Author: Lori Calabrese, M.D.

Brittany tossed and thrashed in bed, restless and unable to get into a deep sleep. She felt panicky that she would have to face the day exhausted. Finally, she sat up in bed to check her clock. 4am. Sighhhhh. Her alarm would blare at 5:30…not much time to sleep left at all. She decided to stop fighting it and to get up and make coffee. Her mind had been racing all night. Drowning in all that could happen. Fear rose in her chest. As she sipped her coffee and became more alert, she knew her racing thoughts and gripping fears weren’t rational. What had started it, anyway? Even as she tried to analyze it all, her heart was still racing. She didn’t know that a ketogenic solution for anxiety was right in her kitchen.

Anxiety Symptoms Disrupt Everything

This wasn’t the first time Brittany had lost sleep. Over the years, there had been more fitful nights than she could count. If only she could get her mind to calm down before she went to bed. She’d tried a mountain of supposed remedies for sleep hygiene, as they called it: Unplugging screen time, reading calming poetry before bed, warm milk, avoiding exercise after 6pm. Nothing made a real difference. 

Plus, insomnia was’t the only problem.

She had terrible nervousness before and during dental appointments, whether it was a painful procedure or just cleaning and maintenance. In the last ten years, that nervousness had escalated to panic during a couple procedures, where she would grip the assistant’s arm and eventually cry out loud. Humiliating. Naturally, she began to avoid the dentist.

And there was the crippling shyness that paralyzed her when she had to attend meetings with strangers… or even at parties. Occasionally, she had to make a presentation at work, before a room of 30-40 people…only a few of which were her coworkers.  Her armpits and palms would sweat, her voice would shake…her mind would go blank… and sometimes violent nausea rose in her throat.  So she learned to write meticulous notes to guide her. 

Brittany could use a ketogenic solution for her anxiety. BADLY. She just didn’t know it yet.

Her presentation didn’t appear smooth or spontaneous, but it was better than going completely blank and shaking in front of everyone!

So she tried to avoid speaking at all, even though presentations were necessary if she was ever going to be promoted.

High Stress Meant Worse Agoraphobia

But eventually, as stressors at work increased, she found it harder and harder to leave her apartment and go in. It reminded her of her childhood, when at times it was just too hard to go to school. Some days she couldn’t face the social pressure or the demand to perform. She felt so inadequate, and so ashamed.

But Brittany just didn’t know what to do about it at the time. It happened again in college, and now…here it was again. 

How could she succeed in her career —or her relationships —if she didn’t find a way to manage this?

After work, and a terribly difficult day, Brittany decided to go to her parents’ house to see if they had any ideas. She felt foolish to expect they would think of something she hadn’t. After all, she was an adult, right? — she should have things figured out for herself. 

But her mom was a therapist, and her dad owned a medical supply company, so who knows? She could say something. Maybe they had run into something like this along the way…?

Her dad greeted her at the door.

Dad Has Some Good Ideas

“Britt! I was so glad for your call. It’s been awhile…we do like to have the chance to see you and catch up whenever we can. Your mom should be home within the hour. How are you?”

“Hi Dad…it’s good to see you too! I’ve missed you. Life has been a handful. I think I’m reaching a point of desperation, and I really need to find a solution.”

“What is it, honey?”

“It’s a lot of things. I’ve not been sleeping for some time. Every time I toss and turn all night, I’m a wreck at work all day. Then, the next night, when I need to catch up, it’s the same thing again. Then, the next day is even harder. When the stress mounts higher, I start having other problems. Like leaving my apartment. So walking out the door to go to work is so hard I’m choking and crying at times.

“And you KNOW how hard it is for me to go to the dentist. But now it’s also hard to go to the doctor, or the grocery store…or even take a shower. I feel so foolish that I can’t seem to manage my life.”

Her dad’s eyes filled with compassion.

“Oh Britt… I’m so sorry you’re going through this. We have to see what your mom says…I’m confident she’ll have some clear views about all this. But off the top of my head, I’m guessing it’s ALL anxiety of one sort or another. 

