Dr. Christina Bjorndal, ND is an authority in treating depression, anxiety, sleeping, and eating disorders. She is the co-founder of the Natural Terrain Naturopathic Clinic and the best-selling author of four books on mental health.    In this episode, Dr. Bjorndal kindly shared her thoughts on the effects of birth control pills on our bodies, how to address deficiencies and imbalances in neurotransmitters through lifestyle changes, herbs, and nutrients. The conversation doesn't end there, Dr. Bjorndal and Dr. Cates walk through the devastating impact of loneliness, and how to cope with it.      Takeaways:  [3:20] Medications are a helping hand to help us get to solid ground from where we can find health issues' root causes. [4:11] About the pros and cons of getting "labeled," i.e., getting a diagnosis. [6:13] Taking medications for long periods can produce significant side effects in our bodies. [8:40] A balanced diet is critical to deal with neurotransmitter imbalances. [10:37] Antidepressants won't solve a problem by themselves; we must find the stressors in our lives and make changes. [12:40] There are multiple solutions in Naturopathic medicine to deal with skin conditions and painful and irregular periods.   [16:38] Lifestyle and environmental conditions are responsible for mental illnesses too.   Mentioned in This Episode:  Dr. Christina Bjornal website: https://drchristinabjorndal.com/books/ Natural Terrain Naturopathic Clinic: https://naturalterrain.com/ Dr. Christina Bjornal books: https://drchristinabjorndal.com/books/   Twitter:   "It is important to understand is that medication is just a helping hand that we may need to get you on solid ground. And then, we can look at what is at the root of what's going on."   "I think it's crucial to ask yourself what was going on in my life when I started feeling anxious or depressed."   "It's not always all about the genes. It's about the environmental factors that may light the gene or turn it on or off."   "The environment it's definitely an underlooked piece in medicine. And it's a very important piece because there's just been so much change over the last 40 or 50 years when it comes to the number of chemicals in the products we use."   Podcast Disclaimer:  https://resources.thespadr.com/the-womans-doctor/#disclaimer