PANS, PANDAS & Pediatric Mental Health: A Functional Medicine Approach for Nurses and NPs

Sponsored by the Institute for Functional Nursing. Learn more about our programs at www.fxnursing.com.

Could a child’s sudden anxiety, OCD, behavioral changes, or psychiatric symptoms have an underlying biological cause? In this episode of The Functional Nurse Podcast, Dr. Brigitte Sager sits down with Dr. Zendi Moldenhauer, a psychiatric and pediatric nurse practitioner, functional medicine expert, and nationally recognized leader in pediatric functional psychiatry. Together, they explore PANS, PANDAS, neuroinflammation, and the ways infections, immune dysregulation, mold exposure, Lyme disease, gut imbalances, and nutritional deficiencies may influence a child’s brain and mental health.

Dr. Moldenhauer shares powerful stories from her clinical practice and explains why treating the whole child can uncover answers that may be missed when physical and psychiatric symptoms are addressed separately. The conversation also explores foundational strategies involving nutrition, sleep, movement, screen time, and family health, along with the important roles nurses, nurse practitioners, and nurse coaches can play in root-cause care. Dr. Moldenhauer also shares lessons from building a functional medicine practice and her vision for bringing functional and holistic care into nursing education.

Connect with Dr. Zendi Moldenhauer:

Practice: Arbor Health Functional Medicine and Psychiatry
Location: Pittsford, New York, in the Rochester area
Website: www.arbor-health.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arbor_health
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ArborHealthFunctionalMedicine