and it's uh things for us to to think about it, you know, as we're trying to hack our way into feeling better uh naturally and and um without a bunch of other side effects that come along with taking something. Um what sort of changes have you made in your family? You know, you've got four kids now, right?
SPEAKER_00Um I do, I have four daughters.
SPEAKER_01So how have you kind of with your background and experience decided to feed them or you know do things a little bit differently or to keep on top of certain behaviors or things, you know?
SPEAKER_00All of our life experiences, I think, influence how we approach situations, but certainly so, and I think what's needed is a pushback against a lot of what our culture tells us is normal. Uh, you know, you go down the grocery store aisles and it's just like it's just it's crazy. It's laden with toxins, artificial food colorings, sugar. I mean, we basically skip the middle aisles when we go to the grocery store. They say if you walk around the perimeter, you'll see all the healthier options. And when you go down the aisles, that's when that's when you you hit a roadblock. So my kids don't know what Lucky Charms taste like. And some people would say, oh, you know, I have such great memories as a kid eating this and that. But you know, you have to just make that decision for yourself and for your family. Is treating your child with something that tastes good worth the risks of you know obesity and diabetes and inflammation in your gut and all these risks that accompany that. It we've just normalized the use of these candies and goodies and ice cream on a daily basis, and that's just not the way our bodies were created to function. And you talked about gummies having added sugar. I mean, you go down the supplement aisle these days, and everything's in a gummy form now. It's like everybody wants their supplements sugar coated. And I'm not saying that, you know, you take if you take your multivitamin in a gummy form, whatever, that's not like a terrible thing. There's only a few grams of sugar in that. But my thought, I propose, you know, look at that in your daily life and say, you know, how many gummies am I taking on a daily basis? Perhaps a in a encapsulated form, a liquid form could be better. I also view the food we eat as our primary medicine. So previously in my life, I was ignoring my diet, ignoring my health, just what most teenagers do, eating whatever I wanted, right? I it it didn't seem to affect me at my young age, so I was fine. Um but I didn't see the more insidious result of that, which was the the fact that these foods were driving inflammation in my body. Um so I took that I took that for granted, and then I tried to wash it down with a pill that would help mitigate my symptoms. That's a backwards approach, right? You wouldn't need that pill in the first place if you were to change your diet, change your lifestyle habits such that the inflammation did not have such a great impact on your health. So that's the way we look at it. My kids are incredible. Like I give them kudos, but a lot of that is the way we train them up. I mean, my four-year-old, her special treat is a can of sardines. And it sounds crazy, but I swear I come back from the grocery store, I say, Hey, look what I got, sweetheart. And she runs like I'm holding a bowl of ice cream. She gets so excited. And sardines are one of the most nutrient-rich foods on the planet. You talk about balanced omega fatty acids, protein, all your vitamins and nutrients, and she just gobbles it down. You know, we sometimes we complain about the smell of her breath, but it's just it's so cute, and she is so healthy and resilient, and you really see the benefits of those choices over the years.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, that's great. She'll probably be some famous neuroscientist after all these uh omegas. Um is there anything else you wanted to touch on while we're here together? I mean, uh you've gotten it's such an incredible story, and you've shared so much. Oh, and and you've got a book coming out that we're we're gonna put in the show notes where people can um go ahead and put in their information and and be uh advised when it's out. Anything else that you want to touch on?
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Well, thank you. I mean, uh right now, honestly, I it's come to me that it's my life's purpose to just tell my story and and give others hope who might be in the situation. Pandas is not an easy diagnosis. I mean, it wrecks it wrecks your family, right? I mean, when I was in the midst of this, my parents were just searching everywhere for answers, right? Relentlessly. My mom was scouring the internet, reading every piece of literature she could find on this, trying to find answers. Um, you know, we've come a long way in terms of advocacy and awareness, but many doctors still are misdiagnosing and mistreating this. And it can be a very isolating and frustrating place to be. So the reason I'm putting myself out there today is to just say, hey, there are things you can do uh that don't involve taking medication for the rest of your life, right? Uh there are tools out there, natural ways to heal and live better. And we have limited time today, but I do a lot of writing, podcasting, and I'm coming out with this book because people keep asking me, hey, what are the things you've done that really make a big impact? And so I put that in a longer format book that's coming out this summer. So please, if you're interested, uh sign up and learn more about my story. Uh for a long time I was very reluctant to talk about what I was dealing with. I was ashamed, I was embarrassed, um, I I wanted to pretend like everything was fine when it wasn't. I didn't want to admit that I had a problem. And that's a an that's a place that many of us find ourselves when we're facing illness or disability. It's you you have to get over that. It was a huge key to my healing journey that I unlocked when I decided, hey, I'm going to just be open and honest with what I'm dealing with. And the first time I I told people about pandas, it was very awkward, it was very uncomfortable. People would see me ticking in class and doing my Twitch and my oral uh verbal ticks and all this, and say, Oh, are you okay? Hey, are you okay? It was a daily ask, and it used to drive me insane. And when I finally decided, hey, I'm not going to get mad anymore when people ask me that, I'm going to turn around and say, Yes, I'm I'm fine, I'm dealing with these ticks, I'm not having a seizure, like it's okay. And not once have I ever had someone act judgmentally towards. Me or or think I'm crazy. I th I think they thought I was crazy when I wasn't talking about it, when I was pretending like it was okay, and they saw me ticking, like, dude, you're obviously not okay. So getting to a point where you can embody this and just accept like you know you're dealing with this, not only did it free me from the anxiety and the expectations I had of myself, but it put me in a position where I can reach out to others who may be dealing with these similar issues. And so I just encourage everybody, we're whatever you're facing in life, which we all face challenges and obstacles in life, reach out to others for help. Be honest about it because just trying to hide it and bottle that up, it doesn't help anybody.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, trying to find community is so important.
SPEAKER_00Well, absolutely so much, Ethan.
SPEAKER_01I am gonna make sure we put everything in the show notes and um would love to have people connect with you and and share their stories too. So thank you.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, thank you so much.