Marc Ryan is a licensed acupuncturist, herbalist, and functional medicine practitioner based in Los Angeles. He has treated over 2,000 patients with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and complex autoimmune and endocrine disorders. His clinical practice integrates classical Chinese medicine with functional laboratory diagnostics — not as competing paradigms, but as complementary lenses on the same physiological reality.
He is the author of two books published by Hay House on Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, and his work has reached a global patient community through hashimotoshealing.com.
Living Patterns Readings grew out of a clinical observation: TCM pattern diagnosis — through pulse, tongue, symptom inquiry, and clinical observation — has identified physiological dysfunction for thousands of years. What it has lacked is the ability to verify those patterns with objective data, quantify their severity, and track their resolution over time.
Laboratory biomarkers provide that verification without replacing or subordinating traditional diagnostic methods.
The organizing principle is the Five Elements. Every biomarker is understood through its relationship to Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, or Water. Liver enzymes are expressions of Liver Qi flow and detoxification capacity. Inflammatory markers are expressions of Heart Fire and Blood stasis. Insulin and glucose are measures of Spleen transformation and transportation. The framework is TCM. The data is modern. The integration is the clinical innovation.
From over 200 documented cases, Marc has identified 69 distinct clinical patterns — each linking specific TCM diagnoses to verifiable biomarker presentations. This work is the basis of the Living Patterns Readings certification program and an ongoing IRB-approved research study at Yo San University.
Marc is a professor at Yo San University in Los Angeles, where he teaches TCM laboratory diagnosis to both clinical students and doctoral professionals. His course — TCM Laboratory Diagnosis: A 5 Element Framework for Functional Medicine Testing — is a 20-hour program combining 15 hours of online didactic modules with 5 hours of in-person clinical practicum.
He teaches the way he practices: pattern first, data second. Students learn to read labs the way they read a pulse — as an expression of an underlying pattern, not as isolated numbers.
Marc is currently conducting an IRB-approved research study (IRB #YSU12172025) at Yo San University investigating the correlation between TCM pattern diagnosis and functional medicine biomarkers. The study encompasses 234 cases with the goal of establishing statistically validated connections between classical diagnostic methods and laboratory data. Results are targeted for publication and presentation at the CSOMA conference in May 2026.
Living Patterns Readings exists to give TCM practitioners the tools to practice at the highest level — integrating the diagnostic depth of classical Chinese medicine with the quantitative precision of functional laboratory analysis. Not to become Western medicine practitioners. To become better TCM practitioners who can prove what they already know.
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