Iowa Cancer Specialists Functional Medicine Services
Instead of only treating symptoms of disease, Functional and Nutritional Medicine addresses the root cause of illness. Genetic, environmental and lifestyle factors influence long term health and disease progression.
What to Expect
ICS is committed to providing a first-class patient experience with the highest level of functional and integrative medical care. We are honored that you have chosen us as a partner on your Journey Back to Health, and we’re excited to begin that journey with you!
We view our relationship with you as collaborative, and want you to be actively involved in your individual healing process. We value your experiences and opinions, and invite you to share them with us. We will make every effort to clarify your treatment goals, along with specific recommendations that we make at each step in the process.
Nature of Services Provided
It is best to consider your Functional Medicine appointments as non-primary care appointments. Our Functional Medicine services include medical care provided by physicians, related health care and/or nutrition services, and treatments or procedures which may be provided by physicians or other health care professionals. Such services may include the prescription of an integrative program which includes conventional health care, nutritional therapies, functional medicine, naturopathic medicine as well as other elements of integrative medicine. These services do not substitute for primary medical care, and patients are expected to have a relationship with a primary medical doctor separate and apart from ICS.
Functional and Nutritional Medicine includes mindfulness in what we eat, how much we move, and in our outlook on life. It can be a powerful tool in the treatment of chronic disease.
When treating cancer, a Functional Medicine provider would agree that both radiation and other conventional approaches are required, but then would further explore what could be addressed in the practitioner-patient therapeutic partnership. How might patient’s underlying health issues be improved with functional medicine?
Science is now proving that we knew intuitively – that how we live, the quality of our relationships, the food we eat and how we use our bodies determines much more than our genes do. There are numerous strategies to combat or prevent cancer and other illnesses, including eating well, exercising regularly, getting sufficient sleep, and controlling stress levels.
Gayle uses Functional and Nutritional Medicine to help you achieve your health goals. Functional Medicine is a whole person-oriented approach that engages both the patient and practitioner in a therapeutic partnership.
Instead of only treating symptoms of disease, Functional Medicine addresses the root cause of illness. Genetic, environmental and lifestyle factors influence long term health and disease progression.
While most practitioners recognize the importance of these issues, they are not adequately trained to apply strategies such as nutrition, diet and exercise to prevent or treat chronic illness. Functional Medicine practitioners, like Gayle are specially trained in these areas.
Principles of Functional Medicine
- Patient-centered care
- Integrative, science-based approach to healthcare
- Individual, not protocol-driven, treatment plans
- Attention to internal factors: mind, body, and spirit
- Attention to external factors: physician, social, and environmental
- Integration with best medical practices
- Health promotion, to achieve your most vibrant life
Books to help you through your journey

About Gayle Wallace
Certified Functional and Nutritional Medicine Nurse Pracitioner
I have always had the mindset for functional medicine and have incorporated it over 40 years into my practice as a certified nurse midwife practitioner. I have been passionate about medicine that encompasses the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual needs of the patient. I believe this is only possible if the care is patient-centered and holistic with focus on identifying and addressing the root causes of health issues.