Moody Bitches The Truth about the Drugs Youre Taking the Sleep Youre Missing the Sex Youre Not Having & Whats Really Making

A groundbreaking health guide for women of all ages that shows womens inherent moodiness is a strength, not a weakness, and medication is not always the answer   Women are leaders, breadwinners, and caregivers. Were leaning in so much were about to fall over. To take the edge off, many women pop a pill, eat something sugary, have a drink, or spend mindless time online. These activities quickly become patterns that take an enormous toll on womens bodies and natural hormonal balance.   Women are made to be moody and, according to Dr. Holland, thats a strength—not a weakness. Our culture tells us otherwise, but when used properly, moodiness is power.   By design, our hormones ebb and flow over a twenty-eight-day cycle and wax and wane over decades of fertility. Women are naturally emotional and empathetic because of these fluctuations and our evolutionary role as caretakers. Our moods govern our reproductive cycle, but they are also a smart feedback system. They let us know when our bodies are primed to tackle different challenges and when we should be alert to developing problems.   But millions of American women are medicating away their hormones because the culture says that moodiness is a problem to be fixed. One in four American women takes a psychiatric drug, be it an antidepressant, antipsychotic, or antianxiety medication. If you add sleeping pills to the mix, the statistics become considerably higher. In major metropolitan areas, the number of medicated women doubles.   Medicating away our natural moods can have devastating consequences for women in many areas of their lives: sex, relationships, sleep, eating, focus, balance, and aging. Unnecessary prescription drug use introduces a host of problems into these basic activities.   Dr. Julie Holland knows there is a better way. Shes been sharing her frank and funny wisdom with her patients for years, and in Moody Bitches Dr. Holland offers readers insider information about the pros and cons of the drugs theyre being offered, as well as some surprising and highly effective, individual, natural therapies that can help them press the reset button in their own bodies and minds.   In the tradition of Our Bodies, Our Selves, this groundbreaking guide for all ages will forge a much needed new path in womens health—and offer women invaluable information on how to be better, more balanced bitches at every stage of life.

"Feeling moody or bitchy doesn't mean you have a substandard brain or a psychiatric-medication-du-jour deficiency. In her groundbreaking new book, psychiatrist Dr. Julie Holland tells you exactly how to work with your unique brain and body chemistry and embrace and upgrade all of your feelings."

and#8212;Christiane Northrup, M.D., author,and#160;Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom

"Not just informative,and#160;Moody Bitchesand#160;is funny and provocative. An important guide to health and well being for women of all ages."

and#8212;Laura Corio, M.D., author,and#160;The Change Before the Change

"This is the most important book on being a woman sinceand#160;Our Bodies, Our Selves. Scientific yet compassionate, Dr. Julie Holland provides actionable, state-of-the-art advice on how women can navigate through an ever-changing hormonal landscape. She not only gives women new command over their bodies, but also shows how extreme moods and emotions might better be listened to than chemically suppressed."

and#8212;Douglas Rushkoff, author,and#160;Present Shock

"Dr. Julie Holland gives us a deftly written, deeply insightful exploration of women's hormonal fluctuations, sensitivities, and mind states not as pathology to be medicated but as an expression of their true selves.and#160;Moody Bitchesand#160;is both engrossing theory and a practical guide enabling women to remain natural in an unnatural world."

and#8212;Gabor Matand#233;, M.D., authorand#160;When the Body Says No

"This book should be read by moody bitches everywhere and the befuddled bastards who love them. Dr. Julie Holland has distilled decade of clinical and personal experience into a radically commonsense approach to the fluctuations of femininity."

and#8212;Cacilda Jetha, M.D., and Christopher Ryan, Ph.D., coauthors,and#160;Sex at Dawn

"Myself, I'm a moody bastard, but I've learned a ton from this brisk, provocative, and instructive book. Dr. Julie Holland writes with the authority of a clinician, the warmth of a good friend, and the urgency of someone who really cares."

and#8212;Joshua Wolf Shenk, author,and#160;Power of Two

"Finally, an evidence-based guide to health for women, by a woman, that speaks to the mind, body, and spirit of womanhood. An invaluable manual for moody bitches and essential reading for anyone who knows one."

and#8212;Andrew Weil, M.D., author,and#160;Spontaneous Happiness

A groundbreaking guide for women of all ages that shows womenand#8217;s inherent moodiness is a strength, not a weakness

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As women, we learn from an early age that our moods are a problem. Bitches are moody. To succeed in life, we are told, we must have it all under control. We have to tamp down our inherent shifts in favor of a more static way of being. But our bodies are wiser than we imagine. Moods are not an annoyance to be stuffed away. They are a finely-tuned feedback system that, if heeded, can tell us how best to manage our lives. Our changing moods let us know when our bodies are primed to tackle different challenges and when we should be alert to developing problems. They help us select the right tool for each of our many jobs. If we deny our emotionality, we deny the breadth of our talents. With the right care of our inherently dynamic bodies, we can master our moods to avail ourselves of this great natural strength.and#160;

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Yet millions of American women are medicating away their emotions because our culture says that moodiness is a problem to be fixed. One in four of us takes a psychiatric drug. If you add sleeping pills to the mix, the statistics become considerably higher. Over-prescribed medications can have devastating consequences for women in many areas of our lives: sex, relationships, sleep, eating, focus, balance, and aging. and#160;And even if we donand#8217;t pop a pill, women everywhere are numbing their emotions with food, alcohol, and a host of addictive behaviors that deny the wisdom of our bodies and keep us from addressing the real issues that we face.

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Dr. Julie Holland knows there is a better way. Sheand#8217;s been sharing her frank and funny wisdom with her patients for years, and inand#160;Moody Bitchesand#160;Dr. Holland offers readers a guide to our bodies and our moodiness that includes insider information about the pros and cons of the drugs weand#8217;re being offered, the direct link between food and mood, an honest discussion about sex, practical exercise and sleep strategies, as well as some surprising and highly effective natural therapies that can help us press the reset button on our own bodies and minds.

and#160;

In the tradition ofand#160;Our Bodies, Our Selves, this groundbreaking guide for women of all ages will forge a much needed new path in womenand#8217;s healthand#151;and offer women invaluable information on how to live better, and be more balanced, at every stage of life.

DR. JULIE HOLLAND has run her private psychiatric practice in Manhattan for nearly twenty years. Her nationally bestselling memoir, Weekends at Bellevue, was based on her nine years running the psychiatric ER. Dr. Holland is an expert on drugs and the brain and is the medical monitor for cannabis and MDMA research. She has appeared on the Today show numerous times. Moody Bitches is in development at HBO with Oprah Winfrey and Diablo Cody.