In this episode, Dr. Toni talks with naturopathic doctor and author Dr. Christina Bjorndal about her personal experience addressing mental health struggles growing up and into motherhood. This conversation includes discussion of Dr. Chris’s experience with an eating disorder, bipolar disorder, suicidal ideation and suicide attempts, as well as the role of naturopathic medicine and self-love in her ability to move from denying to owning her truth.
Christina Bjorndal is a licensed naturopathic doctor and established keynote speaker on how to regain your mental health using a naturopathic approach. She is the co-founder of Natural Terrain, a naturopathic clinic in Edmonton, and author of the books “Beyond The Label: 10 Steps To Improve Your Mental Health With Naturopathic Medicine” and “The Essential Diet: Eating for Mental Health”.
Her books, courses and workshops can teach you how you can regain your mental health using a physical, mental, emotional and spiritual approach to health, especially if you have been recently diagnosed with a mental illness or if you are struggling in your life.
In this episode, we cover:
How everything between mania and suicide fits in the range of human experience and is not necessarily a problem
Your 3 macro-systems involved in your mental health on a physical level
Neurotransmitters
Endocrine or hormonal
Detoxification organs and immune system
The importance of nutrition for mental health: amino acids tryptophan for serotonin production and phenylalanine for dopamine production
How learning how to say no and sleep are critical for your mental health as a mom, while a huge challenge for new moms
Ask yourself the reason behind saying yes to what you put on your plate in life, especially if you have the tendency to be a people pleaser
Resentment is a cue or red flag that you are not managing your boundaries properly
Some common myths around mental illness
You should not have children if you have a mental illness because it’s genetic
The scientific study of epigenetics shows that genes load the gun, while lifestyle pulls the trigger
You cannot manage mental illness without medication
You create mental health issues with “poor mental hygiene” and bad psychological habits
Learning to navigate your inner critic and manage your mind and thoughts so you’re not at the mercy of them is a key step for mental health (and can take time)
The scientific field of psychoneuroimmunology shows that your thoughts create neuropeptides that affect the hormones produced in your body and how you feel
Negative thoughts push you into a sympathetic stress mode
Steps can include recognizing your thoughts, refraining from following your thoughts by relaxing into your breath
We all form beliefs, judgements and opinions based on what happens to us but sometimes they are not correct – it’s important to critically examine these pieces
Your mental health issues are completely negative, there is no gift in them
Depression can be calling you home to you
For more information on the impact of nutrition on your health, see Episode 85
Dr. Chris believes that every mom needs to cultivate and practice good boundaries.
Dr. Toni is a big fan of Dr. Chris’s book Beyond The Label, and loves to get outside for a walk to shift her emotional state, even if it’s just around her neighbourhood to experience nature in the city.
Email us or connect with us on Facebook and Instagram. We’d love you to subscribe, leave us a review and a 5-star rating if you enjoyed this episode.
Please tell your perimenopausal mama friends about us, too!
Stay safe and healthy everyone!
Disclaimer: The information provided in this presentation is not meant to replace treatment with a licensed health care practitioner. It is for informational purposes only. Consult with a Naturopathic Doctor or other licensed health care professional to determine which treatments are safe for you.
Dr. Lisa and Dr. Toni are celebrating the 100th episode of the Perimenopausal Mamas Podcast! Listen in for our top highlights from the first 100 episodes and find out what we learned about sex, loving our bodies, intermittent fasting, having thriving relationships, preventing toddler tantrum and kiddo meltdowns and embracing our monthly rhythms.
We launched Jan 2020 before the pandemic and kept going! We were inspired to stay connected with and support you all, our listeners through this unprecedented time in history. We also love chatting together and diving deep into topics in our episodes together and with guests. It really fills up our cups and educates us on how to be better moms and Naturopathic Doctors. We are so grateful for all you listeners!
We appreciate all of you and your support! We now have a new way for you to support us and this podcast so we can keep going for another 100+ episodes. We would love for you to visit Patreon and support us with $5/month or with $20/month – which gives you access to our live monthly webinar with Q & A
If you have trouble sticking to habits, listen in for tips on making successful change
Episode 59: Menstrual Cycle Awareness and Cyclical Living
There are times to work hard and times to rest – your energy and output ebbs and flows
Optimize your peak performance throughout the month and tap into your natural rhythms and cycles
Before period or new moon – better suited for analytical work
Ovulating or full moon – more magnetic, better suited for networking, socializing, promoting self
Episode 23: Let’s Talk About Sex with Dr. Trina Read
Research shows that sexual desire is similar to happiness. For most women, in order to feel sexual desire, you need to be triggered. You can learn positive triggers around sex and negative triggers around sex. You need to set up your positive triggers for sex.
In situations with great change, it’s important to connect with your partner and look for ways to be together, so that you don’t drift apart. Being proactive and finding pockets of time to be close with your partner helps your relationship, as well as feeling more powerful yourself.
Your body can only produce either cortisol (your stress hormone) or testosterone (your sex drive hormone). If you’re producing cortisol, you can’t produce testosterone.
