FirstLine Therapy

FirstLine Therapy is a therapeutic lifestyle program designed by health care professionals to reduce disease and chronic health conditions. The program provides personalized lifestyle management by counseling patients on healthy diet, nutritional supplementation, exercise, stress management and maintaining a healthy body composition. We begin by doing a bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) to assess body composition and base metabolic caloric need. We then develop an individual program that ensures you receive appropriate nutritional support.


Therapeutic Lifestyle Change (TLC) is considered the first line of therapy for treating and reducing the risk of conditions such as:

• Overweight/Obesity

• High cholesterol

• High blood pressure

• Metabolic syndrome

• Type 2 Diabetes

• Cardiovascular disease

• Osteoporosis

• Osteoarthritis


FirstLine Therapy is a powerful, proven program for supporting your health - consider changing your life today!


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Food Allergies/Intolerances

A food allergy is an immune system response. It occurs when the body mistakes an ingredient in food as harmful and creates antibodies to fight it. A food intolerance is a non-immune system response. It occurs when something in a food irritates a person's digestive system or when a person is unable to properly digest the food. Food intolerances are more common than food allergies.


Symptoms of a food allergy can range from mild to severe and may include:

• Anaphylaxis

• Chest pain

• Diarrhea

• Itchy skin

• Nausea

• Rash or hives

• Shortness of breath

• Stomach pain

• Swelling of the airways to the lungs


Symptoms of food intolerance include:

• Diarrhea

• Gas, cramps or bloating

• Headaches

• Heartburn

• Irritability or nervousness

• Nausea

• Stomach pain

• Vomiting


Most food intolerances are found through trial and error to determine which foods cause symptoms. Dr. Wand may request you to keep a food diary to record what you eat along with any symptoms you experience.


Another way to identify problem foods is to try an elimination diet. This involves completely eliminating any suspect foods from your diet until you are symptom-free. You then reintroduce the foods, one at a time to determine if a food is responsible for your symptoms.


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Healthy Diet

A healthy diet doesn't mean eating foods that are bland or unappetizing. A healthy diet simply means eating nutrient-rich foods from all the food groups to supply the body with the energy it needs to function properly. A healthy diet isn't as overwhelming as people imagine; eat a wide variety of foods consisting of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, low fat dairy, lean meat, poultry and fish.


It is also necessary to maintain a balance between the calories eaten and the calories expended to avoid weight gain. A more active lifestyle supports a higher caloric intake. Per the American Dietetic Association, people who follow a well-balanced diet feel better and enjoy better health!


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Metabolic Syndrome

Metabolic Syndrome is characterized by a group of metabolic risk factors in a person.


Risk Factors:


• High Triglycerides

• Low HDL cholesterol

• High LDL cholesterol

• Elevated blood pressure

• Insulin resistance or glucose intolerance


• Proinflammatory state (elevated C-reactive protein in the blood)


People with the metabolic syndrome are at increased risk of coronary heart disease, stroke and Type 2 diabetes. It is estimated that over 50 million Americans have metabolic syndrome. Other contributing factors in metabolic syndrome include physical inactivity, aging, hormonal imbalance and genetic predisposition.


The American Heart Association identifies metabolic syndrome as the presence of three or more of these components:

• Elevated waist circumference:

Men - Equal to or greater than 40 inches

Women - Equal to or greater than 35 inches


• Reduced HDL cholesterol:

Men - Less than 40 mg/dL

Women - Less than 50 mg/dL




Recommendations for treatment:

FirstLine Therapy (Lifestyle Management program)

• Weight loss to achieve a desirable weight (BMI less than 25 kg/m2)


• Healthy eating habits

• Stress management

• Appropriate supplementation


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Nutritional supplements are not a replacement for proper nutrition. They should be used in conjunction with your diet to ensure you get the nutrients that you need.


Studies show that the Standard American Diet (SAD) is high in fat, sugar and processed foods; contributing to the increase in diabetes, obesity, heart disease and a number of other health risks.


Nutritional testing is necessary to ascertain the levels of deficiency in specific vitamins and minerals. Dr. Wand may order blood, urine, fecal and salivary testing to discover whether supplementation is necessary.


The key to safe nutritional supplementation is to determine what your vitamin and mineral deficiencies are, learn how to make healthy dietary and lifestyle choices, and to supplement appropriately.


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