Upcoming Events In July 2024!

Join us for two special guest events this July! All events are held at our North Berkeley office: 1508 Walnut St, Suite D, Berkeley, CA 94709

Events are by donation. Please RSVP at: adam@ritualhealth.com

Tibetan Medicine Insights on Stress and the Poison of Delusion

The “three poisons”, known as the "duk sum" (དུག་གསུམ་) in Tibetan, are a fundamental theory in Buddhism and Tibetan Medicine. They are considered a root cause of all physical and mental diseases. The three poisons include attachment, aversion, and delusion.

The mental poison of delusion, or "Ti Muk" (གཏི་མུག་) in Tibetan, is relevant in the context of the

chronic stress patterns we so often experience in modern life. Our pathological stress responses do involve all three of the mental poisons. However, in my clinical practice, I find it especially helpful to view chronic stress in the context of this classic Buddhist theme, the mental poison of delusion.

Delusion refers to a lack of awareness, an inability to clearly perceive and accurately assess the nature of reality. It manifests as a narrow, boxed-in mindset, where our mental view is limited and obstructed. Stress induces similar effects on our mental condition, impairing our mental clarity and obscuring our perception.

As the tensions and fatigue of ongoing stress accumulate, unresolved in our minds and bodies, we experience deleterious effects. Instead of being open-minded and able to see the far horizon, we perceive a narrow, limited, “tunnel vision” reality. Instead of feeling free to move and act as we wish, we feel trapped, constrained, and encumbered. Instead of drawing nourishment from the abundance of the world around us, we feel perpetually under-resourced, ill-equipped, and fatigued by a “scarcity mindset”.

Instead of connecting and collaborating with the people around us, we perceive conflict and friction in our interpersonal relationships. Instead of being present in the moment, we are distracted by worry about the future. Instead of feeling inspired and joyful, we exhibit depression, demotivation, and apathy.

All of these symptoms directly link that fundamental, pernicious mental poison known in Buddhist theory as “delusion”.

The stress we experience is caused by authentically challenging circumstances. There is no shortage of real-life problems to contend with in our lives! However, the mental poison of delusion shuts down our ability to deal with challenges in an effective, realistic way, and ends up compounding our problems. It keeps us sunk down into an apathetic and ineffectual mental state.

Understanding delusion's link to stress is an excellent first step in managing and treating stress-related issues. Buddhism shares centuries of commentary on managing this disturbing mental poison. Understanding the way our mind really works is key to illuminating the darkness of our mental poisons. Tibetan Medicine offers therapeutic tools such as herbal medicines and hands-on treatments.

If you feel the heaviness and constraint of chronic stress weighing down your world, I recommend exploring the ancient teachings of Tibetan Dharma and Medicine. They offer a wealth of insight and practical methods to help us work with the mental poison of delusion, and cultivate our healthy, effective stress responses. Let us reduce the influence of delusion in our daily lives. That way, we can meet our challenges with clarity, inspiration, and a view to the far horizon!

Tibetan Medicine Guidelines for a Healthy Spring

The Wood Element Expresses Internally & Externally

In Tibetan Medicine the spring season, known as Chyid Du དཔྱིད་དུས་, begins with the Tibetan Lunar New Year celebration of Losar ལོ་སར་. Specific constellations rise in the sky, plants begin to spring open, growing and spreading vigorously. One hears the sound of the Cho ga ཅོ་ག་ or lark singing, and this bird is emblematic of the season.

Spring is associated with the wood element, the liver and gallbladder organs, and the sense organ of the eyes. These are some of the key factors by which the seasonal qualities of the external environment match the characteristics of our internal terrain.

The springtime seasonal pulse expresses the exuberance and vitality of the wood element. It is said that during spring our pulse quality resembles the tight, rapid chirp of the lark.

Accumulated Stagnation of Winter “Melts” and Arises

Over the winter our bodies are more sedentary and our food is heavier. The weather is cold and damp. These seasonal factors accumulate excess stagnation of cold Earth & Water elements in our system, known as Pedkan Nyepa (བད་ཀན་ཉེས་པ་). When the weather warms up and we begin to be more active in the spring, this accumulation of cold Pedkan Earth & Water “melts” just like snow and ice. It then arises and is expressed in our bodies.

