For women in their 30s and 40s with normal labs and hair that keeps thinning.
Shedding, thinning, or both?
Find out what you’re dealing with and what to do first, using symptoms you already have.
In about 20 minutes you’ll know which of your four systems is in the way, what to stop buying, and what to do for the next 30 days. Email me your scores afterward and I’ll read them myself.
Not ready yet? Take the free 4-minute quiz first.
Gavin Larsen, R.TCM.P, Dr. TCM Dip.
Registered TCM practitioner. More than ten years in clinic and over 1,000 cases.
Verify my registration (license 7004333)
You’ve been doing everything right.
- You count the hair in the drain. Every time.
- You fix your part before you leave the house. Then again in the car.
- At a restaurant, you notice the lighting before you look at the menu.
- Your labs came back normal, and somehow that made it worse.
- It started after your baby, and everyone said it would have stopped by now.
- It started with PCOS, a GLP-1 or perimenopause, and nobody can tell you which piece is doing it.
You’re not imagining it. And caring about your hair doesn’t make you vain.
The question nobody answered
Shedding, thinning, or both?
Most women get one label. A lot of them have two things going on.
Hair everywhere. Clumps in the shower, on the pillow, on the couch.
A shed often starts two to three months after a trigger like a baby, an illness, a hard stretch or a new medication.
A wider part. More scalp at the crown or temples. A ponytail that’s smaller than it used to be.
This is often pattern thinning, which has a genetic side your doctor can talk you through.
Shedding on top of slow thinning. It’s common, and it’s the one women hear about least.
In a study of 200 women shedding after pregnancy, fewer than 1 in 10 had a shed alone. Most had pattern thinning underneath.
Galal et al., J Clin Aesthet Dermatol, 2024Which one you have changes what to work on first, and what to ask your doctor. The Pattern ID System starts here.
The goose chase
Hair loss turned into a part-time job.
Retest. Add a supplement. Wait twelve weeks. Watch a number crawl up while your hair stays the same.
The retest
The number moves a little. Your hair doesn’t. So you book another one.
The next bottle
One more supplement, then another. The cabinet fills in faster than your part does.
The wait
Twelve weeks to find out if it did anything. Then you start the clock again.
The 2am search
Forums, videos, one more tab. Every answer sounds right, and none of them tell you where to start.
None of this means you did it wrong. You were handed a number to chase when what you needed was an order.
What changed my mind
Your labs are a clue, not a target.
For years I told women with hair loss to push their labs past normal. Get ferritin higher, vitamin D higher, TSH lower, and the hair will follow. I believed it, and I taught it.
Then, in the same month, two women came to me with almost identical panels. Similar ferritin. Similar TSH. Both doing everything right.
Their hair was telling two completely different stories.
I sat with those two files for a long time.
Their numbers were the same. What their bodies were doing with them wasn’t.
The second woman had other signs: how she digested a meal, and how her scalp felt to the touch. Neither shows up on a blood panel. Both were clues, and nobody had read them.
So I stopped chasing numbers and started reading the clues around them. The women who did the same with me spent less, got to a plan sooner, and stopped spiraling.
That’s Pattern Mapping. Your doctor reads your labs. Pattern Mapping reads the clues and tells you where to start.
Gavin Larsen, R.TCM.P, Dr. TCM Dip.
Hair gets what’s left over.
Your body pays for the essentials first. Hair sits at the back of the line.
TCM has said this for centuries: hair is the surplus of Blood. So I stopped looking for more fuel. I look for less waste and better delivery, so more is left over for hair.
Fix the leaks before you top up the tank.
Your doctor is on your team.
Your doctor
Rules out the serious stuff. Real deficiency, thyroid disease and PCOS all cause hair loss, and your doctor is the right person to check for them.
They also manage any medication you take, and can talk you through options like minoxidil or spironolactone if they fit.
Pattern Mapping
Works on the rest. It looks at how your four systems interact and finds the one wasting or blocking what you have.
Then it sets the order to work on them.
You never have to pick one. The two jobs fit together.
Let me guess what’s in your bathroom cabinet.
