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Dr. Carol Shwery - Pleasure Point Wellness and Functional Medicine

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Dr. Carol Shwery - Pleasure Point Wellness and Functional Medicine

Dr. Carol Shwery is a Doctor of Chiropractic, specializing in Applied Kinesiology & non-force techni

05/30/2024

Root Causes of Bloating

💥 Causes of bloating you didn’t know ⬇️⬇️

First, let’s be clear. Bloating is NOT normal when it is painful, extreme, or happens every day ❌

If you’ve tried the usual things (like eating slowly, chewing thoroughly, drinking beverages at room temperature, and walking after meals) but STILL can’t seem to find a solution for bloating…

It’s time to look deeper for a cause.

Some of the potential issues underneath could be:

▪️ Parasites
▪️ Low stomach acid
▪️ Gut motility issues
▪️ H.pylori overgrowth
▪️ Low digestive enzymes
▪️ Dysbiosis (disrupted gut microbiome)
▪️ Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO)
▪️ Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIFO)
▪️ Leaky gut (increased permeability)

This is not an exhaustive list! These are only the issues that are specific to the gut, but bloating can also be caused by 🌸hormones, 😩stress, or 🍷alcohol consumption.

The only way to solve a problem is to first find out what the problem actually is. This is something we excel at in naturopathic & functional medicine.

Want to get to the root cause of bloating or other health issues?
I am here to support you in achieving your best level of health. Send me a message “interested” to learn more.

05/17/2024

You might be pleasantly surprised 🤩

Gut health is the first place I start with many of my clients because research has shown that it’s linked to hormonal balance, immune function, inflammation, mental health, and more!

Benefits of better gut health include:

▪️ Less Bloating
▪️ Easier Bowel Movements
▪️ Reduced Food Cravings
▪️ Clearer Skin
▪️ Mental Clarity
▪️ More Energy

While every person is unique and on their own healing path, optimizing gut health can have a powerful effect on many of the most common health issues.

If you’re curious about taking a root-cause approach to healing, I am here to support you in achieving your best level of health. Send me a message “interested” to learn more.

05/09/2024

Signs your gut is calling for help

Most people don’t realize this 👉

It’s a common misconception that the only signs of poor gut health are digestive problems, like gas, bloating, heartburn, constipation, or diarrhea.

Problems in the gut can also cause or aggravate:

▪️ Food Sensitivities
▪️ Skin Irritations
▪️ Food Cravings
▪️ Mood Changes
▪️ Brain Fog

While there can also be other factors contributing to these issues, it’s worth considering the domino effect that gut health has on nearly everything else in the body.

Want tips on improving your gut health? Be sure to follow for my upcoming posts.

Drop me a ❤️ if you agree.

04/17/2024

Easy Ways to Support Detoxification

📍 You’ll want to save this post!

Because healthy detoxification is foundational to feeling good 🙌

Did you know we have 6 pathways of detoxification? Here they are and how you can easily support them:

Skin ➡️ Dry Brush
Lungs ➡️ Deep Breathing
Liver ➡️Vegetables
Kidneys ➡️ Water
Bowels ➡️ Fiber
Lymph ➡️Movement

Did you ever think about how hard your body is working on your behalf?

Like this post ❤️ if you want to see more tips on simple ways to improve your health and stay that way.

04/04/2024

Cleanse vs. Everyday Detox

💥Let’s get this straight.

Cleanses and detox protocols are in no short supply.

And the same can be said for confusion and misinformation 🤦‍♀️

One thing most people don’t realize is that a “cleanse” or a “detox” is not the same as everyday detoxification.

➡️ A cleanse is a few days to a few weeks of following a strict protocol. It’s like a reset.
➡️ Everyday detoxification is supported by daily movement, drinking plenty of water, eating healthy foods, and optimizing nutrition over time.

While a cleanse is safest and most effective when it’s individualized and guided by a skilled practitioner…

Everyday detoxification can benefit anyone for sustained health 🌱

Want tips on supporting your body in everyday detoxification?

Be sure to like this post ❤️ and tap follow 👆because I’ll be sharing more soon!

04/01/2024

Signs You Have Healthy Detoxification

Most people don’t think about this👉👉

Truth is that our bodies are busy processing and eliminating toxins all day every day.

We feel healthy when our detox pathways are keeping pace with those toxins and are not overburdened.

Here’s how to know you have healthy detoxification:

✔️ Fresh breath (without needing gum or mints!)
✔️ Clear skin (without rashes or outbreaks)
✔️ Easy bowel movements (every day)
✔️ Sound sleep (without waking at 3am)
✔️ Mental clarity (without brain fog!)

If you can’t check all those boxes, it’s okay!

There are simple things we can do with food, lifestyle, & functional medicine to support detoxification and get to the root cause.

