Because of new rules and regulations affecting those working in the medical and educational fields, I wanted to include a few bits of information for you all here.

If you are still having difficulty finding a site for your vaccination, or are not sure where to go for shot #2 (if you got Pfizer or Moderna), check this site to find clinics and pharmacies near you: https://covidvaccine.oregon.gov/

Over the past 8-10 months I have not been shy in sharing my views on vaccination. I am fully vaccinated. I support covid vaccination as a public health measure. As research has been accumulating for the last almost-year, it still appears that all vaccine options available to us are safe and effective.

Seeing the stats coming out of hospital covid floors and ERs is frankly disturbing. Being non-vaccinated is the new "preexisting medical condition." Current infections are hitting these folks very, very hard. I have been, and continue to recommend, that if someone is able to get vaccinated, then they should seek that option as a layer of protection.

I want to share this information publicly, so that if you or someone you know is seeking a medical exemption for covid vaccination, you are aware of what your provider legally can and cannot do for you.

Let me say that my covid vaccine information is coming from the CDC, and indirectly from the vaccine manufacturers themselves (it's all there on the CDC site).

Medical exemption means that there is a medical reason that a healthcare provider recommends against a treatment, in this case vaccination.

In fancy medical terms is means you have a contraindication for getting vaccinated.

So let me share with you the contraindications for getting a covid vaccine:

• Severe allergic reaction (e.g. anaphylaxis) after a previous dose or to a component of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine (Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech) or component of Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) COVID-19 vaccine.
• Immediate allergic reaction of any severity to a previous dose or known (diagnosed) allergy to a component of the vaccine.

[Source: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/different-vaccines.html]

So there you have it, folks. Those are the medical contraindications.

Here is a nicely laid out table showing each vaccine and its ingredients:

[Source: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/different-vaccines.html Appendix C above and Appendix B below]

So this means that yes, I can write a medical exemption* if someone has had a documented anaphylactic reaction to any of the covid vaccines, or their ingredients.

Employers may add additional qualifying exemptions at their discretion, so for patients wanting to discuss a medical exemption at their visit, I am asking them to bring any relevant information from their HR so we can review this information together.

 
Being allergic to basically anything else under the sun that is not an ingredient of one of the covid vaccines is not a medical contraindication.

Even having had an allergic response to a different type of vaccine. This may be surprising for some, but the reason is that if there are completely different ingredients, then there is no reason to think someone is allergic to say a tetanus shot and one of the covid vaccines. Take a look at the table below for additional information.

I haven't gotten this question yet from patients, but I imagine it's only a matter of time.

If you do not have one of the contraindications listed above, and your HR doesn't provide any other qualifying conditions you may meet,** then no, I will not sign the medical exemptions.

I say this for several reasons.

One is that a medical exemption is a formal medical recommendation i.e. a prescription. I'm giving a prescription not to vaccinate in this instance. Which requires a medical necessity, so now we're back at square one- proving the medical necessity.

The second point is that for me to falsify medical documents is fraud. That is very serious when you have a medical license to protect like I do. There are already many healthcare providers making fraudulent health claims out there, and are being investigated by government entities. For the health, sanity, and longevity of myself and my practice, I would very much like to not be among those ranks.

I'm not being "chicken little" about this. A colleague who I went to school with is currently waiting for her court date in jail, with the charge being falsifying vaccine cards. This is all very serious and I won't be committing fraud because someone asks me to. That just won't happen.

So if you can, get your shot.
If you can't, and we can document that, I can exempt you.
And if you're just choosing not to, I wish you the best and hope you are taking many additional safety measures. But please don't ask me to be a part of it.

Take good care of yourself, now more than ever,
Dr. Angela

Please join me today as I chat with Dr. Meghan Walker of The Entrepology Podcast about hormones and their important connection to joint pain and chronic pain. This is a conversation (and a podcast!) that I'm very excited about. You won't want to miss it! Listen in <<<here>>>.