You can back into the groove and bring your body back to a place where you feel more centred and sensual by:
Taking a bath
Listening to your favourite music
Giving yourself some me time alone (perhaps in your bedroom with a vibrator)
Just making up your mind to connect with your partner and scheduling it in (even if it feels forced at first)
Episode 17 and Episode 82 – Relationship Seasons with psychotherapist Allison Villa
How to support your relationship so you’re not just surviving, but working proactively to thrive
Coping – when an external factor takes up the majority of your time and energy, eg. having a baby, starting a new job, loss of family member, pandemic, moving or renovation
Express how you feel
Ask for what you need
Don’t assume – be curious about your partner
Carve out 5 minutes a day to check in with your partner during a high energy time in your day – keep talking!
Recognize that it’s less about the doing and more about being and acknowledging
Coasting – when you have come out the the Coping season and reintegrate as a couple, a bit of a danger zone if you’re not putting the time and energy into your relationship eg. empty nest syndrome
Carve out 5 minutes a day to check in with your partner – no talking about work, kids or the house!
Support each other’s self-care time
Connected – when schedule for self-care is set and you are getting clear on your family and relationship vision
Dream big!
Ask:
What is your community?
What are your values?
Do you want to travel?
What is your spiritual vision?
Could you do things a different way?
Confident – when you know what vision you are working towards
Be more curious about your intimacy vision – intellectual, spiritual, emotional, physical, sexual
Episode 34 – Pelvic floor fitness with personal trainer Amy Cooper
It’s important not to avoid any changes you experience with your pelvic health, especially after having kids
The Rule of 3 P’s for pelvic health that are red flags you need to watch for:
Episode 36 – Holistic Pelvic Care with Dr. Kate Hadfield
How important is it to recover and heal from trauma so you can reclaim your pelvic area for power and creativity, not just for sexuality
Inspired by Larisa Makuch, guest of Episode 51 and 99, Dr. Lisa has continued going alcohol-free since March and it has been a game-changer for self-care over the past 8 months:
Less anxiety and better mood overall
Less blood sugar dips -the “gotta eat now/hangry” response
Looking at other ways to unwind, celebrate, welcome the weekend
Start with body neutrality – see yourself as more than your appearance or looks
How body neutrality and self acceptance is a great place to start on the journey to self love and confidence
Make a daily habit that fosters body neutrality or body confidence
Look in mirror before shower- in your own eyes, zone in on a spot that you are neutral about or like
Focus on what your body does for you
Can put in gratitude journal
Episode 97 – Vitamin D for Enhancing Immunity, Supporting Mood, Reducing Inflammation and So Much More
Could a vitamin D deficiency be affecting your mood, headaches, muscle tension and pain like Dr. Toni? Get your blood levels tested with your naturopathic doctor!
Mind-blowing research on vitamin D supporting the epithelial cells in the vagina to reduce postmenopausal vaginal atrophy – a vitamin D suppository reduced vaginal dryness and pain in 2 months
Episode 58 – Vaccine optimization with Dr. Taylor Bean
The importance of having an individualized approach to supporting your immune health relating to vaccines and nutrition
Preventing meltdowns and tantrums with Golden Time
Set aside 10 minutes 1-2 times per day – connect, drop everything else, let them be in charge, be present
Episode 57 with Penny Kendall Reed
How your individual genetics impacts your weight, liver detoxification for hormone balance, levels of inflammation, ability to managing mood and stress
Today’s Mama Must-Have:
Dr. Lisa loves Chaiwala Rooibos Masala Chai tea to simmer with almond or macadamia milk for a warm, sweet drink without a lot of sugar
Dr. Toni is a big fan of mushroom coffee with lion’s mane by Four Sigmatic for a little extra boost
Email us or connect with us on Facebook and Instagram. We’d love you to subscribe, leave us a review and a 5-star rating if you enjoyed this episode.
Please tell your perimenopausal mama friends about us, too!
Stay safe and healthy everyone!
Disclaimer: The information provided in this presentation is not meant to replace treatment with a licensed health care practitioner. It is for informational purposes only. Consult with a Naturopathic Doctor or other licensed health care professional to determine which treatments are safe for you.
In this episode, Dr. Lisa welcomes back Master Results Coach and author Larisa Makuch to discuss self-sabotage and how moms can start to put themselves first. They discuss using tools such as vision-boarding, gratitude journalling and more (and how to get your kids in on the action too!).
Previously, Larisa joined Dr. Lisa in Episode 51 – Mastering Your Mindset with Larisa Makuch: Dr. Lisa dives deep with Master Results Coach, Larisa Makuch, about stepping back and looking at how you show up in your life. They discuss actionable ways to live an intentional and joyful life, even during the pandemic. Listen in to discover ways to foster a positive mindset and gratitude; learn how to be responsive and not reactionary to situations that arise (and to your kids!) and simple ways to live a purpose-filled life.
Larisa Makuch is a Master Results Coach and CEO of Abundance Academy. She helps motivated entrepreneurial and professional women stop spinning their wheels, overcome anxiety and banish limiting beliefs so they can free themselves to unapologetically create the life and business they want and love.
