Please join us for the Healing Strategies for Neuroinflammation expert interviews, sponsored by Documenting Hope and Akhil Autism Foundation on Friday, May 8, 2026 from 6:00-8:00pm Eastern. This event is for individuals with autism, ADHD, traumatic brain injury, OCD, PANS/PANDAS, depression, anxiety, and more. Sign up below to join us in this live event! If you can’t make the live event, sign up to get the replay sent to you afterwards.
What if many of today’s most challenging neurological and psychiatric conditions share a common root, neuroinflammation, and what if the brain has a far greater capacity to heal than we’ve been led to believe?
Join us for a powerful 2-hour online event that brings together leading clinicians, researchers, and parents to explore one central question:
What can be done to improve brain health and restore function when inflammation is driving dysfunction?
In this fast-paced and information-rich experience, each speaker will deliver a focused 10-minute talk offering both a high-level understanding of their specialty and practical, actionable strategies for supporting brain healing.
What You’ll Learn
In this 90-minute program + 30 minutes of Q&A, you’ll learn:
- What neuroinflammation is and how it impacts brain function across conditions
- Why so many children and adults today are stuck in patterns of dysregulation—and how to shift them
- The role of the nervous system, immune system, and microbiome in brain health
- Emerging and accessible tools that support brain repair and resilience
- Real-world stories of recovery and possibility
Featured Topics & Speakers
- Neuroinflammation Overview – Josh Madsen DC
A foundational look at the mechanisms driving inflammation in the brain and its downstream effects. - Vagus Nerve & Nervous System Regulation – Navaz Habib DC
How stimulating the vagus nerve can shift the body out of chronic stress states and support healing. - Photobiomodulation – Loren Liming DC
How specific wavelengths of light can enhance mitochondrial function and support brain repair. - Movement & Neurodevelopment – Dana Johnson PhD
Why movement is foundational to brain development, regulation, and recovery. - At-Home Laser Therapies – Manisha Lad
A practical overview of accessible laser tools families can use to support healing at home. - Gut Microbiome & Brain Health – Sabine Hazan MD
Exploring the gut-brain connection and how microbial balance influences inflammation and function. - Reducing Total Load – Beth Lambert
Understanding cumulative stressors on the body—and how reducing total load can unlock healing capacity. - Healing Neuroinflammation with Nutrition – Greer McGuiness RD
Understanding how eating a nutrient dense, anti-inflammatory diet can support brain health and healing
Who Should Attend
- Parents of children with autism, ADHD, or developmental challenges
- Individuals navigating brain injury, mood disorders, or cognitive decline
- Practitioners seeking a root-cause, systems-based understanding of brain health
- Anyone interested in the body’s innate capacity to heal when given the right support
Please donate to help us continue to educate parents and practitioners. Any amount helps. Thank you!
Still Looking for Answers?
Visit the Documenting Hope Practitioner Directory to find a practitioner near you.
Join us inside our online membership community for parents, Healing Together, where you’ll find even more healing resources, expert guidance, and a community to support you every step of your child’s healing journey.
Sources & References
Ahuja, S.K., et al. Immune resilience despite inflammatory stress promotes longevity and favorable health outcomes including resistance to infection. Nat Commun. 2023 Jun 13;14(1):3286.
Andreazza, A.C., et al. Oxidative stress markers in bipolar disorder: a meta-analysis. J Affect Disord. 2008 Dec;111(2-3):135-44.
Arreola, R., et al. Immunomodulation and anti-inflammatory effects of garlic compounds. J Immunol Res. 2015:2015:401630.
Assa, A., et al. Vitamin D deficiency promotes epithelial barrier dysfunction and intestinal inflammation. J Infect Dis. 2014;210(8):1296-305.
Bartekova, M., et al. Role of cytokines and inflammation in heart function during health and disease. Heart Fail Rev. 2018 Sep;23(5):733-758.
Benedetti, F., et al. Neuroinflammation in Bipolar Depression. Front Psychiatry. 2020 Feb 26:11:71.
Berk, M., et al. So depression is an inflammatory disease, but where does the inflammation come from? BMC Med. 2013;11:200.
Bigi, S., et al. The growing spectrum of antibody-associated inflammatory brain diseases in children. Neurol Neuroimmunol Neuroinflamm. 2015 Apr 2;2(3):e92.
Brown, K.D., et al. Effect of Early and Prophylactic Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs on Flare Duration in Pediatric Acute-Onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome: An Observational Study of Patients Followed by an Academic Community-Based Pediatric Acute-Onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome Clinic. J Child Adolesc Psychopharmacol. 2017 Jul 11.
Classen, J.B. Review of evidence that epidemics of type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes/metabolic syndrome are polar opposite responses to iatrogenic inflammation. Curr Diabetes Rev. 2012;8(6):413-8.
Cosentino, F., et al. Diabetes and inflammation. Herz. 2004 Dec;29(8):749-59.
Cucchiara, S., et al. Interactions between intestinal microbiota and innate immune system in pediatric inflammatory bowel disease. J Clin Gastroenterol. 2012;46 Suppl:S64-6.
