Pediatric Autoimmune Treatment Near Bloomfield Hills

Pediatric Autoimmune Treatment Near Bloomfield Hills

If you’re a parent watching your child struggle with unexplained symptoms—emotional swings, chronic fatigue, persistent pain, or a sudden change in behavior—and no one seems to have clear answers, you are not alone.

Pediatric autoimmune conditions can be subtle, complex, and often missed. These conditions occur when a child’s immune system—designed to protect them—mistakenly targets their own tissues, including the brain, gut, thyroid, joints, or nervous system. Sometimes the symptoms come on gradually, other times they appear overnight following an infection or stressor. Either way, they can be life-disrupting and deeply confusing for families.

At Restorative Medicine Center, we specialize in working with children who fall through the cracks of conventional care. From PANS/PANDAS and autoimmune thyroid disease to unexplained rashes, food sensitivities, and neuropsychiatric changes, our goal is to identify the root cause—not just suppress the symptoms.

I’m Dr. Teresa Birkmeier-Fredal, a functional and integrative medicine physician serving children and families throughout Bloomfield Hills and the surrounding Oakland County area. My approach is centered around each child’s unique story, biology, and environment, using a whole-child model that blends advanced lab testing, environmental assessment, and gentle, stepwise treatment.

Families come to us because they’ve seen the specialists, tried the medications, and still don’t have the full picture. Here, you’ll find a team that listens deeply, investigates thoroughly, and walks with you on the path toward healing—with compassion, clarity, and science.

Understanding Pediatric Autoimmune and Neuroimmune Conditions

When we talk about autoimmune disease in children, we're referring to a process where the immune system loses its ability to distinguish between invaders and self—and begins mistakenly attacking the child’s own tissues. In adults, we often see this in conditions like lupus or rheumatoid arthritis, but in children, the signs can be much more subtle—and far more complex.

What Does Autoimmunity Look Like in a Pediatric Context?

Autoimmunity in children can present as:

• Chronic inflammation or frequent infections
  
  
• Behavioral or emotional regression
• Neurological changes like tics, OCD, or mood swings
• Gut issues, rashes, or unexplained pain
• Delayed growth or hormone irregularities

Sometimes, these symptoms come on slowly. But in other cases—particularly in neuroimmune syndromes—they appear almost overnight.

Autoimmune vs. Neuroimmune Conditions (PANS/PANDAS)

Classic autoimmune diseases involve direct tissue attacks—like the thyroid in Hashimoto’s, or the joints in juvenile arthritis. Neuroimmune conditions, like PANS (Pediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome) and PANDAS, involve inflammation in the brain, typically triggered by an infection such as strep, Lyme, or Mycoplasma.

The child might suddenly develop:

• Intense separation anxiety or rage
• Obsessive-compulsive behaviors
• Bedwetting or sensory sensitivities
• Loss of academic skills or fine motor abilities

These conditions are immune-mediated, not psychological—yet they’re often misdiagnosed or dismissed, especially when labs come back “normal.”

What Causes the Immune System to Go Off Track?

In Functional Medicine, we ask: What disrupted the child’s immune balance in the first place?

Common contributors include:

• Infections – Strep, Epstein-Barr, Lyme, Babesia, or viruses
• Environmental toxins – Mold, mycotoxins, heavy metals, or pesticides
• Gut dysbiosis – Leaky gut and microbiome imbalance
• Chronic stress or trauma – Emotional stress can activate immune pathways in children, just like in adults
• Genetic predispositions – HLA typing, MTHFR mutations, or a family history of autoimmunity

Examples of Pediatric Autoimmune and Neuroimmune Conditions We Commonly See:

• PANS/PANDAS – Sudden-onset neuropsychiatric symptoms triggered by immune dysfunction
• Hashimoto’s thyroiditis – Autoimmune attack on the thyroid, often with fatigue, mood changes, or growth issues
• Juvenile arthritis – Swelling, stiffness, and joint pain from systemic inflammation
• Celiac disease or inflammatory bowel disorders – Immune activation in the gut causing pain, malabsorption, or mood changes
• Autoimmune encephalopathy – Brain inflammation leading to psychiatric or cognitive symptoms

Dr. Teresa’s Functional Medicine Approach to Pediatric Autoimmune Conditions

At Restorative Medicine Center, we don’t treat pediatric autoimmune conditions with a one-size-fits-all plan. We begin with a question most families have never been asked:

What caused your child’s immune system to go off track in the first place?

Rather than chasing symptoms or managing flare-ups, our approach is to uncover the root causes behind immune dysfunction—and guide the child’s body back toward balance using a customized, whole-child strategy.