“I’m hearing more and more people talk about how eating food that triggers your body to make ketones helps relieve anxiety and lots of other psychiatric disorders. People are saying this approach to treatment yields remarkable results. Maybe there’s a ketogenic solution for your anxiety..?

A Deep Dive on the Internet

Brittany pulled up close to her dad to see what was on his screen. He googled keto, ketogenic, psychiatry….anxiety.

“OH look! Here’s a psychiatric practice a short drive away that offers a program to treat this. Keto… not just for weight loss… rather for getting well emotionally and physically. Let’s see…”

“Here. I think this might be it. Here’s a metabolic psychiatry blog. I bet there’s lots of information here…”

He found a search box and typed in anxiety.

Then a list of blog posts came up about treating anxiety with keto foods. And one about “Food as Medicine”… All of this was new to her…food as medicine? But she was desperate, so she kept reading.

She learned that what she was experiencing could actually stop. She learned that while medication may help some people, it didn’t help others at all. Also, that symptoms of various disorders can overlap, and her impression was that the most effective approach was to treat the cause of the symptoms, rather than focusing on diagnoses, per se.

She kept reading to see if they had a ketogenic solution for her anxiety symptoms.

As she read she could see what she had in common with others whose stories described their symptoms, many of which were similar to hers.

This could work. And she wanted to do it right—so that it did. So she made the call.

And then felt so much better. Hopeful even. So she and her dad met her mom at a restaurant for dinner before she drove home.

Touchpoints 180™

A couple days later, she arrived for her appointment, and soon met with the doctor. A thorough evaluation of her metabolic health was revealing. The doctor explained things about her blood pressure, her labs — and her weight — all were signs of metabolic dysfunction. They talked about their program, Touchpoints 180™ and mitochondria and how transitioning to therapeutic ketosis could harness and amplify brain energy and anti-inflammatory signaling throughout her body.

How switching up and eating foods high in fat like she could find in cheeses, butter, olive and coconut oils, fatty fish, free range eggs, marbled beef, and fresh lamb could provide ketones for fuel – instead of glucose. She also explained how the mitochondria can make greater amounts of energy from ketones than from glucose. 

The doctor gave Brittany a whole way to understand the science a little better, so she understood how and why this treatment works… this ketogenic solution for anxiety.

Then, their registered dietitian/nutritionist designed a meal plan for this dietary intervention, and showed her foods she needs to eat in abundance and foods she needs to avoid. She explained the food program the practice had arranged to make grass-fed and grass-finished proteins for her, organically grown produce, and all the foods she needed to include to be sure she was getting all the nutrients she needed. 

They worked together to ensure the foods they chose for her plan were foods she liked, and worked it around her own schedule. The key was to be sure she was getting the amount of fat she needed through the day to feed her metabolism in the best way possible.

Once she got home, she cleaned out her pantry, fridge, and freezer of all high carbohydrate foods. She also tossed out ultra processed foods, like coffee cake, cookies, pizza, ice cream… Somehow all this gave her hope and purpose, so heading out to buy food wasn’t so difficult.

Putting Ketogenic Metabolic Therapy to Work

Soon, she was back home, and putting it all away. She’d always bought skinless chicken, but now she bought it with the skin on. Plus several cheeses, heavy cream, olive oil (she tossed out the seed oils), eggs, salmon, marbled beef, avocados, spinach, arugula, lemons, broccoli, cauliflower, bell peppers, and mushrooms.

Now she had ingredients to make rich sauces, crunchy salads, and 3-cheese and mushroom omelettes in the mornings. This dietary intervention had so many delicious dishes to choose from.

So she started with dinner, which was easier than she expected. She’d lived on pizza and hamburgers, so this idea of cooking meals with whole foods instead of instant frozen meals, was an adventure. But if eating this way could reduce her anxiety and help her sleep better, it was well worth it. Hands down!

She determined to wake up 15 minutes earlier in the morning to pack her lunch, ensuring she had plenty of fat in her diet to keep her metabolism singing.

The meals she was cooking were not only healthy but delicious. She’d never eaten so well. (Some of them rivaled five star restaurants.) She felt pampered, even though she was the one doing the work! 

