Nutritional Services
Your diet plays a major role in your everyday health. How you feel has a direct relation to what you eat, and sometimes to what you don't eat. Better nutrition means a stronger immune system, less illness and better health. Healthy people are stronger, more productive and more able to ward off disease. Bourdage Chiropractic offers many nutritional services to help you achieve the healthiest you yet. If you need to lose a few pounds, or if you want to decrease your risk of chronic disease, or maybe you are just frustrated with being tired all the time, we have a program for you.
FLT
Dr. Bourdage is a certified FirstLine Therapy practitioner. FirstLine Therapy (FLT) is a therapeutic lifestyle change program that is prescribed by Physicians to treat many chronic health conditions and reduce the risk factors for many serious health conditions such as Heart Disease, Diabetes, Arthritis, Obesity, High Cholesterol, High Blood Pressure, and Stroke. Many conditions are directly related to lifestyle and dietary choices such as Fatigue, Hormone Imbalance, Low Sex Drive, Poor Mental clarity, and many others.
FLT is based on sound science, research and results. The goal of the program is to create hormonal balance within the body while decreasing inflammation and improving body composition. FLT is not a weight loss program, it is a health improvement program and Therapeutic Lifestyle Change (TLC), but you will lose weight! FLT integrates body composition testing to ensure that you are losing unhealthy fat and retaining lean muscle. Compared with some diets and detox programs, a significant amount of muscle may be lost instead of fat, which is counterproductive to health. Muscle is needed to burn calories, maintain strength, and have a strong immune system.
The FLT eating plan is drastically different from a 'diet'. Most 'diets' today are not well rounded and are based primarily on will power. The FLT plan emphasizes eating frequently and the focus is on eating a balanced amount of calories from various food groups that will optimize health. While on the FLT program, experiences have reported less hunger and more energy which makes it extremely easy to stick to the program.
The results speak for themselves, please see our success stories. If you would like to receive more information about the FirstLine Therapy program and if it is right for you, please call our office today.
FLT
I noticed around the age of 38 that I started gaining weight. I'm 52 and had previously weighed about 128 lbs with very little exercising. We started a home-based business and I sat for many hours a day at a computer-not really paying attention to what or when I was eating. Over the years, the weight gradually climbed and my highest weight was 175 lbs. I spent over a decade not wearing shorts (or heaven forbid a bathing suit!), I avoided my 25th high school reunion, and rarely had my picture taken. I blamed my weight gain on 'mid-life' and oncoming menopause.
Kathy
Over the years I tried just about every program and diet but the weight always came back (and then some!). I've even watched 'The Biggest Loser' faithfully every year and even that didn't motivate me.
I admit, I'm not much of a dessert/sweet eater, but I sure do love my carbs-cereal, potatoes, bread, pizza, French toast and especially pancakes and biscuits! I would usually drink about 1-2 cups of coffee a day with cream and three sugars per cup and a Pepsi 2-3 times a week.
This year, however, I decided I needed a change-not for my looks but for my physical and mental health. I just didn't feel good and I felt older than my 52 years. Carrying all that extra weight was tiresome and depressing. Also, I was experiencing heartburn almost daily (no matter what I ate!) and acid reflux at least 2 times a month. If you've ever had acid reflux you know how terrible that 'acid' taste is. I had to sleep upright in a chair many nights. That, probably more than anything, scared me into making a change because that condition can lead to esophagus cancer.
I started the First Line Therapy program at the end of January 2008, weighting in at 164.5 lbs and my cholesterol at 276. My doctor told me that if I didn't lower my cholesterol, I would need to start medication-and I certainly wanted to avoid that! After 12 weeks on this program, I weighed 145.5 lbs and my cholesterol dropped 75 points to 201. Almost every week I consistently lost weight and fat, but I did hit a plateau for a few weeks around 151 lbs. I was determined to get below 150 lbs! Giving up the foods I enjoyed wasn't easy, but I make smarter choices now. I'll still have a slice of pizza every now and then and an occasional pancake (one of the best things I make), but my overall eating habits have dramatically changed. And best of all, I don't need any cholesterol medication and I have not had one day of heartburn or acid reflux since I started which is truly amazing! I also have more energy and actually look forward to exercising (which I always dreaded!).
This program is a process-a lifelong process. For me personally, after all these years of abusing myself, I have finally won this struggle and am a much happier (and healthier) person for it. I want to be one 'cool looking' grandma.
Kathy Palatine, Illinois
FLT
My before and after pictures show only one of the many incredible results I got in just three months on Dr. Bourdage's nutrition and exercise program. The less visible results include a real boost in energy, a tremendous increase of body tone and strength, a very happy digestive system and an overall feeling of good health. I lost twenty-two pounds (twenty-three on my scale) and a significant number of inches from every part of my body. I am fifty-six years old and I have not felt this good since my twenties'my very early twenties.
Nancy
Prior to Dr. Bourdage's program, I had tried losing weight by exercising away my bad diet habits. I skipped meals regularly in an effort to reduce calories. I never knew that skipping those meals actually worked against my weight loss goals. In addition to skipping meals, I also tried low-fat, low-carb and no-carb diets. These diets worked to take off a few pounds, but as soon as I reintroduced the carbs, I put the weight back on ---and usually managed to add a few pounds too.