Dahm, T., et al. Neuroinvasion and Inflammation in Viral Central Nervous System Infections. Mediators Inflamm. 2016;2016:8562805.
Dashore, J. A., et al. Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome: Exploring Neuroimmune Pathology and Multisystem Framework for Differential Diagnosis in Pediatrics- Part 1. Medical Research Archives, [S.l.], v. 13, n. 10, Oct. 2025.
Dunn, G.A., et al. Neuroinflammation as a risk factor for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Pharmacol Biochem Behav. 2019 Jul;182:22-34.
El-Ansary, A., et al. Neuroinflammation in autism spectrum disorders. J Neuroinflammation. 2012;9:265.
Elhady, M., et al. Role of inflammation in childhood epilepsy and ADHD comorbidity. Appl Neuropsychol Child. 2020 Aug 25;1-6.
Esnafoglu, E., et al. Association of low 25-OH-vitamin D levels and peripheral inflammatory markers in patients with autism spectrum disorder: Vitamin D and inflammation in Autism. Psychiatry Res. 2022 Oct:316:114735.
Fahy, J.V., et al. Type 2 inflammation in asthma--present in most, absent in many. Nat Rev Immunol. 2015 Jan;15(1):57-65.
Gamez, C., et al. Lower Cord Blood IL-17 and IL-25, but Not Other Epithelial Cell-Derived Cytokines Are Associated with Atopic Dermatitis in Infancy. Int Arch Allergy Immunol. 2021;182(6):474-478.
Guandalini, S. Are probiotics or prebiotics useful in pediatric irritable bowel syndrome or inflammatory bowel disease? Front Med (Lausanne). 2014;1:23.
Guandalini, S., et al. Prebiotics and probiotics in irritable bowel syndrome and inflammatory bowel disease in children. Benef Microbes. 2015;6(2):209-17.
Gupta, S., et al. Asthma, GERD and Obesity: Triangle of Inflammation. Indian J Pediatr. 2018 Oct;85(10):887-892.
Gustafsson, H.C., et al. Evaluation of maternal inflammation as a marker of future offspring ADHD symptoms: A prospective investigation. Brain Behav Immun. 2020 Oct;89:350-356.
Halim, M., et al. The effects of inflammation, aging and oxidative stress on the pathogenesis of diabetes mellitus (type 2 diabetes). Diabetes Metab Syndr. Mar-Apr 2019;13(2):1165-1172.
Hughes, H.K., et al. Innate immune dysfunction and neuroinflammation in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Brain Behav Immun. 2023 Feb:108:245-254.
Jakobsen, C., et al. Environmental factors and risk of developing paediatric inflammatory bowel disease — a population based study. 2007-2009. J Crohns Colitis. 2013;7(1):79-88.
Jialal, I., et al. Targeting inflammation to reduce ASCVD in type 2 diabetes. J Diabetes Complications. 2019 Jan;33(1):1-3.
Johnson, A.C., et al. Magnesium sulfate treatment reverses seizure susceptibility and decreases neuroinflammation in a rat model of severe preeclampsia. PLoS One. 2014 Nov 19;9(11):e113670
Jyonouchi, H., et al. Cytokine profiles by peripheral blood monocytes are associated with changes in behavioral symptoms following immune insults in a subset of ASD subjects: an inflammatory subtype? J Neuroinflammation. 2014 Oct 27;11:187.
Karstoft, K. Exercise and type 2 diabetes: focus on metabolism and inflammation. Immunol Cell Biol. 2016 Feb;94(2):146-50.
Kiecolt-Glaser, J.K., et al. Omega-3 supplementation lowers inflammation and anxiety in medical students: a randomized controlled trial. Brain Behav Res. 2011 Nov;25(8):1725-34.
Lee, S., et al. Acute central nervous system inflammation following COVID-19 vaccination: An observational cohort study. Mult Scler. 2023 Apr;29(4-5):595-605.
Li, N., et al. Fecal microbiota transplantation from chronic unpredictable mild stress mice donors affects anxiety-like and depression-like behavior in recipient mice via the gut microbiota-inflammation-brain axis. Stress. 2019 Sep;22(5):592-602.
Lontchi-Yimagou, E., et al. Diabetes mellitus and inflammation. Curr Diab Rep. 2013 Jun;13(3):435-44.
Manigault, A.W., et al. Psychosocial Resilience to Inflammation-Associated Depression: A Prospective Study of Breast-Cancer Survivors. Psychol Sci. 2022 Aug;33(8):1328-1339.
Matta, S.M., et al. The influence of neuroinflammation in Autism Spectrum Disorder. Brain Behav Immun. 2019 Jul:79:75-90.
Michopoulos, J., et al. Inflammation in Fear- and Anxiety-Based Disorders: PTSD, GAD, and Beyond. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2017 Jan;42(1):254-270.
Muneer, A. Bipolar Disorder: Role of Inflammation and the Development of Disease Biomarkers. Psychiatry Investig. 2016 Jan;13(1):18-33.