🌱 I am here to support you in achieving your best level of health. Send me a message with “INTERESTED” to learn more

03/30/2024

💥 Let’s figure out why!

If you’re dealing with food sensitivities, this post is for you.

Did you know there might be fixable issues that are driving food sensitivities or making them worse?

That’s right:

Research 📚 has linked food sensitivities to changes in:

👉 Gut Microbiome
👉 Intestinal Permeability (“Leaky Gut”)
👉 Gut inflammation

So…

Gut support makes a lot of sense.

Comment ”food sensitive” if you want to learn more about how I can help with a root-cause approach to health 🙌

References
Caminero A, Meisel M, Jabri B, Verdu EF. Mechanisms by which gut microorganisms influence food sensitivities. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2019;16(1):7-18. [link]
Ohtsuka Y. Food intolerance and mucosal inflammation. Pediatr Int. 2015;57(1):22-29. [link]
Ventura MT, Polimeno L, Amoruso AC, et al. Intestinal permeability in patients with adverse reactions to food. Dig Liver Dis. 2006;38(10):732-736. [link]

03/28/2024

You aren’t going to like this, but TRUTH IS…

❌ There is no perfect way to test for food sensitivities.

(I’m not talking about food allergies—see my recent posts for the difference)

Here are options:

1️⃣ The Elimination-Challenge Diet
2️⃣ Food Sensitivities Blood Test
3️⃣ Combination of Both

For the Elimination-Challenge Diet, you remove all suspected foods until you feel better and then reintroduce them one at a time to see which are problematic.

Some people notice dramatic results 🎉

But some people just get more frustrated because the diet can take a long time, and the results are not always obvious.

The blood test looks to see if your body is creating antibodies to a long list of foods.

👉👉 Combine these 2 methods together, and you might discover a simple solution to feeling better!

03/26/2024

Could food sensitivities be to blame? ⬇️

Here’s what people think food sensitivities look like:

💥 GI Distress
💥 Stomach Pain
💥 Loose Stools

Here’s what food sensitivities actually look like:

🧐 Tiredness
🧐 Brain Fog
🧐 Joint Aches
🧐 Feeling Bloated
🧐 Skin Rashes
🧐 Behavior Changes
🧐 Moodiness

Truth is—food sensitivities can show up as any of those ☝️things.

The reactions can take hours or days to show up, making it tricky to pinpoint a cause.

If you want to better understand if foods are a trigger for you…

Double tap to like this post ❤️ and hit follow for more!

03/14/2024

👋 Hey there! If you’re wondering if foods might be triggering you ⬇️⬇️

Lots of people get this confused, but do you know how many different types of food reactions there are?

👉👉there are 4️⃣

🚑 Food allergies trigger an immune reaction that can be life-threatening.

🤷‍♀️ Food sensitivities trigger more gradual reactions that can be harder to recognize.

🥛 Food intolerances occur because of an inability to digest certain foods (like lactose).

🍞 Celiac disease is an autoimmune reaction to gluten.

Of all the types, food sensitivities are the most confusing, so I’ll be sharing a series of posts on this soon.

Be sure to tap FOLLOW if you want to learn how to recognize food sensitivities and what to do about it!

02/21/2024

7 Ways to Increase Vagal Tone 💃🕺

The vagus nerve helps regulate everything from heart rate to gut motility to inflammation to mood. When you increase your vagal tone, you send a signal of safety to all of your organs so they can function at their best.

Here are some science backed ways to tone the vagus nerve:

▪️ Deep Breathing
▪️ Meditation
▪️ Yoga
▪️ Massage
▪️ Exercise
▪️ Cold Water Plunge
▪️ Nutrition

All of these work because the vagus nerve communicates in both directions—both to and from the brain. These practices send signals to the brain that increase activity of the vagus nerve.

That means no more “fight or flight” and a lot more “rest and digest.”

Health doesn’t have to be hard.

👉 Message “READY” to learn more.

References
Dai J, Lampert R, Wilson PW, Goldberg J, Ziegler TR, Vaccarino V. Mediterranean dietary pattern is associated with improved cardiac autonomic function among middle-aged men: a twin study. Circ Cardiovasc Qual Outcomes. 2010;3(4):366-373. [link]
Gerritsen RJS, Band GPH. Breath of Life: The Respiratory Vagal Stimulation Model of Contemplative Activity. Front Hum Neurosci. 2018;12:397. [link]
Lin LL, Chen YJ, Lin TY, Weng TC. Effects of Resistance Training Intensity on Heart Rate Variability at Rest and in Response to Orthostasis in Middle-Aged and Older Adults. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022;19(17):10579. [link]

Address

3811 Portola Drive
Santa Cruz, CA
95062

Opening Hours

Monday	8:30am - 6pm
Wednesday	2pm - 6pm
Thursday	2pm - 6pm
Friday	9am - 12:30pm

Website

http://drcarolshwery.com/

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