Ryan told me that the licensing is a state decision. In order to be licensed by the state of California, an acupuncturist has to have gone to an accredited college and graduated in acupuncture. He or she also has to sit for the state licensing board and pass. Further, he or she has to have 50 hours of continuing education in acupuncture every two years. Of the 20,000 acupuncturists who get the Acupuncture Today publication, 6,551 of them are from California, more than any state. No surprise there!

Recently, Ryan has been invited to be a participant in a research study at Stanford at the beginning phase of treating breast cancer survivors with acupuncture. The study focuses on the treatment of their insomnia because research shows that there is a direct link to the longevity of survival and sleep quality and quantity. She was invited to participate due to her involvement with a former Stanford study treating pregnant women who suffer from depression with acupuncture. She says that study arose because pregnant women are highly motivated not to take medication. Some of the women had a history of depression, and others, seemingly happy about their pregnancies, developed depression while pregnant. Of course, this led to treating women with post-partum depression.

Ryan says, “I also teach at the American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine in San Francisco.” After teaching a variety of courses, for the last 12 years, she has been guiding students in the clinic. For the last three years, she has been teaching and supervising students at the California Pacific Medical Center on Castro Street. There, she works with acupuncture students in the rehab unit. “We deal mostly with stroke and spinal cord injuries. We see people at the worst moments of their lives and yet, they smile, thank us — never whining. Just focused on getting better.” The patients there get acupuncture for free. She adds, “It is fabulous to see Western medicine walk hand in hand with acupuncture.”

When asked how she got her start in the field she loves so much, Ryan replies, “First of all, I was raised as a Christian Scientist. Although I am not one now, that certainly had an influence on me. I never went to any kind of doctor when I was a child. Once I left the Christian Scientist religion, I went to Cal Berkeley and got a degree. With my first husband, I moved to Silicon Valley, and wanted to get a job. Quite randomly, I attended a lecture on acupuncture. I thought there would be more people there but there were only eight. I had no idea who lectured, but I experienced an aha! moment. This is what I wanted to do. I will never be done with the studying.” She says with a peaceful and beatific smile, “One lifetime is not enough.”

After interviewing Ryan, I had two sessions with her for tendonitis, commonly known as tennis elbow. My doctor had already given me two cortisone shots, which worked for a time. I was reluctant to pursue any more medical treatments but was in a lot of pain. After the first session, remarkably, the pain was gone. I went again just to make sure and now am able to slowly resume my regular activities.

Ryan is in La Honda at her home office two days a week (Monday and Thursday) and she has an office in Menlo Park where she sees clients on Tuesdays as well. She teaches in San Francisco on Wednesdays and Fridays. She can be reached on her business line at 650-747-0772 or by email at kathrynkr@aol.com.