After a couple weeks, she began to notice a difference. She’d been in ketosis, according to her meter, since the fourth day… and by now she was sleeping better, feeling calmer, more relaxed…and what was that feeling…more confident maybe?  She wasn’t sure. But something was definitely changing. And she liked it.

Ketogenic Solution for Anxiety Leads to Remission

A few months later, her boss approached her about doing a presentation, knowing Brittany might balk. But strangely, Brittany wasn’t afraid. That panic that used to rise in her throat didn’t seem to be there. 

 So she quietly agreed…not knowing if she could do it, but hoping she could. 

As it turned out, the panicky feeling seemed to be gone. She spoke with confidence, and everyone listened intently. Self respect and gratitude competed for dominance in her chest as she sighed with huge relief after it was over. This ketogenic solution for anxiety really was working. She was sold.

Once in her car, she called her parents first to tell them. They were thrilled to hear the Touchpoints 180™ program was working so well for her! She told them without their help she would never have found out about it. 

Months of ketogenic metabolic therapy resulted in a slimmer figure, growing confidence, and better relationships. (She started dating!) But, the biggest benefit was that the symptoms of anxiety were gone. She was sleeping soundly, excelling at her job, and going out with friends. 

She could never have imagined this much could change in a single year. 

Need a Ketogenic Solution for Anxiety Symptoms?

Most people can expect fleeting feelings of anxiety in a stressful moment, like public speaking, or before a blind date. But if you find yourself escalating to feelings of panic, or fear you’re dying, or even avoiding situations in your life where those feelings can occur, you might need some intervention.

Much research has revealed that many psychiatric conditions that have traditionally been treated with medications can be resolved with a ketogenic diet, or eating food that helps your body produce an abundance of ketones.  Ketones are produced in the liver when your body breaks down fat, and when glucose in the diet is reduced, those ketones become an amazing fuel. But that’s not all. They produce a wide variety of components your body needs, and trigger an assortment of processes that bring your mind and body into balance with a sense of wellbeing.

In a case series we published about our own results, patients achieved remission from anxiety, as well as depression, on a ketogenic diet. Our results made it to the top 5% of more than 26 million scientific papers within 6 weeks of publication—unheard of! And months later, it’s still at the 97th percentile. We’re not researchers. We’re a team that knows how to get results and we go for remission.

If you can relate to Brittany and her symptoms, call us.

You, too, can enjoy watching your symptoms disappear, with Touchpoints 180™, and getting well — this time for good.

We’re so excited to help you experience the healing outcomes of a ketogenic lifestyle.

To the restoration of your best self,

Emily gripped the steering wheel with both hands. Her arms stiffly tried to guide the car as she became more nervous. Rigid. With pressure rising in her head and neck, she reached up to feel her pulse under her jaw. Boom. Boom. Boom…Panic was rising in her throat, and she feared where her emotions were going. What if she passed out? What if she had a stroke? She tried to take some slow breaths. She filled her lungs and tried to release the air in a slow, controlled breath. But, it wasn’t working. As terror rose, she took another long slow breath, and tried to pull her car over and park. Now her heart was racing, her hands were slick with sweat. She didn’t understand what was happening to her. If only she’d known a ketogenic diet could dismantle panic attacks.

She closed her eyes to try to block out the terror…and jammed her feet against the floorboard, desperately straining for control. What was happening to her?

She didn’t know. Was this a panic attack?  This had never happened before. Finally, she dissolved in a flood of tears. She felt limp. Drained. Ashamed. 

Cars whizzed by her, some honking, others screeching their brakes.

Tap – Tap – Tap!

She moved her hands off her face and looked toward the sound. It was the police, knocking on her window. She searched his eyes with a tear-stained face, and rolled down the window.

“Ma’am? You need to move your car. You’re parked on a busy boulevard. Are you alright?”

Emily blinked, wiped her face, and realized where she was.

“I’m sorry. I got scared and forgot where I was. This was the best I could do. I’ll move.”

