E288: Why Her Panic Attacks Had Nothing to Do With Her Brain – Clinical Thinking #2
January 13, 2026
What’s really driving panic attacks when the brain isn’t the problem?
In this episode, Ronda walks through a complex case of a 28-year-old woman with debilitating panic attacks, chronic anxiety, and a gut feeling that her thyroid was to blame. Spoiler: it wasn’t. Through careful clinical thinking, Ronda traces the real root cause back to compromised upper digestion, metabolic instability, and a nervous system running on cortisol and adrenaline fumes.
You’ll hear how a fasting glucose of 71 told a bigger story than any thyroid panel, why food poisoning in Costa Rica exposed what was already broken, and the surprising connection between chocolate and panic attacks. Ronda shares her step-by-step approach to peeling back the layers—starting with digestion before touching adaptogens—and explains why less testing often leads to better outcomes.
This episode also includes a practical tip for managing anxious patients: using AI to create clear, organized visit recaps that give their analytical brains something to hold onto between appointments.
What You’ll Learn:
- Why low fasting glucose reveals more about anxiety than thyroid markers
- The connection between bile insufficiency and panic attacks
- How to sequence treatment: digestion first, adaptogens second
- Why the “obvious” answer is usually wrong (and how to find the real one)
- A time-saving AI hack for patient communication
Resources Mentioned:
- Download the free guide: The 6 Principles of Clinical Thinking
- Clinical Academy
Connect with Ronda
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