A major part of Larisa’s journey was overcoming a 10-year infertility journey where she “did everything” recommended by various doctors and health-care practitioners. Her turning point was making a key mindset shift that led her to a dramatic change in her professional life, successful pregnancy and son she adores!
As the author of the upcoming Stop Procrastinating Your Life Away: Discover the Secrets to More Time, Money and Freedom and CEO of Abundance Academy, it’s her mission to positively impact more than 1-Billion people across the globe and allow the world to be a better place for all.
In this episode, we cover:
How you can tend to put yourself last by default
The importance of giving yourself permission to be a different kind of mother than the one you think you “should” be
That you are not responsible for your unconscious programming, however you are responsible for changing it once you recognize it
Step 1: Forgive yourself for not being perfect!
Step 2: Choose to keep going in the same direction or choose a better direction
That most of your limiting beliefs are just decisions that you made at some point
The importance of having simple tools and making the decision to use them
Re-writing and shifting your limiting beliefs
Vision boarding
How decision making is a skill that you can practice, master and teach your kids
Dr. Lisa is a big fan of the Verilux 10,000 LUX light box for seasonal light exposure
Email us or connect with us on Facebook and Instagram. We’d love you to subscribe, leave us a review and a 5-star rating if you enjoyed this episode.
Please tell your perimenopausal mama friends about us, too!
Stay safe and healthy everyone!
Disclaimer: The information provided in this presentation is not meant to replace treatment with a licensed health care practitioner. It is for informational purposes only. Consult with a Naturopathic Doctor or other licensed health care professional to determine which treatments are safe for you.
In this episode, Dr. Toni talks with Dr. Cyndi Gilbert about how to navigate conversations around gender identity and sexual orientation with our kids, so that we can have open conversations and support our kids in a safe and loving way. We cover the difference between sex and gender, the assumptions we often make around sexual orientation, gender and pronouns, resources available for parent and kids, and how parental support is crucial for reducing the higher rates of mental health issues in LGBTQ+ kids.
“No matter what our hopes and fears are for our children, our biggest job is to support them to become the wonderful human they are going to be”
Dr. Cyndi joined Dr. Toni for a previous episode discussing the benefits of Forest Bathing and getting outside – for more info, see Episode 30
Dr. Cyndi Gilbert is a licensed and registered naturopathic doctor with prescribing rights in Ontario, as well as a teacher and author. She has a clinical focus in mental health, trauma, substance use, sexual and reproductive health and LBGTQ2SIA+ health. She has always been an activist in some way or another and is committed to a harm reduction and anti-oppression model of care. She has previously taught at the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine in botanical medicine and naturopathic philosophy and now most of her teaching is focused on cultural safety and competency, anti-oppression, and trauma-informed care.
In today’s episode, we cover:
The assumption you make by seeing external genitalia at birth or by ultrasound before your kids are born
The difference between biological sex and gender
Biological sex includes:
External genitalia
Internal reproductive organs
X and Y chromosomes eg. XX, XY, XXY
Primary and secondary sexual characteristics eg. hair growth patterns, bone structure changes around puberty
Gender is a social category including:
Identity – how you see yourself as feminine, masculine, androgenous, non-binary, queer, etc.
Expression – how you relate to societal and cultural norms and expectations eg. clothing, toys
How societal norms can change, eg. in the Victorian era girls were dressed in blue and boys were dressed in pink!
How gender has not always been binary in many cultures, eg. Two Spirit in American Indigenous culture
The often mind-blowing concept of gender as a galaxy instead of a linear spectrum
The importance of normalizing conversations around gender and sexual orientation to support your kids health
Kids who are more gender diverse and/or identify as LGBTQ+ are more likely to use substances, to suffer from mental health conditions like anxiety and depression, and to think about suicide and/or act on suicidal thoughts
Research shows that parental support drastically reduces all of the above risks
LGBTQ+ kids have high self esteem, excellent mental and physical health and are satisfied with life when they have very supportive parents compared to those kids who lack parental support
Depression and suicide risk in trans youth decreases from 60-70% to 4% with parental support
What you can do to normalize and model gender and sexual orientation diversity if you’re cis gender and in a heterosexual relationship
How neutral words and pronouns can be used to prevent making assumptions around gender identity
Like sexual orientation, gender identity in your kids is not impacted by your parenting style and will develop in your kids no matter what you do or say
The importance of finding resources for yourself so you’re not imposing your fears and concerns on your kids
Examples of questions and ways to respond to your kids when they express different gender identities and sexual orientations
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The importance of not attaching labels or jumping to conclusions in general and with your kids
Dr. Toni is a big fan of using herbs like astragalus (like in the herbal combination Deep Immune by St. Francis Herbs) for immune support and modulation in the fall and winter.
Email us or connect with us on Facebook and Instagram. We’d love you to subscribe, leave us a review and a 5-star rating if you enjoyed this episode.
Please tell your perimenopausal mama friends about us, too!
Stay safe and healthy everyone!
Disclaimer: The information provided in this presentation is not meant to replace treatment with a licensed health care practitioner. It is for informational purposes only. Consult with a Naturopathic Doctor or other licensed health care professional to determine which treatments are safe for you.
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