I’ve heard some version of this list in clinic for over a decade.
- A hair supplement you took for months before you quietly stopped.
- A serum on its third bottle.
- Biotin, iron, vitamin D, and maybe collagen.
- Rosemary oil from a video you saved at midnight.
- A tracking sheet you stopped filling in when the numbers didn’t move.
Most of it had a good reason behind it. It just assumed your body was ready to use it.
Where things usually get stuck
Delivery
When circulation and delivery are weak, what you take and what you apply have a harder time reaching the scalp.
Cold hands, a tight scalp and shedding that’s worse in winter are common signs of this pattern.
Absorption
Larger doses of iron raise a hormone called hepcidin for about a day. Hepcidin is the gate that closes. It cuts how much you absorb from the next dose.
So support absorption first, then ask your doctor about iron.
Moretti et al., Blood, 2015Stress signals
Stress-triggered shedding is well documented. It tends to show up two to three months after the stressful event.
That delay is why so many women never connect the two.
You didn’t need another bottle. You needed to know what goes first, and what to stop buying. That takes about 20 minutes to find out.
Four systems. One goes first.
Labs show what’s in your blood. These four systems decide what your body does with it.
Which one sounds most like you? Most women see themselves in one. Some see two.
1
Circulation & Delivery
Cold and tight
Moves blood and nutrients to the follicle.
It can look like cold hands and feet even indoors, a scalp that feels cool or tight, thinning at the temples and crown, and more shedding in winter.
You’ve probably called this “just how I run cold.”
2
Digestion & Absorption
Bloated and stuck
Turns food into something your body can use.
It can look like bloating after most meals, iron that barely moves, nails that split at the edge, and feeling tired after a full night’s sleep.
You’ve probably called this “a sensitive gut” and stopped bringing it up.
3
Hormone-Stress Signaling
Wired and tired
Tells your body it’s safe to spend on hair.
It can look like waking between 1am and 3am, feeling wired and exhausted at once, cycles that got shorter or heavier, and a wave of shedding a few months after a hard stretch.
You’ve probably called this “just a stressful year.”
4
Inflammation & Reactivity
Itchy and reactive
Keeps the follicle’s surroundings calm.
It can look like a scalp that itches or burns after washing, new food sensitivities, stiff joints in the morning, and shedding that comes in waves.
You’ve probably switched shampoos more times than you can count.
A few real questions from the test. Score yourself 0, 1 or 2:
- My scalp feels cool or cold compared to the rest of my head.
- I’ve been taking iron supplements for 3+ months and my ferritin barely moves.
- My shedding arrived in a wave, roughly 2 to 3 months after a stressful period.
- My scalp itches or burns after washing, even with gentle shampoo.
If one of these made you stop for a second, that’s the kind of detail the full 40 questions are built on.
In clinic, the system a woman comes in working on often isn’t the one that went first. She’s been doing good work on system three while system one waits its turn.
Pattern Mapping finds which one went first. Then it sets the order for the rest.
Everyone else sells more. This sells the order.
Pattern Mapping sells sequence. Which system first, what waits, and why.
Who’s behind this
Gavin Larsen, R.TCM.P, Dr. TCM Dip.
I’m a registered TCM practitioner. I’ve worked with hair loss in clinic for more than ten years, across over 1,000 cases.
I built Pattern Mapping because I kept seeing the same thing: women doing good work in the wrong order.
I’m based in Vancouver, BC. I’m not a medical doctor, and I don’t diagnose or prescribe. My job is the part between you and your doctor: where to start, what to stop buying, and what to ask.
It’s the same framework I use in my $497 custom protocol.
Verify my registration (CCHPBC license 7004333)
See for yourself
Four real pages from the guide.
These are sample pages with made-up details. They show how the guide reads, so you can judge it before you buy.
Is it shedding, thinning or both?
Your pattern results
The cabinet cut list
Your one-page doctor brief
Sample pages. Names and details are fictional. Tap a page to see all of it.
You probably have a reason this won’t work for you.
“I have PCOS, Hashimoto’s or a genetic issue. Does this apply to me?”
