Blog - Dr. Christina Bjorndal

Down and Out in Paris and London

Prior to going to Paris & London for my first time in 1993 I decided to read George Orwell’s book “Down and out in Paris and London” – the book is part memoir about Orwell’s slip into homelessness. It opened my eyes to how quickly this can happen. As someone who is adopted, I have…

The Road to Recovery

The sole reason I became a naturopathic doctor was that when I was struggling with my illness, there weren’t many natural mental health experts in practice. Now, many years later, I have made it my life’s work to help those who are struggling with their mental health using natural therapies. Beyond the Label is a book…

Childhood conditions & Adult Mental Health

Virtually everything that is “wrong with you” or “wrong with your patients” began as a compensation, as a survival mechanism in childhood. Therefore, it deserves nothing but respect and compassion. And by that I mean not only dysfunctional patterns and behaviours, I also mean diagnoses. This quote is from the Journal of Paediatrics, which is…

What can we learn from Chimpanzees?

Our society is suffering. Mental health issues are on the rise amongst all age groups. In a recent article about loneliness Dr. Chris.nd offered a powerful reframe to this question: On a broader societal level, in which way is loneliness among our youth harming our communities and society? Actually, I would like to offer you a reframe on…

3 Reasons our children are facing a loneliness epidemic

A question that is important to consider is how the seeds of loneliness get planted in the first place? If we consider loneliness a weed, we can’t simply pull the top off to remove it. We need to dig underground and get to the root of the problem. If you have any experience gardening, you…

Navigating relationships: reason, season, lifetime?

You have probably heard the phrase “People come into your life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime.” And that when you figure out which it is you know exactly what to do. When people come into your life for a reason or a season it is usually to meet a need that you…

The Power of Gratitude

Gratitude is one of the most important things I teach. My wish for you as you start 2023 is to embark on a daily gratitude practice. It is always the right time to begin a gratitude practice. Living in a state of gratitude is critical to your mental health and success – practicing some form…

Who is driving the bus – by Dr. Christina Bjorndal, ND

If you had to guess what month has the highest rates of suicide – would you guess the month of June? When I read that, I didn’t believe it – even me – someone that has attempted suicide 3x – and two of those times were in the month of June. The circumstances leading up…

Supplementation for Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar disorder is a mental illness that affects around 2.5 million people in the US and Canada. (17)(21) It is characterized by fluctuations of low mood and high mood. Times of low mood often last weeks to months and high moods lasting often several days to weeks. As someone who has been diagnosed with bipolar…

Natural Ways To Manage Bulimia

Bulimia or bulimia nervosa is one of the eight defined eating disorders in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). (1) It is defined by periods of binge eating and then purging at least once a week for 3 months. (3) Bulimia generally starts in adolescence and is 10 times more prevalent among…