Today I'm talking with Functional Medicine Nutritionist Andrea Nakayama about mapping joint pain; where the root causes of joint pain may stem from, and what we can do to alleviate it. It's 15 minutes you won't want to miss! Listen here.

💮 Next week I'll be starting up in my new Salem office 💮

Virtually during the month of June, then we'll be up at running at my new office on Liberty near Mission in July (960 Liberty St SE #210).

Salem folks: if you didn't see my email update, click here to get on my new clinic schedule:
https://www.reconstructedwellness.com/salem

[for those who have not already scheduled through me or my Reconstructed Wellness main office yet]

Have a great Memorial Day weekend! It's looking like good weather for a BBQ 🍖

Here's the video I made for my Salem community:

Starting June 1st I will be transitioning to my new office location at 960 Liberty St SE, Suite 210.

It's on the corner of Liberty and Bush in SE Salem, a block from the gazebo entrance to Bush's Pasture Park and two blocks south of Mission St.

I will still be practicing in Portland and Salem, and now both locations will be under the Reconstructed Wellness umbrella.

So here's what this means for us:

Schedule visits starting now: call Reconstructed Wellness at 503-232-3215 to schedule your virtual or in-person visits.

You don't have to wait until a certain day, the schedule with my new location is up and ready to go.
In-person visits at my new location begin July 1st.

Starting June 1st: I will be seeing patients remotely both on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

As a Reconstructed Wellness patient, you will be able to easily see me at either location, both virtual and in-person.​

This doubles my virtual availability for all patients!

No new patient paperwork if you see me at the other location than you're used to. Just schedule when and how you need me.
​​
Technically, Tuesdays will be through my Salem location, and Wednesdays at my Portland location, but since it's all remote that doesn't really matter. This is just an FYI as it'll mention the location in the appointment details.

As always, remote visits will be at https://doxy.me/drcortal

Because my new space will not be ready as early as anticipated, I will continue seeing patients in person at Natural Physicians on Thursdays through June, so if you have an appointment booked, don't worry I'll be there :)

Starting July 1st: I will fully transition my entire Salem practice to my new clinic location at 960 Liberty St SE #210. Our (in-person) time frame as announced on the postcards I sent out got pushed back due to remodeling delays.

At my  new location I will be seeing patients Tuesdays and Thursdays, now in-person all day on Thursdays, 9 am - 6 pm.

If you currently have an appointment on the books after July 1st (at Natural Physicians), feel free to call Reconstructed Wellness any time at 503-232-3215 to get that moved over. All patient appointments on my Natural Physicians schedule July 1st and later will be contacted to be re-booked on my new calendar.

I will be sharing more details as we get closer to the big move, but that's enough for now.

I hope you're enjoying the beautiful spring weather out there,
Dr. Angela

Please join me for a short chat today with Integrative Practitioner editor, Katherine Rushlau, as we discuss evidence-informed approaches to address and reverse the root causes of chronic joint pain, including nutraceuticals and lifestyle-based interventions. This is one you don't want to miss!

Happy Friday! Time for another podcast! This time I am chatting with Gregory Anne Cox of Rebellious Wellness Over 50 about injection therapy for pain relief and joint regeneration. We also take a deep dive into hormones and how they can affect joint pain. It might surprise you!

Click the image below to join in as Greg and I discuss wellness at any age!

I recorded this podcast last year right before my book launched! 

If it feels like I've been appearing on a lot of podcasts lately... that's because I have! I love having the opportunity to share my message of healing, moving, and getting back to feeling your best by addressing the root causes of osteoarthritis.

Today I joined Mo Akins, the host of Health Your Own Way, to discuss the importance of age-proofing our joints and how regenerative medicine can help.

Please join us <<here>>

Join me today on The Genetic Genius Podcast as Dr. LuLu and I talk about the root causes of degenerative joint disease and how to improve joint health naturally. In this episode I touch on how environmental toxins, genetics, and hormone deficiencies can all contribute to joint disease. This one is for the science-geek in all of us!

Tune in to listen <<here>> or view on <<YouTube>>