Yes. Your doctor diagnoses and manages those, and that stays with them. Conditions like these are often part of why one system went first. Pattern Mapping looks at how your four systems are working around it. Your condition is the why. Pattern Mapping looks for the where.
“My mom and my grandmother both lost their hair. Isn’t this just genetics?”
Genetics shapes how sensitive your follicles are. That’s one layer, and your doctor is the right person for it. How your body absorbs, delivers and spends what it has is another layer. That one can shift, and it’s the part this works on.
“I’ve tried everything. Nothing has ever worked for me.”
Most of what you tried was aimed at the hair, or at a number. Very little of it started with which system was holding things up. Iron has a hard time when absorption is stuck. A serum has a hard time when delivery is poor. Once you know the order, a lot of what’s already in your cabinet starts to make sense again.
“My labs are already good. Why would this help?”
Good. That means your doctor has done the important job. Having a nutrient and using it well are two different things. The panel shows what’s in your blood. Pattern Mapping looks at where your body is sending it. If your labs are fine and your hair isn’t, the order is the next place to look.
“I’m scared of being on medication forever.”
That’s a real fear, and it deserves a real conversation with your prescriber. I won’t tell you to start, stop or avoid anything. The guide gives you the questions to ask before you decide: how long until you’d know it’s working, what an early shed looks like, and what happens if you stop. Whatever you choose, Pattern Mapping works on the other layer alongside it.
“You’re not a doctor.”
That’s right. I’m a registered TCM practitioner. I don’t diagnose or prescribe, and this doesn’t replace your doctor. It helps you figure out where to start, and gets you to your next appointment with better questions.
“I’m in my 30s. Isn’t this just postpartum, or stress?”
Sometimes it is, and it settles on its own. Sometimes there’s thinning underneath that nobody mentioned. Finding out now is better than waiting another year to see.
Is it too late for me?
“Are the follicles gone? Is this just who I am now?”
That’s usually the last question women ask out loud, because they’re scared of the answer.
I can’t promise regrowth. Nobody honest can.
What Pattern Mapping can do is find which system is holding things up and what to work on first. That’s worth knowing before you decide anything else.
You’re not out of time. The sooner you know your order, the sooner you stop spending on things that don’t fit your pattern.
What hair loss actually takes.
The photo you delete before anyone sees it.
The seat you pick because of the lighting.
The hat that became part of every outfit.
The pool you stopped getting into.
The grief people don’t quite get, because from the outside it looks like vanity.
It isn’t vanity. You’re missing something that used to feel like you.
Nobody comes here wanting a better number. They want to stop thinking about their hair all day.
You’re just one pattern away…
One price, everything included
The 30-Day Pattern Mapping System
For women with normal labs and hair that won’t stop thinning.
Tonight you’ll know where to start. The next 30 days give you the order to work in.
40 questions, 14 TCM herbs, 16 supplements, about 100 pages. You only read the pages for your pattern. The rest is reference for when you need it.
The woman this is for has already spent plenty on bottles and retests. She needs an order to work in, and another big bill won’t give her one.
How the Pattern ID System works
40 questions, 4 groups
Ten questions for each of the four systems. You score each one 0, 1 or 2, from “not like me” to “very much like me.” Each system has a maximum of 20.
Clear score bands
14 to 20 is your primary pattern, where your plan starts. 8 to 13 is a contributing pattern you layer in later. 0 to 7 can wait.
A tiebreaker rule
If two systems score within 2 points, you treat both as primary. If absorption is one of them, you start there, because it’s the most common upstream bottleneck.
No new labs needed
Every question is about symptoms you already have. You can take it tonight and know where to start.
The first version had 12 questions. Patterns that look alike, like a deep absorption problem and a circulation problem, kept getting mixed up. So I rebuilt it three times. It’s now 40 questions across four systems, with score bands and tiebreaker rules, built from more than 1,000 cases.
Everything you get
The Starting-Point Test
The Pattern ID System. 40 questions that name your pattern, and whether it’s a shed, thinning or both.
