Terry Wahls

Terry Wahls is an American physician, clinical professor of medicine, and researcher specializing in internal medicine, epidemiology, and neurology at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, where she has served since 2000. She is best known for developing the Wahls Protocol in 2007, a functional medicine-based diet and lifestyle intervention emphasizing nutrient-dense foods, stress reduction, and electrical stimulation exercises, which she created to address her own secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (MS). Diagnosed with relapsing-remitting MS in 2000 at age 46, Wahls' condition rapidly progressed by 2003, confining her to a tilt-recline wheelchair for four years and requiring full-time care, but implementation of her protocol enabled her to regain the ability to walk, perform daily activities independently, and bike to work. Her work extends to authoring influential books such as The Wahls Protocol: A Radical New Way to Treat All Chronic Autoimmune Conditions Using Paleo Principles (2014) and authoring over 60 peer-reviewed publications on dietary interventions for MS, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and related fatigue, including a 2022 study funded by a $2.5 million gift from the Carter Chapman Shreve Family Foundation examining diet's effects on MS progression. Wahls holds an MD from the University of Iowa College of Medicine, an MBA from the University of St. Thomas, completed residencies in obstetrics and gynecology at Barnes Hospital (Washington University, starting 1982) and internal medicine at University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics, and is board-certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine as well as an Institute for Functional Medicine Certified Practitioner. Her research, which explores gene expression, metabolomics, and microbiome influences through modified Paleolithic, ketogenic, and low-saturated-fat diets, has positioned her as a leading advocate for therapeutic lifestyle changes in managing autoimmune and neurodegenerative diseases.

Terry Wahls was born on November 9, 1955, in northeast Iowa , where she grew up on a family farm as a fifth-generation Iowan.

Her family background was rooted in traditional farming, with her parents expressing concern over her adoption of a vegetarian diet during high school, reflecting their ties to agricultural life and conventional nutrition .

As a child, Wahls developed a strong affinity for outdoor activities, including skiing , hiking , and biking, which were shaped by her rural upbringing on the Iowa farm.

In high school, her interests shifted toward creative pursuits, particularly art and theater.

Terry Wahls earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in studio art, with a focus on painting , from Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa , in 1976.

She then pursued medical education at the University of Iowa College of Medicine in Iowa City, Iowa , where she received her Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree in 1982.

Following medical school, Wahls began a residency in obstetrics and gynecology at Barnes Hospital, Washington University in St. Louis , in 1982, but transferred to an internal medicine residency at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics from 1983 to 1986.

In 2001, she obtained a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota . Wahls is also an Institute for Functional Medicine Certified Practitioner (IFMCP).

After completing her internal medicine residency at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in the late 1980s, Terry Wahls joined the Marshfield Clinic in Marshfield, Wisconsin , in 1987 as a general internist. This multispecialty group practice provided her initial post-residency role, where she focused on comprehensive patient care in internal medicine , emphasizing preventive and holistic approaches within a team-based setting.