When Marc Ryan decided to specialize in working with people with Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, little did he know that within just a few months, he himself would be diagnosed with it.
Mark Ryan is a Licensed Acupuncturist, Cornell University graduate and two-time Hay House author specializing in the treatment of Hashimoto's. Through his research, including conversations with over 3000 people with Hashimoto's, Mark has studied the wide-reaching impact of thyroid hormones on the body, and discovered the keys to keeping Hashimoto’s and other autoimmune disorders in remission. And as he says, this is personal - he was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s soon after deciding to specialize in it.
Marc has developed a truly holistic approach to maintaining thyroid health, incorporating the Five Elements of Traditional Chinese Medicine, based on his unique perspective as an acupuncture with over 20 years of clinical experience. Through his books, website, and individual and group programs, Marc helped thousands of people with thyroid and autoimmune conditions reclaim their health.
In this podcast episode, we discuss:
The effects of Hashimoto's Thyroiditis on the body and how it is typically diagnosed
The genetic and environmental components of Hashimoto's and why it is often underdiagnosed
The traditional Chinese medicine perspective on Hashimoto's, which connects the disease to the body's five elements and endocrine system.
How to maintain gut health, and why it’s so important
Practical advice for anyone wanting to manage or prevent Hashimoto’s and other autoimmune conditions.
I learned so much from this conversation with Marc, and I hope you do too!
Love and gratitude,
Your Acupuncturist
Learn more from Marc or work with him (including scheduling a free 30-minute strategy session):
Web: https://hashimotoshealing.com
Facebook: www.facebook/hashimotoshealing
Instagram: @hashimotoshealer
Buy Marc’s books:
Huge thanks to Marc Ryan for the great conversation, and to AudioCoffee for the music in this episode.
And endless love and gratitude to my paid subscribers for contributing to the sustainability of my work!
P.S. I’m experimenting with including chapter summaries and full transcripts of my podcast episodes. The chapter summary is below. I’ll send out the full transcript in a separate email as a bonus feature for paid subscribers. Let me know if you find these helpful!
Chapter Summaries:
00:00:03]
Notes From Your Acupuncturist is a podcast for people interested in acupuncture, complementary medicine, holistic, health, and self care. If you enjoy the show, please help others discover it by leaving a rating or a review. And if you'd like to support this show financially, you can become a paid subscriber on Substac for just a few dollars a month.
[00:00:39]
Today on the podcast, I'm joined by licensed acupuncturist Marc Ryan to discuss Hashimoto's thyroiditis, autoimmunity and gut and microbiome health. In researching his books and in the subsequent years of working withHashimoto's, mark has had over 3000 conversations with people with the disease. His work has really helped a lot of people.
[00:02:37]
Mark Ryan has been in practice for about 20 years. He specializes in thyroid issues. He was diagnosed with Hashimoto's six months before opening his own clinic. He says if you want to be successful in medicine, choose a niche.
[00:05:05]
Hashimoto's is an autoimmune disease of the thyroid. For most people, it eventually ends up in hypothyroidism. Is Graves disease also an autoimmune condition? It is. Some people actually have both.
[00:07:57]
Is there a genetic component to Hashimoto's? We often see it in clusters and families. The three most common symptoms are fatigue, weight gain, and brain fog or cognitive issues. Do you think Hashimoto's is under diagnosed?
[00:09:50]
Most common treatment is synthetic T Four in the form of Synthroid levothyroxin. Thyroid hormone is like the principal influencer of our metabolism. Do you have any theories as to why so many people have thyroid issues?
[00:13:13]
What are the typical traditional Chinese medicine patterns you see with Hashimoto's? The five elements are a way of looking at all the major systems of the body. When you're hypothyroid, you can be more susceptible to getting sick.
[00:21:17]
There's not really a one size fits all approach to managing Hashimoto's with diet. While it's helpful to eliminate foods, it's really important also to maintain balance.
[00:23:15]
Gut health is so important for managing all autoimmune conditions, not just Hashimoto's. One of the things that's so important is diversity in your diet, especially diversity of different vegetables and foods. We have to be adaptable and make changes when necessary.
[00:27:55]
Lectins are substances that are protective to plants and in that protection makes them more difficult to digest and more immune reactive. Other than diet, what are some keys to managing Hashimoto's and other autoimmune conditions?
[00:30:52]
The perfect storm of things I forgot to mention was stress. So managing stress and taking stress seriously, I think is a really important thing. We have to moderate our exercise, but we have to make sure we're not overdoing it.
[00:34:12]
The first place to start is with your diet, because diet is really foundational. Take inventory of how much stress is in your life and do something about it. Then we want to hopefully work with someone like you or myself or someone else who has experience in this area.
[00:36:17]
Hashimoto's Healing. com is a great resource. You work with people one on one. And you also have group programs, right? Yeah, I do. I want to do the group programs again, but in lieu of that, I have Instagram account and Facebook page. I'm totally accessible.
[00:37:35]
Two books published by Hay House. One is called How to Heal Hashimoto's: An Integrative Roadmap to Remission. The next is called The Hashimoto’s Healing Diet. Both would be great books for practitioners as well.
[00:38:42]
In Chinese medicine, we try to prevent a disease from progressing further. What advice do you have for people who are healthy now and just want to maintain thyroid health and prevent autoimmune issues?
[00:40:23]
Marc: The most powerful tools for managing Hashimoto's and other autoimmune diseases are things that you can do yourself. It is adopting a diet that benefits the immune system. It's not necessarily easy or simple and it doesn't happen overnight. But good information is key.
[00:42:21]
Notes From Your Acupuncturist is a weekly podcast. Host Alexa Bradley Hulsey shares her reflections on acupuncture and healing. You can subscribe to the show on Substack for just a few dollars a month. Huge thanks as always to our paid subscribers for helping keep this work sustainable.
Ep. 6. Healing Hashimoto's: Marc Ryan on Thyroid, Autoimmunity & Gut Health