Your 30-Day Order
The 30-Day Roadmap and the Four Pattern Protocols, for your pattern only.
The Cabinet Cut List
The Supplement Audit. What to stop, keep and add, to go over with your doctor.
The 10-Minute Doctor Brief
The Doctor Visit Guide and the Lab Conversation Guide, plus a one-page brief for your appointment.
Why Nothing Worked
What the things you tried were assuming about your body.
The Two-Pattern Tiebreaker
The Cross-Pattern Guide. What goes first when two patterns are active.
The Pattern Kitchen
Pattern-matched meals: foods that help your pattern, foods that work against it, and simple meal ideas.
The Scalp Routine
The Scalp Activation Protocol, built into the roadmap.
The Progress Tracker
Daily, weekly and monthly check-ins.
The Safety Reference
Interaction warnings for every herb and supplement.
Bonuses
Pattern Review Note
Email me your top two scores within 60 days and I’ll write you a short note on your combination, in plain language, to share with your doctor if you want to. I read every one myself.
For when you’re thinking: “What if I get my pattern wrong?”
The Staying-the-Course Guide
The early shed, how long to give a treatment, and what to ask before stopping.
For when you’re thinking: “I’m scared of medication, or of quitting halfway again.”
Total value: $554. Your price:
If the cut list takes even one bottle out of your cabinet, it’s paid for itself.
One payment. Instant PDF download. Covered by a 60-day full refund.
What I won’t do.
- Promise your hair will grow back. Nobody honest can.
- Tell you to start, stop or change a medication. That’s between you and your prescriber.
- Give you a lab number to chase. Your labs are a clue, not a target.
- Ask you to replace your doctor. They rule out the serious stuff. This works on the rest.
- Hide the evidence. Every study on this page is listed at the bottom, limits included.
Easy to try. Easy to undo.
You’ve let yourself hope before. You paid, waited, and watched nothing change. That hesitation makes sense, so I’ve made this as low risk as I can.
The No-Forms Refund
If it isn’t giving you what you came for, email me within 60 days. You get a full refund. No forms.
The Name-Your-Pattern Guarantee
If you finish the test and still can’t tell which pattern is yours, email me your scores. I’ll look at them within 48 hours, and I’ll keep going back and forth with you by email until you can name it.
The whole plan depends on starting in the right place.
Here’s the worst case. You email me, your $47 comes back, and you still know which system to look at first. That part doesn’t get refunded out of your head.
60-day refund, plus a 48-hour look at your scores.
Three months from now.
If you wait
Another retest, another bottle, and the same question at 2am about what you’re doing wrong.
If you start today
You know which system goes first and what can wait. You’ve stopped buying things that don’t fit your pattern, and you have a plan you actually understand.
Less testing. Less spending.
Less spiraling.
Instant PDF download with lifetime access
The 30-Day Pattern Mapping System
Shows whether you’re dealing with a shed, thinning or both, which of your four systems goes first, and the order to work in.
The Starting-Point Test, Your 30-Day Order, the Cabinet Cut List, the 10-Minute Doctor Brief, Why Nothing Worked, the Two-Pattern Tiebreaker, the Pattern Kitchen, the Scalp Routine, the Progress Tracker and the Safety Reference, plus your Pattern Review Note and the Staying-the-Course Guide.
- Know whether it’s a shed, thinning or both, and which system goes first.
- Get a list of what to stop buying.
- Walk into your next appointment with a one-page brief.
You’re just one pattern away…
One-time payment. 60-day refund. Instant access.
Questions before you buy? Email gavin@functionalholistic.com. I read these myself.
Questions
The things women ask me most.
What do you mean by “normal labs”?
I mean results your doctor has reviewed and isn’t concerned about. I don’t set my own target numbers. Reference ranges vary between labs, and your doctor reads your results alongside your symptoms and history.
If a result sits at the very bottom of the range, especially iron, ask your doctor whether it counts as low for you. Some doctors treat low-end results as worth acting on, and that’s their call.
Once your doctor has ruled out real deficiency, thyroid disease and conditions like PCOS, the question changes. It’s no longer “which number is off?” It’s “which system should I work on first?”