She put her car in gear and moved forward, turning right into a nearby parking lot…then parked safely in a space, and turned off the engine. In a few moments, she saw flashing lights, and the officer pulled in beside her. Once again, he came to her window.

“Thank you for moving your car. That was a dangerous spot. You could have caused a collision. Can you tell me what happened?”

Emily closed her eyes, hard. So humiliating.

“I was driving along, and a terrible feeling started rising up inside me. My hands were sweaty, my heart was racing, I felt like I would throw up, and I was terrified. I don’t really understand what started it…”

“Maybe we should get you to a hospital. Please wait right here.”

He then picked up his radio and called for an ambulance to their location.

Within minutes she heard a siren. Then it got closer, and pulled into the same parking lot. The paramedics checked her pulse and blood pressure. By this time, she was much calmer.

They suggested she might have had a panic attack, and asked if it had ever happened before. She told them it hadn’t. And she assured them she didn’t need to go to a hospital. She just needed to go home and relax. After spending 30 minutes with her, they asked her to sign a release, and they drove away.

Emily thanked the officer for his help, and drove home.

Piecing It All Together

Once home, she made a cup of herbal tea, then sat on the sofa with her feet up, to sip.

What had happened?  

She honestly knew she could not have driven any farther before parking on the road. Why?

As she thought about it, the memory began to come back. Someone had swerved and almost hit her…it frightened her…and the fear had become increasingly intense until she had felt it ballooning out of control.

So something had triggered it. Bizarre.

She knew she worried a lot. ALOT. Her family was always telling her to stop worrying. But this was much much worse than that. She had felt paralyzed. It felt like she was losing her mind. So frozen and afraid. So out of control.

Could She Find a Way to Dismantle the Panic?

After a couple hours, her husband, Tyler, walked in. He could see in her face that something was wrong. So he asked.

“Yes I’m ok. But something happened while I was driving that was rather traumatic. Someone swerved and almost hit me, and I started feeling more and more afraid and couldn’t calm down. In fact, I couldn’t drive. I did my best to pull over and park on Hartford Blvd. and was frozen, terrified… incapacitated. 

“Emily. On Hartford??? That’s a busy road! I’m glad you weren’t hit!”

“I know…I am, too. The whole experience was awful. Just terrible. An officer called an ambulance, and they checked me out and stayed with me awhile, then let me go home. It was humiliating. But what’s important is knowing why it happened?  What can I do to keep such a thing from happening again?”

“You know, Em, I work with a girl who sometimes has experiences like that. She calls them panic attacks and eats keto — says the food dismantles it. I guess that’s a Captain Obvious thing.

Anyway, lately, she’s been talking about a doctor who has helped her, and how it’s all about eating certain foods, and avoiding others. I’ll find out more from her tomorrow. Right now, I’m going to get dinner going so you can relax.”

Ketogenic Diet Dismantles Panic Attacks

The following evening, Tyler came in from work excitedly talking as he opened the front door.

“I got the doctor’s name, the program that’s helped my co-worker, and a website we can look at. The food she talks about eating is a ketogenic diet says it helps her achieve ketosis which just dismantled the panic attacks. She says you have to really reduce your carbohydrates so that you body can make ketones . At the same time, you add a lot of healthy fats. And that changes the fuel in your brain cells from glucose to ketones. 

“When you do that, your body transitions to using ketones for fuel in the part of the cells where energy is produced and used: the mitochondria. I remember from biology class in high school — that the mitochondria are the power houses in every cell.

“When you eat carbohydrates, your cells get a spike of glucose for fuel, then it just drops out, and they’re in crisis as a result. But when you transition to ketones — which are produced when your body breaks down fat — the cells have an abundance of fuel, and the mitochondria can produce all the things you need, so you can be in the best health and balance.”

Emily and Tyler hopped on the internet to look up all the terms he’d mentioned, and to learn more about ketones and a ketogenic diet to dismantle panic attacks.  They also looked up this doctor’s program, the one Tyler’s coworker had written down for them.

