Kathryn Ryan, Licensed Acupuncturist

Kathryn Ryan, LAc

I grew up in Southern California, and graduated early from high school.  Waitressing enabled me to save money to travel when I was 19 and 20.  I spent a year out of the country; 3 months studying in London, 3 months working on a kibbutz in Israel, and then 6 months traveling around Europe, often alone visiting major capitals and wherever struck my fancy.  I returned to finish my undergraduate degree at U. C. Berkeley.

After graduating from Cal, I attended the American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine in San Francisco, and graduated in 1984. I have been a California State Licensed Acupuncturist since 1985. Currently I enjoy teaching back at my old school, ACTCM, and have done so for over 10 years. You’ll find me supervising students in the community clinic, and also at California Pacific Medical Center on Castro at Duboce, where we have an off-campus site in the Rehab Unit, working with stroke and other spinal cord injury patients. Often we employ special methods such as Scalp Acupuncture or Ear Acupuncture, which is also useful for detoxing from substance abuse. In fact, an entire organization, NADA, is devoted to helping people recover from various addictions.

For seven years, I worked at Quan Yin in S.F., which specializes in treating HIV, hepatitis C, and substance abuse. I often focus on strengthening the immune system, which is helpful for allergy sufferers, as well as in general. In addition, I worked 5 years as a consultant in a research project at Stanford, treating depression in pregnant women. I saw many women respond favorably with acupuncture alone. I believe acupuncture and exercise can certainly treat mild cases of depression without the need for medication. I also learned to treat the complications that can arise with pregnancy. Another great joy is to help couples with fertility issues achieve pregnancy. Many people seek out acupuncture for pain relief, and I am confident it is one of the best treatments for many types of pain.

In the Spring 0f 2015, I began working on another research project with Stanford, treating back pain.  If you are interested, please go to http://snapl.stnaford.edu or email: backpainstudy@stanford.edu.   There are many requirements to fulfill to be able to participate in a study such as this, but we are actively recruiting new participants as of summer, 2015.

I also have a private practice in Menlo Park, and a home office in La Honda. I feel extremely blessed to do this work. It is amazing to work with new and interesting people all the time, and to witness the improvement so many experience.

In December 2005, I purchased an Acutron Mentor device which allows me to give facial rejuvenation treatments without using needles. These treatments are spa quality; help minimize wrinkles, tone the skin and underlying muscles, all without the pain, risk and expense of botox or surgery. See www.vibrationalbeauty.com for more info.

On a personal note, I have lived in the redwoods in La Honda for 25 years, am happily married with an adult daughter, and enjoy hiking, reading, movies, dancing, traveling, camping in Yosemite, cooking, yoga, our cats, and time spent with loved ones.