How do I know if it’s a shed, thinning, or both, and which system goes first?
The Pattern ID System starts with whether you’re dealing with a shed, thinning or both, using symptoms you already have. Then 40 scored questions across four groups name your primary and secondary pattern.
If you’re not ready for that yet, the free 4-minute quiz gives you a quick first read.
It takes about 20 minutes and uses symptoms you already have. You don’t need new labs to start. Then you follow the 30-day plan for your pattern only.
I’ve tried natural approaches for years. How is this different?
Most approaches hand you something new to try. Pattern Mapping starts with which system is holding things up, then sets the order.
That usually means fewer things. Fewer bottles, and fewer rounds of waiting to see if something did anything.
Will I see regrowth in 30 days?
I can’t promise that, and I’d be careful with anyone who does.
Hair runs on a slow clock. Stress-triggered shedding, for example, usually shows up two to three months after the trigger.
The 30 days are about knowing your pattern and working in the right order. That’s the part you can control.
I have PCOS, Hashimoto’s, SIBO or an autoimmune condition. Is this for me?
Yes. Your doctor diagnoses and manages these, and that doesn’t change.
Conditions like these are often part of why one system went first. With PCOS, for example, high insulin lowers SHBG. That frees up more testosterone even when total testosterone looks normal.
Pattern Mapping looks at how your four systems are working around your condition. It sits alongside your care, never in place of it.
My doctor says my labs are normal. Is that really enough?
Usually, yes. Your labs are a clue, not a target. Real deficiency is different, and your doctor is the right person to check for it.
The research backs this up. A 2008 study found no link between ferritin and shedding above very low levels. A 2006 review found too little evidence to recommend iron for women with low iron stores who aren’t anemic.
So if your labs are normal and your hair is still falling, the next question is where your body is sending what it has. That’s what Pattern Mapping looks at.
My shedding started after I began a GLP-1 medication. Is that different?
It can be. Research shows higher rates of shedding in people on GLP-1 medications. Most of it is the temporary kind linked to fast weight loss and eating less protein, iron and zinc.
The Pattern ID System still applies. It won’t tell you anything about your medication. That conversation belongs with your prescriber.
What it can show is which system is struggling to keep up while you’re eating less.
My shedding started around perimenopause. Does this apply?
Yes. Hormone questions and any hormone treatment belong with your doctor.
Pattern Mapping looks at how that shift is playing out across your four systems, and which one to support first while your body adjusts.
I use minoxidil or finasteride. Does this replace them?
No. Keep every medication decision with your prescriber. I won’t tell you to start, stop or change anything.
Minoxidil has the strongest evidence of any hair-loss treatment, and it has a real place. Finasteride isn’t approved for women and must not be used during pregnancy. That’s a conversation for your prescriber.
Pattern Mapping works on a different layer: how your body absorbs, delivers and spends what it has. The two can sit side by side, with your doctor in the loop.
Do I need to stop the supplements I’m taking now?
Not on your own. The Cabinet Cut List checks 15 common supplements against your pattern and sorts them into stop, keep and add lists. Take those lists to your doctor before you change anything.
The pattern-matched stack in the guide typically runs $60 to $100 a month.
I’ve already spent so much. Why would $47 be any different?
Fair question. Most of what you bought added something: more fuel, more testing, more product. This tells you what order to work in, so you can stop paying for the chase.
It’s one payment. You get a 60-day full refund, and if your pattern isn’t clear, I’ll read your scores myself and keep going back and forth with you by email until you can name it.
P.S.
If you scrolled straight down here, here’s the short version.
I used to tell women with hair loss to chase optimal numbers. I stopped, because what I kept seeing was more testing, more supplements, more waiting and more money.
Your labs are a clue, not a target. What’s usually missing is the order.
Twenty minutes with the Pattern ID System shows you whether it’s a shed, thinning or both, which system to start with, and what to stop buying. It’s $47, one time, with a 60-day refund if it isn’t for you.
You’re just one pattern away…
Gavin
One-time payment. 60-day refund. Instant access.