Touchpoints 180™ Is Keto for Panic Attacks

Through reading together, they learned that what Emily experienced probably was a panic attack. They learned that a ketogenic diet could reverse anxiety and dismantle panic attacks. And they read about Touchpoints 180™, that doctor’s program for this.

Together, they went into their kitchen and dumped the rice, potatoes, bread, buns, potato and corn chips, coffee cake, donuts, and cookies into the trash.

The next morning they started the day with eggs, until they could figure out what else they could eat on this ketogenic thing.

After Tyler left for work, Emily called this doctor’s practice to ask about Touchpoints 180™ and made an appointment.

The doctor evaluated her psychiatrically and evaluated her metabolic health, and the registered dietitian/nutritionist worked with her to create a personal plan (that they call a ketogenic metabolic therapy) that incorporated her likes, dislikes, that would address medical conditions, and help her psychiatric symptoms slowly go into remission.

She went on to explain that the program offered walks, talks, lots of opportunities for answers to questions, making connections, and encouragement. She even mentioned a fun book club to learn more.

When Emily left, she felt armed, like she had her power back. By eating different foods than she was eating, she could feel better, worry less, have more energy, and reverse all this fear.

Team-Focused Ketosis Dismantles Panic Attacks

Tyler enthusiastically listened that night to all Emily had learned. They started making dinner together, following the plan designed for her. It was so easy. Then they put their heads together to pack lunches from her meal plan, and to be sure they always had the foods they needed. They were learning that food was their medicine to reverse these anxiety symptoms. And they stuck close to their food “prescriptions.”

Even though Tyler didn’t struggle with panic per se, he worried about Emily, and felt she could do this more effectively if they were in it together. (A little aside: he had his own issues, and was curious to see if this program would help.)

They learned that her symptoms of panic and anxiety could be eased by neurotransmitters like GABA (the calming neurotransmitter) and serotonin (a ‘feel-good” neurotransmitter). That certain ketones can raise GABA levels in your brain which calm anxiety and those panicky reactions, and eating foods like salmon, eggs, avocados, and meats provided excellent and nutrient-dense, nourishing foods for her brain and her whole body.

In addition, they learned more about why eating sugar was harmful. That it triggers inflammation, and also feeds the wrong bacteria in the gut microbiome…those that promote depression and anxiety.

Learning all this opened their eyes. Neither Tyler nor Emily had any idea all this went on inside their bodies… and depended on what they actually ate… for better or for worse.

Ketogenic Diet Dismantled the Panic

Within only a couple weeks, they both realized how clear their minds were. So that was brain fog…! They had no idea until it was gone. What a relief!

After a few more months, they both noticed more and more that Emily wasn’t talking about worry nearly as much. She seemed to be taking life in stride instead of worrying a hole in everything.  She had not had another panic attack. That was progress!

Who knew something so simple and straight forward could make such a dramatic difference?

She also noticed she felt more comfortable meeting new people, going out with friends, and inviting them over for a keto dinner.

In 6 months, she realized she’d never felt so free…so “normal.”  

Tyler couldn’t get over the change in his wife… and his own blood pressure came down to normal limits. They both lost some unwanted pounds, to boot. But most important, they both felt relaxed and at ease with themselves and each other. In fact, with life in general.

Do You Need A Ketogenic Diet for Panic Attacks?

Or maybe just anxiety…and possibly depression? By eating a ketogenic diet, you can enter a state of therapeutic nutritional ketosis. In this state, your brain is empowered to heal and restore balance through a cascade of processes in your liver, your microbiome, and your mitochondria. It can make more GABA, serotonin, and more of those components that help you feel relaxed, at ease, and resilient.

If you struggle with panic attacks and worry, and nothing you’ve tried has helped, call us.

Our Touchpoints 180™ program is designed to help you transition from using the toxicity of glucose to the abundance of ketones in mitochondria in every cell of your brain and body. You’ll enjoy the new energy, clear mind, and balanced emotions that you can experience through therapeutic nutritional ketosis.

You’ll have access to walks and talks, personalized dietary intervention by our wonderful registered dietitian/nutritionist, phone calls, and your questions answered. 

Join us as we learn together and thrive.

To the restoration of your best self,