Shen is routinely translated as “spirit” or “heart-mind,” but neither captures its meaning in classical Chinese medicine. Berkeley acupuncturist Anne Shelton Crute looks more closely at the Heart, shen, and what is lost when distinct Chinese medical concepts are collapsed into familiar Western categories.
A look at Summer Begins (Lixia), the seventh solar qi node in the classical East Asian calendar, and what early summer reveals about yangsheng, food, and the outward movement of life.
Most of us are not coordinated in time. We organize our lives by obligation, convenience, and weather. But in the classical Chinese medical view, time is not abstract. It is structured.
Shen is routinely translated as “spirit” or “heart-mind,” but neither captures its meaning in classical Chinese medicine. Berkeley acupuncturist Anne Shelton Crute looks more closely at the Heart, shen, and what is lost when distinct Chinese medical concepts are collapsed into familiar Western categories.
By Dr. Adam Okerblom
Here in the San Francisco Bay Area, we are now approaching the warmest and driest time of year. Tibetan Medicine teaches that these hot, dry, and “sharp” conditions lead to the arising of the fire-element nature within our bodies, known as the Tripa Nyepa མཁྲིས་པ་ཉེས་པ།. The Tripa Nyepa is the fire-element function within our body and mind—our physiological systems, as well as our psychology. During the late summer and autumn, our Tripa arises, and can easily become imbalanced.
Symptoms of Imbalance
Imbalance of the fire-element, Tripa Nyepa causes symptoms such as indigestion, headache, upper body pains, poor sleep, or irritability. It is also linked with skin conditions, eye irritation, or inflammation. These symptoms are aggravated by hot and sharp diet and behaviors such as eating greasy or spicy foods, drinking alcohol, excessive physical exertion, or intense, angry emotions. Tripa is also aggravated by toxins and pollution, such as smoke in the air, vaping, or airborne chemicals.
Balancing the Tripa Nyepa མནཀྲིས་པ་ཉེས་པ།
How does Tibetan Medicine treat imbalance of the Tripa Nyepa, and help harmonize our fiery functions? We need to harmonize the hot, dry, and sharp qualities of our internal and external environments with cool, moist, and smooth diet and behaviors.
So, we choose foods and herbs that are naturally sweet, hydrating, and cooling. For example, seasonal fresh fruits are a great choice, also dark bitter greens, as well as fresh dairy products, coconut milk, or rock sugar. Herbs like fresh mint or licorice are commonly recommended.
We should do gentle, refreshing exercise such as walks or bike rides through the woods and gardens. Gentle exercise is key because it helps our channels to open and energy to circulate freely. This avoids stagnation and accumulation of heat, while also not overtaxing or stressing our system.
It is recommended to relax beside running water, under the shade of trees and fragrant plants. Now is the time to soothe our minds with lighthearted chats with dear friends and reflections on the simple joys of life. It is excellent to spend some time offline, unplug from the headlines, and enjoy connecting with nature, children, music, and laughter.
As far as clinical treatments are concerned, we use gentle, restorative treatments that clear heat, open the channels, and nourish the earth and water elements of our physiology. We guide the energy to support the heart, liver, blood systems, and, as always, the digestion.
In Conclusion
Tibetan Medicine theory develops individualized analysis and treatment strategies for each patient’s unique condition. It also tailors protocols according to the season, weather, and other factors.
However, Tibetan Medicine’s advice for balancing our fire element, Tripa Nyepa is universal for all of us: We should take a break from stress and aggravation, and enjoy a rest or refreshing walk in a cool place. With this advice, we can remain relaxed and refreshed throughout the heat of the summer!
Adam Okerblom, DAOM, LAc
Adam Okerblom, DAOM, LAc, is a doctor of Chinese Medicine with over 12 years of clinical experience and longstanding training in Tibetan Medicine. His work bridges these traditional medical systems through clinical practice, teaching in doctoral programs at Chinese medicine schools, and guest lectures at universities including San Francisco State University. He also contributes to translation and writing projects focused on classical Tibetan medical literature.
Learn more about Dr. Adam Okerblom and schedule acupuncture with him or join one of his classes.
Monthly online yangsheng class exploring the 24 solar nodes through Chinese medicine teachings, seasonal recipes, and gentle qi gong.
A class with Anne Shelton Crute & Tara Bianca Rado.
Classical Chinese medicine describes the year not as a static calendar, but as a living sequence of qi transformations. The 24 solar nodes mark the subtle shifts in climate, light, and movement that shape our bodies, emotions, and spirit throughout the year.
Yangsheng—“nurturing life”—is the art of aligning ourselves with these changes. It is not about fixing symptoms or optimizing performance. It is about learning to live well within the unfolding patterns of Heaven and Earth. In many ways, this is the home and daily-life expression of what we do in the acupuncture clinic with needles.
This monthly class offers a steady, practical way to study and embody the seasonal qi through:
Teachings on the solar nodes and their cosmological meaning
Simple seasonal recipes and food practices
Gentle qi gong and breathwork appropriate to the time of year
Reflection on how to use our energy when it is not consumed by obligation or strain
Over time, the class becomes a kind of living almanac—a place to return each month to recalibrate, nourish the body, and remember the larger rhythms we belong to.