A Thorough Intake That Honors Your Child’s Full Story

We start with a deep-dive into:

• Symptom timeline – When did things start to change? Was there a triggering illness, stress, move, or infection?
• Environmental review – Mold exposure? New home? School changes? Toxic load?
• Medical and developmental history – Birth story, early feeding and gut health, vaccines, illness patterns
• Family history – Autoimmunity, allergies, infections, trauma patterns

A Holistic View of the Gut-Immune-Brain Connection

Dr. Teresa’s approach is built on the understanding that the gut, immune system, and brain are deeply interconnected. A child with emotional outbursts or learning struggles may also have:

• Gut inflammation or food sensitivities
• Ongoing immune activation from an unresolved infection
• Toxic exposures that are triggering or amplifying immune confusion
• A nervous system stuck in fight-or-flight from trauma or chronic stress

We Use the Root Cause Triad to Guide Treatment

At the core of Dr. Teresa’s diagnostic and treatment strategy is the Root Cause Triad, a powerful model that helps us understand the drivers behind chronic immune dysfunction:

Microbes

• Infections like strep, Mycoplasma, Lyme, Bartonella, and chronic viruses (like EBV)
• These infections can trigger or sustain autoimmunity, especially in children with vulnerable immune systems
• We use advanced microbial testing and pattern recognition to identify these hidden drivers

Toxins

• Mold/mycotoxins, heavy metals, pesticides, VOCs from building materials or cleaning products
• Children are especially sensitive to environmental load, and toxin exposure can inflame the immune system, disrupt the brain, and impair detox pathways
• We assess exposure and, when appropriate, test for stored toxicants or mold metabolites

Stress Response

• Chronic emotional stress, trauma (big or small), and nervous system dysregulation can keep a child in a hyper-reactive immune state
• Many children are stuck in fight-or-flight, which blocks healing
• We incorporate breathwork, vagal tone practices, limbic retraining, and trauma-informed support to restore balance

Individualized Pediatric Autoimmune Treatment Plans

No two children with autoimmune or neuroimmune issues are the same. That’s why we never follow a cookie-cutter protocol. At Restorative Medicine Center, each treatment plan is customized to your child’s unique biology, history, and capacity for healing.

Our goal is not to suppress symptoms—it’s to calm the immune system, remove the triggers, and restore balance in a way that your child can tolerate and sustain.

Calming Inflammation and Immune Reactivity

We start by reducing the immune overactivation that’s driving symptoms. This may include:

• Anti-inflammatory supplements like curcumin, omega-3s, or low-dose naltrexone (LDN)
• Allergy support if histamine or mast cell activity is involved
• Gut-liver-immune axis support to ease systemic burden

This foundational step helps children feel safer in their bodies and prepares them for deeper work.

Gut Healing and Food-Based Immune Support

The gut is where much of the immune system lives. We work to:

• Remove inflammatory foods and support nutrient-dense healing diets
• Heal leaky gut and restore the microbiome
• Reintroduce foods carefully (if sensitivities are present), always based on tolerance—not strict dogma

Food becomes a tool for calming, not restriction.

Antimicrobial Protocols (When Infection Is Driving Symptoms)

If infections like strep, Lyme, Bartonella, Mycoplasma, or viral reactivations are involved, we may use:

• Botanical antimicrobials
• Pharmaceuticals, if needed and tolerated
• Biofilm disruptors and immune-modulating agents

These are introduced slowly, and always with detox and nervous system support to minimize flare-ups.

Detoxification Support

When mold, mycotoxins, or chemical exposures are contributing to immune dysfunction, we support gentle detox through:

• Binders like charcoal, bentonite clay, or cholestyramine
• Far infrared sauna or detox baths (if appropriate)
• Cleaning up air, water, food, and home environments
• Glutathione and liver support to assist natural elimination pathways

Detoxification is layered and guided, not forced.

Nervous System Support

A dysregulated nervous system keeps the immune system stuck in high alert. We help children (and parents) calm and reset through:

• Breathwork and vagus nerve retraining
• Rhythm restoration (sleep, movement, light exposure, screen hygiene)
• Neuroplasticity tools for re-patterning thought and stress responses
• EMDR or somatic support referrals, especially if trauma is part of the picture

When the nervous system feels safe, the immune system follows.

Supplementation and Nutrient Repletion

We use targeted lab-based supplementation to:

• Correct nutrient deficiencies (like zinc, magnesium, B12, vitamin D, selenium)
• Support mitochondrial and cellular repair
• Help regulate methylation, detox, and neurotransmitter production

All supplements are carefully selected and titrated for your child’s needs and sensitivities.

Schedule Pediatric Autoimmune Evaluation Near Bloomfield Hills

If your child is struggling with unexplained symptoms—and you’ve been searching for answers that go deeper than “they’ll grow out of it”—you’ve come to the right place.

At Restorative Medicine Center, we specialize in getting to the root of pediatric autoimmune and neuroimmune conditions. Whether your child has been diagnosed with PANS/PANDAS, Hashimoto’s, chronic infections, or is simply “not themselves” anymore, we offer a comprehensive, compassionate, and individualized approach to healing.

We proudly serve families from Bloomfield Hills and throughout Oakland County, offering integrative care grounded in Functional Medicine science and whole-child support.

Book Your New Patient Consultation Today

Restorative Medicine Center
📍 705 Barclay Cir, Suite 115
Rochester Hills, MI 48307
📞 Phone: 248.289.6349
📠 Fax: 248.289.6923
🕘 Hours: Monday – Thursday: 9AM–5PM | Friday: Closed
🌐 Website: www.restorativemedcenter.com