This presents as the flaring of many symptoms we often see in the spring. This time of year, our office is flooded with cases of congestion, lingering wet coughs, colds, respiratory infections, indigestion, joint pains, stiffness, and pain in the body. Many people feel stagnated, heavy, and lethargic, even as the weather grows warm and inviting.

Diet and Lifestyle Guidelines for a Healthy Spring!

Tibetan Medicine offers simple guidelines for maintaining our health this season. We must support the activation of the Wood Element and clear out the accumulated Pedkan Earth & Water.

Our diet should be light and mildly cleansing. This means using foods that are bitter, astringent, and spicy. These tastes have the nature of wind and fire elements. They are light and stimulating, to help purge accumulated heaviness. It is a great season for fresh herbs, young greens, citrus, honey, beans, and other legumes. As usual, it is a great time to sip on warm water several times per day.

The classical texts of Tibetan Medicine advise us to exercise vigorously this time of year. It is a good time to use the sauna and do frequent bathing. Tibetan Medicine specifically recommends scrubbing the skin with pea flour or other astringent, abrasive scrubs. The classical texts also advise us to spend time in shady gardens, enjoying fresh flowers and fragrances.

The Five Elements in Tibetan Medicine

Online | Sunday, April 14th, 9—12pm | Course fee: $65 | Register at: adam@ritualhealth.com

Tibetan Medicine is based on a system of Five Elements that comprise all phenomena in the universe. These Five Elements are alive within our human dimension, governing every aspect of our physiology in a cyclical, dynamic synergy.

How do the Five Elements work within our body, energy, and mind as human beings? How can we use this knowledge to empower our health and path of healing?

In this short course, we will discover the foundation theory of the Five Elements in Tibetan Medicine. We will explore their expression in the external world and within our internal dimension.

Join us to explore this theory for understanding health, healing, consciousness, and the universe according to traditional Tibetan Medicine!

Dr. Anne's Expanded Hours! Now in the Office for Acupuncture on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays...plus online for Chinese Astrology

Announcement: Extra Clinic Day with Dr. Anne - Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine
We are pleased to announce that Dr. Anne will be offering an additional clinic day at our office, specifically dedicated to acupuncture and herbal medicine. Dr. Anne brings years of experience and expertise in these complementary therapies, fostering holistic healing for our patients. Starting next week, patients can book appointments with Dr. Anne for acupuncture sessions and herbal medicine consultations on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. This expansion of services provides an more opportunities to feel amazing using a natural approach to heal and balance body and mind. Experience the transformative benefits of acupuncture and herbal medicine at our clinic with Dr. Anne's guidance in the Berkeley office at Walnut & Vine in the Gourmet Ghetto. Schedule your appointment today and sign up for the email list for infrequent announcements and helpful offerings!

Pulse and Chinese Astrology Mini Session

We’re at the Farmer’s Market this summer! Hope to see you there or in our office nearby!

Remembering Chogyal Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche

I’m so grateful to have had Namkhai Norbu in my life. He touched many of us deeply. His worldwide offering of the Dzogchen teachings and preservation of Tibetan Medicine in its full integrity planted many seeds that we will watch root, grow, and flower. His teachings affect the way I work with each and every patient in my clinic.

My Tibetan Medicine teacher, Dr. Phuntsog Wangmo is the director of Norbu’s school, the Shang Shung Institute. I’m pleased that I’ll have her and all of her amazing graduates to continue to learn from and work with.

These traditions benefit everyone. I’m happy to be a part of it. In endless gratitude…

Workshop Announcement: Acupressure for Self-Care with Abrams Claghorn Gallery's show Healing Images: a Prescription for America

Anne Shelton Crute, LAc. is pleased to be teaching a workshop called "Acupressure for Self-Care" on February 8, 2018 from 6-8 at Abrams Claghorn Gallery. The space is right around the corner from the Pomona office in Albany, CA.

Abrams Claghorn is hosting events related to healing to complement their current exhibition, Healing Images: A Prescription for America, in which the art of Georgia Carbone is on display--art as medicine! 

We will be learning about acupressure points and techniques from Chinese Medicine that you can use at home for a healthier, happier life. We will touch on topics such as pain, digestion, psycho-emotional health, stamina, insomnia and even warding off the common cold.

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