No prior experience is required. This class is open to patients, students, and anyone interested in Chinese medicine as a lived philosophy.
Course begins after the Chinese New Year in March 2026
Meets monthly for 10 months each year, over a two-year cycle
Participation for the full two years is not required
Classes meet live on Zoom
Recordings are sent a few days later if you miss the live session
Zoom link is emailed before each class
Cost: $65 per month. Payable via Zelle, Venmo, or PayPal
All classes at 1 pm Eastern / 10 am Pacific
March 1
April 5
May 17
Anne is the founder of Ritual Health Acupuncture & Herbalism in Berkeley, California, a Doctor of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, and a Chinese Polestar astrologer. She is a published author and educator, with a chapter in A Ring Without End: Reflections on Classical Chinese Medicine Mind/Body Mapping, and serves as an editor on several Chinese medicine and astrology texts, including her teacher Liu Ming’s forthcoming book on Chinese Polestar astrology. Anne has been in clinical practice for more than fifteen years and has trained through private apprenticeships in Chinese medicine, Ayurveda, Tibetan herbalism, and astrology in the U.S., Japan, and India. Her work focuses on chronic illness, nervous system regulation, life transitions, and reconnecting patients with their innate sense of spirit.
Tara is the founder and lead acupuncturist of Durham Integrative Health and Acupuncture Center, a nonprofit sliding-scale clinic in Durham, North Carolina. She began studying traditional healing arts in the mid-1990s through Asian bodywork, qi gong, meditation, and community-based Western and native herbalism, and worked for nearly two decades as a massage therapist specializing in shiatsu and tui na. She later completed formal training in Traditional Chinese Medicine, earning her master’s degree from the Acupuncture and Integrative Medicine College in Berkeley and a bachelor’s degree in Medical Anthropology from the University of California, Berkeley. Tara’s clinical work integrates acupuncture, herbal medicine, and bodywork, with a focus on accessibility, partnership, and cultivating resilience, connection, and joy in the healing process. She continues to deepen her studies in Classical acupuncture and Daoist healing, and also practices Chinese Polestar astrology.
Without clarity on View, we might take a thousand-year-old body of wisdom and unknowingly reshape it to match whatever modern ideas feel familiar to us, even if those ideas come from thoughtful places like psychology or Jungian work. This is at the core of how we practice Chinese medicine and astrology in a classically-informed way at Ritual Health in Berkeley, CA.
Ring in the Year of the Yang Fire Horse with us at Blue Willow Teaspot in Berkeley, CA on Tuesday, February 17 at 6:30. This is Ritual Health Acupuncture & Herbalism’s Annual Lunar New Year Celebration with Dr. Anne Shelton Crute.
Learn about Chinese Astrology! Discover the nature of this time!
We need our emotions.
This may sound obvious, but in practice it is increasingly countercultural.
Much of contemporary wellness and pop psychology frames emotional health as the achievement of calm: regulation as smoothing, neutralizing, or quieting experience. The implicit goal is an unruffled state. Yet from the perspective of classical Chinese medicine, this goal is not only unrealistic: it is physiologically misguided.
Say hello to Blue Tea, our sweet, vibrant herbal ally with centuries of tradition behind it. We love it because it is delicious and we reach for it for cholesterol and blood sugar issues.
Known in Chinese as Jiao Gu Lan, beautifully translated as “the twisting blue plant,” this resilient climbing vine has long been treasured in mountain villages and traditional medicine alike. 💙🌿
In Chinese Medicine Jiao Gu Lan is described as sweet and slightly bitter, with a neutral to slightly cool nature, entering the Heart and Lung channels. First written about by Zhu Xiao (1406) in Jiuhuang Bencao — listed as a nourishing wild plant.
Traditional Chinese Medicine provides sage advise on how to improve our digestion and promote holistic health according to the natural Qi cycles of the seasons. What are some recommended foods for the early winter? Dr. Adam Okerblom of Ritual Health Acupuncture clinic explains some simple guidelines for dietary health in the wintertime, specifically for the climate of the San Francisco Bay Area.
This week, Ritual Health celebrated the launch of our new community network, The Jade Circle, with an intimate gathering at our acupuncture clinic in North Berkeley. We welcomed old friends and new, colleagues and community for an evening of conversation, celebration, and reflection.
Dr. Anne Shelton Crute presented on the Qi of the season, describing the transition from Autumn to Winter as our external environment mirrors the energy of our internal state. We were delighted to welcome our special guest, local classical flutist Sujatha Maheshwari, for a beautiful performance.
Stay tuned for upcoming events and offerings with The Jade Circle community. As always, we are looking forward warmly to seeing you at your next visit to Ritual Health Acupuncture and Herbalism Clinic, at our Berkeley office in the Gourmet Ghetto off of North Shattuck Avenue, our Albany office off of Solano Avenue, or our Mill Valley office in Marin. Until then, many blessings and be well!
