233: The Important Connection Between Joint Pain and Hormones with Dr. Angela Cortal

Today I am joined by Dr. Angela Cortal! Dr. Cortal is a Naturopathic Doctor from the West Coast with a focus on joint pain and chronic pain mitigation in her practice. She is also the best-selling author of the new book, Younger Joints Today. She is incredibly passionate about reversing degenerative joint disease by addressing the root causes.   Even if you don’t experience joint pain or chronic pain, I still highly recommend that you listen up and tune in! Dr. Cortal’s message of addressing the root cause of chronic pain rather than covering it up with medication is so, so important.   Our conversation today is really about the things that we can do to improve our capacity to heal post-injury, as well as what we can do to mitigate the chronic pain that we all begin to naturally experience as we age. Dr. Cortal addresses the relationship between our hormones and our increased propensity for injury and increased capacity to feel pain; the choices that we can make every single day (regardless of our age) to mitigate chronic pain as we progress through life; and what we can do to keep our bodies feeling and performing at their best.   This conversation is extremely invaluable for everybody and I highly recommend you tune in!   Key Takeaways: [1:19] About today’s episode. [3:25] Welcoming Dr. Angela Cortal to the podcast! [4:00] Dr. Cortal shares her backstory and what led her to become incredibly passionate about chronic pain. [7:40] How are we still at a place, with the evolution of medicine, where people are experiencing pain? And why are we struggling to find the root cause of their pain? [9:29] The current divide in the healthcare system. [10:03] How many of the patients that Dr. Cortal has worked with, would she say, have been given an appropriate protocol to take them from an acute injury to functional? [12:09] For patients moving out of the acute injury phase, what does Dr. Cortal recommend that they be aware of in this intermediate phase while they’re healing? [14:29] The connection between hormones and chronic pain when it comes to recovery. [16:02] The risk for injuries in those with hormonal challenges. [17:50] Long-term diet choices that can be problematic to our joints and chronic pain. [21:10] Should we be eating collagen? What foods should we be consuming to help build up our joints? [22:29] The top foods that Dr. Cortal recommends we should all eat. [23:20] For those who are plant-based eaters, has Dr. Cortal noticed an increased propensity for pain during recovery? [24:50] Exercises that we should be engaging at 35 years old and older to mitigate chronic pain and increase our ability to recover from acute injury. [27:28] Dr. Cortal’s key performance indicators! [29:47] Where to learn more about Angela and her work. [30:15] Thanking Dr. Cortal for joining the podcast! [30:25] What I have been incorporating in my own life to keep my body feeling at its best.   Mentioned in This Episode: Dr. Angela Cortal Estrogen Matters: Why Taking Hormones in Menopause Can Improve Women's Well-Being and Lengthen Their Lives — Without Raising the Risk of Breast Cancer, by Avrum Bluming and Carol Tavris   More About Dr. Angela Cortal Dr. Angela Cortal is a Naturopathic Physician based in Oregon and the best-selling author of the new book, Younger Joints Today. She is passionate about reversing degenerative joint disease by addressing the root causes. She loves partnering with her patients to optimize their health, happiness, strength, and well-being.   In addition to her clinical practice, she is a sought-after teacher focusing on addressing joint pain, instructs advanced injection skill courses for physicians, and lectures to professional audiences (on hormones, joint health, and injection therapies). In her spare time, she tends to her rural property with her husband Xavi and their two rescue dogs, Levi and Frankie.   Connect with my Guest: Website: DrCortal.com Book: Younger Joints Today: Your 7 Step Plan to turn back the hands of time and get your joints healing, moving and feeling their best, by Dr. Angela Cortal Social Media: FaceBook @DrAngelaCortal, Instagram @DrAngelaCortal & Twitter @DrAngelaCortal   If you enjoyed our conversation and would like to hear more: Please subscribe to The Entrepology Podcast on Stitcher or iTunes. We would also appreciate a review!   Come Join Your Community on The Entrepology Collective Facebook Page! They say that you’re the product of the five people with whom you spend the most time. Imagine you could spend time with hundreds of fellow entrepreneurs and go-getters looking to up-level their business, body, and mindset! Come hang out with us on Facebook and let us collectively inspire and support you towards your vision of contribution, your commitment towards better health, and your journey of mindset mastery. We’re in this together! Come join us today!   BADASS FUEL — Fuel for Badass Women Scientifically Supported Ingredients | Support, Not Replacement | Non-GMO Two years ago, someone asked me what supplements I take to maintain my health, energy, and edge — and they were surprised that I only took four things consistently. For myself and my patients, there are four basics that support — at a foundational level — nearly every system in our bodies. In my quest for the highest quality ingredients and the easiest system for consistently incorporating supplementation into my routine, I formulated and manufactured my own line of foundational supplements. Trusted for myself and my patients, and under the guidance of your own healthcare provider, I’m excited to invite you to check out our foundational product line: Badass Basics. Learn more or order the products yourself by visiting BadassFuel.com!   CALL TO ACTION We all have to take radical responsibility for our health. What are you doing to manage and mitigate pain as you age? What are the strategies that you have been incorporating into your life? What are you doing to make your body feel at its absolute best? Let us know over on Instagram @DrMeghanWalker and our free Facebook group, The Entrepology Collective!   Tweetables:   “[No] two cases of knee pain or hip pain are the same. … My recommendations are going to be different depending on where someone’s pain is coming from. So, a really good evaluation is where we begin.” — Dr. Angela Cortal   “My purpose is to get people to see that there is another way to reach out … and help those that are feeling stuck … and to see [that] we actually can take the reins of our own health; … we don’t have to take on and identify with what other people tell us.” — Dr. Angela Cortal