I also tried the weight loss 'miracles' of green tea, hoodia and slim quick products, especially those that are marketed to women for that mid-life, mid-body fat. These products had the effect of making my wallet lighter, but did nothing for my body weight.
With Dr. Bourdage's program, I learned to eat at regular intervals which really helped to curb my cravings and left me feeling less hungry than I felt on other diets. I found myself actually liking foods that are good for me and within the first few weeks I was past the cravings for ice cream and sweets. My exercise program really seemed to be more effective as well.
The weekly check-ins with Dr. Bourdage proved to be educational and motivational and really helped keep me focused on my goal. There was certainly no fooling that computer program I was hooked up to every Monday! The good news about the computer is that it assisted in determining what needed to be adjusted on my diet, whether it was more protein, less caffeine or even more calories. It also showed what was going on with my muscle composition which led to the advice of adding more exercise, including those burpees and push-ups' Yikes!!!
Sometime during the twelve week program everything came together resulting in a true feeling of well-being, both physical and mental. Its' a great feeling and I intend to keep up with this healthy life style. Thank you Dr. Bourdage and Michelle too!!
Nancy Chicago, Illinois
FLT
When I first heard of Dr. Bourdage and the FirstLine Therapy program I was 24 years old, 5'4, weighed 162lbs, and ate pretty much whatever I wanted and when I wanted. I tried to not go overboard, but I didn't pay attention to portions. I used my gym membership, but I wasn't as intentional about exercise as I could have been. I always wanted to be described as healthy, but also felt like I had limits. I was clueless about how much one should eat and I believed that my body type would always stay the way it had been.
Lisa
My mom lost 14lbs through the program so I thought it would be worth trying. I knew that this would not be a 12-week experiment, but this would need to be a lifestyle change.
One of the major parts of the program was documenting everything that I consumed. While I am a fan of sweets, I love grains. As I started writing down what I would eat at each meal, I was surprised to find that I always had a grain. I knew that would be my greatest challenge to overcome. I also needed to make sure that I had enough protein, especially since I'm a vegetarian and it can be limiting if meals aren't planned right.
Although I didn't refrain from everything I should have or measure portions perfectly, I was very dedicated to following the program and not letting myself slip during the 12 weeks. After I started exercising and eliminated junk from my meals I found that each week the numbers on the scale started to decrease. Before I knew it I was in the 150's, working my way toward my goal of being in the 140's, which I don't think I've been since high school.
I really started noticing a change when the clothes I had been used to wearing no longer fit. My pants literally fell right off me! This had never happened before! People started telling me how great I looked instead of asking me if I was pregnant (which I never was- how embarrassing)! I ended the program being a mere 2lbs away from my goal and I am SO happy about that! I never, ever thought that my body shape and habits would drastically change the way they have. My perspective is entirely different on food and what it means to be healthy. I can honestly say that I am never going back to the way I used to eat. Even though the program is over, I am still focused on making wise decisions everyday. As I work on keeping up a healthy lifestyle, I am by no means finished; rather I am just getting started.
Lisa Chicago, Illinois
Food allergies
When it comes to food, there are two different types of food allergies, Immediate Food Allergy and Delayed Response Allergy.
Immediate Food Allergies are mediated by an antibody called IgE. These are the serious, and sometimes even fatal, reactions that occur within minutes to hours after ingesting the offending food. The reaction is so sudden and explosive in nature that individuals are usually well aware of their immediate food allergies.
A more common, less known allergy, is the Delayed Response Allergy which is mediated by the IgG antibody. These reactions are not as easily identified because of the delayed onset of symptoms that commonly takes hours or even days to appear. For this reason, most people are not aware of their IgG food allergies, or the toll it is silently taking on their health. Symptoms tend to be low grade but can consist of a wide variety of symptomology such as gas, bloating, poor digestion, headaches, joint aches and pains, fatigue, and mental 'fogginess' are just a few of the possibilities.
Bourdage Chiropractic offers a complete, comprehensive evaluation of your IgG food allergies through a simple test. It is a panel which tests 96 different foods from various categories. For further information please call our office today.
Hormone balancing
Hormones are chemicals released by the body and affect all cells in the body. Only a small amount of hormone is required to alter cell function and also act as a chemical messenger that transports a signal from one cell to another. Hormones are the way the body talks to itself. It is how one system, or area of the body, can control and influence another system or area of the body.
There are many different hormones in the body and they all have different function and are responsible for most major processes that occur on a daily basis. All hormones are intricately related to each other and if one hormonal system is producing at a level that is not considered normal, other hormonal systems in the body will be altered. This is why hormone balance is extremely important to optimizing health and wellness.
Bourdage Chiropractic uses both saliva and blood testing methods to evaluate hormonal levels in the body. The most commonly tested hormones we test are T3/T4/TSH (Thyroid), Cortisol, DHEA, Estrogen/Progesterone, and Testosterone and its derivatives. Please call our office for more information.
