Nick reflexively grabbed the back of his pants with the sharp rectum pain. Squeezing his eyes shut as cramps felt like a closing vice around his middle, he passed gas. He sprang from his desk to dart toward the hallway so flatulence wouldn’t spread the odor around him. Embarrassing…so embarrassing. But worse than the humiliation, was the pain. Scooting down the hall, he reached the restroom and lunged inside to a stall. Once again, ulcerative colitis had disrupted his work… and his self respect. It was such an old story. During a flare like this, attacks happened regularly and often, and it was uncertain from day to day whether he’d be able to stay at work. Why couldn’t this inflammation deflate so he could thrive instead of this? Medications weren’t really helping, so times like this had been upending his life for a long time. He’d missed too much work, had to cancel social opportunities, and desperately needed a solution. And he worried…when would it hit again? Did he dare accept an invitation?
After his initial diagnosis, Nick researched the disease. He was glad he’d finally had a name for this nightmare. Learning this was an autoimmune condition, he saw that inflammation attacked the lining of his large intestines. He’d never before thought of inflammation like this, so vicious and destructive. He’d always thought it was the puffiness that happened to a sprained wrist….or a cut. Something intended to help an injury heal. But he wanted to deflate this vile inflammation and thrive. Was that too much to ask?
The Other Side of Inflammation
But this wasn’t about healing. This was about destruction of his body. And it had ruined everything. He’d been afraid to date since his diagnosis 12 years ago. Afraid he’d have an attack in the middle of it and get stuck in the restroom, leaving his date to call a Uber. He just couldn’t put himself, or his date, through something like that. Over time, he had to admit he’d become afraid of lots of things. It was like once the anxiety started, it seemed to spawn more.
Fear of left turns, fear of waiting in lines…even fear of women his age. He didn’t know WHAT that last one was about. Maybe the stakes were higher with them…the potential for attraction, then having to bow out somehow. He wasn’t sure…it had been a really long time since he’d been on alone with someone appealing.
And now, if he found himself in the elevator with an attractive young woman, he’d freeze up with sweat pouring from his armpits…his hands dripping. And before long, he was back in the bathroom passing blood.
There were no words. This was destroying him and his life from the inside out. How to deflate this inflammation and disease and actually thrive?
Was There Any Reason to Hope for a Fulfilling Life?
The truth was, he didn’t WANT to live out his life alone. Just to avoid the awkwardness of one of his flare ups. Nick ached for companionship, affection, and just feeling at home with that one special person. But now he’d gotten so nervous around the ladies, and he didn’t know how to fix it. It was like he was defeated before he ever started.
One day at an appointment with his GI specialist, he mentioned his struggle. His doctor smiled and said, “Nick, you need a life, you know..? This condition is a lot to manage, but it mustn’t be allowed to control everything. And the more you can build into your life that makes it richer and more meaningful, the more your outlook can improve to help you heal in a variety of ways.
“Here’s a card for a doctor who’s been a great help to my sister-in-law. She has a program that can help both your health and your outlook. Why don’t you give her a call?”
“Hmmmm….” Nick murmured under his breath. “Lori Calabrese, M.D… Touchpoints180.”
He whistled to himself. “Ok, I’ll give her a call. I didn’t really think I needed a psychiatrist….”
“Oh Nick…she’s much more than a psychiatrist. She treats all of you through her program. You just may be amazed at what you’ll see happen.”
“Ok, I’ll give her a try. I am really fed up with the way I’ve been living. Something has to give.”
Touchpoints180™ and Lori Calabrese, M.D.
Nick looked up the Touchpoints180™ website as soon as he got in the car. “Let’s see what this is all about…”
He began scrolling through the pages and realized his doctor had been right. This is more than psychiatry. He read through pages that talked about metabolic dysfunction, and some that talked about psychiatric disorders, and others that referred to all sorts of conditions that he didn’t consider psychiatry at all. Parkinson’s? Gut microbiome?? Migraines???
The first page he opened started with, If you’re just sick and tired…we can help you do a 180. (So that’s what the 180 is about..turning completely around…) Well…yeah! That’s exactly what I am!
“Sick. And. Tired!!”
“Ok, so they’ve been reading my mail, alright.”