Muriach, M., et al. Diabetes and the brain: oxidative stress, inflammation, and autophagy. Oxid Med Cell Longev. 2014;2014:102158.
Nemecheck, P., et al. Autism Spectrum Disorder Symptoms Improve with Combination Therapy Directed at Improving Gut Microbiota and Reducing Inflammation. Applied Psychiatry. 2020 Jul; (1)1.
Orivuori, L., et al. High level of fecal calprotectin at age 2 months as a marker of intestinal inflammation predicts atopic dermatitis and asthma by age 6. Clin Exp Allergy. 2015.
Peirce, J.M., et al. The role of inflammation and the gut microbiome in depression and anxiety. J Neurosci Res. 2019 Oct;97(10):1223-1241.
Pollard, K.M., et al. Mercury-induced inflammation and autoimmunity. Biochim Biophys Acta Gen Subj. 2019 Dec;1863(12):129299.
Roe, K. Autism Spectrum Disorder Initiation by Inflammation-Facilitated Neurotoxin Transport. Neurochem Res. 2022 May;47(5):1150-1165.
Rosa, J.S., et al. Altered inflammatory, oxidative, and metabolic responses to exercise in pediatric obesity and type 1 diabetes. Pediatr Diabetes. 2011;12(5):464-72.
Rosenblat, J.D., et al. Bipolar Disorder and Inflammation. Psychiatr Clin North Am. 2016 Mar;39(1):125-37.
Salim, S., et al. Inflammation in anxiety. Adv Protein Chem Struct Biol. 2012;88:1-25.
Shekhawat, P.S., et al. Spontaneous development of intestinal and colonic atrophy and inflammation in the carnitine-deficient jvs (OCTN2(-/-)) mice. Mol Genet Metab. 2007 Dec;92(4):315-24.
Siniscalco, D., et al. Inflammation and Neuro-Immune Dysregulations in Autism Spectrum Disorders. Pharmaceuticals (Basel). 2018 Jun 4;11(2):56.
Spartz, E.J., et al. Course of Neuropsychiatric Symptoms After Introduction and Removal of Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs: A Pediatric Observational Study. J Child Adolesc Psychopharmacol. 2017 Jul 11.
Spatola, M., et al. Seizures and risk of epilepsy in autoimmune and other inflammatory encephalitis. Curr Opin Neurol. 2017 Jun;30(3):345-353.
Theoharides, T.C., et al. Neuro-inflammation, blood-brain barrier, seizures and autism. J Neuroinflammation. 2011 Nov 30;8:168.
Tohidpour, A., et al. Neuroinflammation and Infection: Molecular Mechanisms Associated with Dysfunction of Neurovascular Unit. Front Cell Infect Microbiol. 2017 Jun 20;7:276.
Turkmen, K., et al. Inflammation, oxidative stress, apoptosis, and autophagy in diabetes mellitus and diabetic kidney disease: the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Int Urol Nephrol. 2017 May;49(5):837-844.
Vargas, D.L., et al. Neuroglial activation and neuroinflammation in the brain of patients with autism. Annals of Neurology. 2005 Jan;57(1):67-81.
Verlaet, A.A., et al. Rationale for Dietary Antioxidant Treatment of ADHD. Nutrients. 2018 Mar 24;10(4):405.
Vohr., B.R., et al. Neurodevelopment: The Impact of Nutrition and Inflammation During Preconception and Pregnancy in Low-Resource Settings. Pediatrics. 2017 Apr;139(Suppl 1):S38-S49.
Vojdani, A., et al. A Gut Feeling for Immune Dysregulation & Neuroinflammation in Autism. The Autism File. 2009(31).
Welcome, M.O., et al. Cellular mechanisms and molecular signaling pathways in stress-induced anxiety, depression, and blood-brain barrier inflammation and leakage. Inflammopharmacology. 2020 Jun;28(3):643-665.
West, C.E., et al. The gut microbiota and inflammatory noncommunicable diseases: associations and potentials for gut microbiota therapies. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2015;135(1):3-13; quiz 4.
Wirtz, P.H., et al. Psychological Stress, Inflammation, and Coronary Heart Disease. Curr Cardiol Rep. 2017 Sep 20;19(11):111.
Wong, M.L., et al. Inflammasome signaling affects anxiety- and depressive-like behavior and gut microbiome composition. Mol Psychiatry. 2016 Jun;21(6):797-805.
Wynchank, D., et al. Inflammation, Sleep and ADHD. J Clin Sleep Med. 2018 Jun 15;14(6):1083.
Yirün, M.C., et al. Evaluation of Oxidative Stress in Bipolar Disorder in terms of Total Oxidant Status, Total Antioxidant Status, and Oxidative Stress Index. Noro Psikiyatr Ars. 2016 Sep;53(3):194-198.
Zanoli, L., et al. Anxiety, depression, chronic inflammation and aortic stiffness in Crohn's disease: the brain--gut--vascular axis. J Hypertens. 2020 Oct;38(10):2008-2017.