He kept reading… brain energy, epigenetic, hormones, food, sleep… SOCIALIZATION! MEANING..!!!
I really want some things to change…
“Ok, I don’t know if this doctor can deliver… but she’s sure speaking my language,”…then he realized he was talking to himself. Meaning was exactly what was missing from his life. His entire life was spent just managing debilitating symptoms of a cruel condition. It just used him up, physically, mentally, emotionally, socially…
It also dawned suddenly on Nick that if he wanted his life to improve, he was going to have to have a more open mind and stop being so cynical. Deflating inflammation so he could thrive wasn’t something that happened to people every day. He knew he needed help. He wondered if this doctor could help him with his nervousness about women and this condition that blocked him from having social connections. It was worth finding out. Maybe one thing will lead to another and I’ll eventually find a way out of this social isolation trap, he thought.
As he read further on the website he saw the invitation to Make a Discovery Call. Discovery call, huh? Do I really want to get involved in a conversation with someone..? He decided, to be honest, he did.
Ok.
Nick clicked the link to make the call.
New Approaches to Healing and a New Way to Live Emerges
When the call ended, he was so glad he’d given it a chance. By learning more about what was involved in Touchpoints180™ – he devoured information about how it can help him in more ways than just with his nervousness. Nick was beginning to understand what his GI doctor meant when he said that Dr. Calabrese was more than a psychiatrist. He learned there’s a link between his anxiety…which he’d thought was nervousness…and his ulcerative colitis. He learned about how many things had likely contributed to both…and that by making strategic changes, both the condition and his mental anguish could improve and heal. He’d never heard anything like it, but it all made sense.
So Nick signed up for the program – Touchpoints180™ – and rolled up his sleeves to learn what became a vast ocean of information about his body, his brain, and his health. He learned that renegade inflammation could do lots of damage, like he had experienced with his condition for 12 years. He learned that by changing his sleep environment, his food, his exposure to nature, and his movement in specific ways, he could cause his brain and body to achieve healing and reset his systems. It had to do with mitochondria and a truckload of things his body and brain are built for.
And he was impressed that it wasn’t just based on “wellbeing” theories, but was actual science…biology… facts. For instance, they used lab work to evaluate his current condition, and to monitor his progress over time. They addressed his individual struggles to determine which changes in specific electrolytes, movement, sleep, and light were needed to trigger the healing processes his own body was crying for.
To Deflate Inflammation and Thrive…
And as the months went by, his symptoms became less intense, flare ups less frequent.
At the same time, he found himself relaxing more. Some mornings as he walked into the office, he noticed a sense of wellbeing rising up inside him. He liked that.
He was also meeting new people through the program, and getting to know them on the nature walks he participated in…
A surprising turn in the road…
After he’d been engaged in Touchpoints180™ for six months or so, he realized he enjoyed the interaction with others. That frozen feeling, the sweating in his hands and armpits…just wasn’t there anymore. What a discovery! So, he took the next step. A colleague at work who had been becoming a friend, accepted his invitation for dinner. And they had a delightful time. Who could have guessed?
One thing was certain… his life was changing – for the better.
His symptoms were definitely improving now, and his confidence that he could hold his own through a two hour date was strong.
And for good reason. That date turned into an evening of lively conversation, and mutual connection. Just a great start toward what he’d been wishing would develop for years.
Total Reset of Brain and Body
Through his experience and healing with Dr. Calabrese, and Touchpoints180™, Nick saw this wasn’t a quick fix, or a trendy regimen to bring temporary change, but a new way of life to follow permanently. He could see that as he provided what his body and brain needed, he functioned better in every way. And it was a relief to see that it didn’t involve any deprivation or punishment, but just a better, more uplifting and nurturing, way to live. Nick learned how to deflate his inflammation and thrive in a new and meaningful life.
This was a revelation…and it was revolutionary.
If you identify with Nick’s struggles and pain, you can experience a 180 just as he has. Join Nick and all of those who have found out how to remove the destructive symptoms they’ve been suffering under, and are reveling in the life they never realized they were missing.
Make your own Discovery Call today and let’s talk about the rewarding and vibrant health-filled life you’ve longed for.
To your best life,
