Ritual Health Acupuncture & Herbalism

08/21/2026

It is autumn already, even if the weather hasn’t quite convinced you yet.

In the traditional Chinese calendar of qi nodes (the 24 solar terms), autumn begins in early August, and this Sunday brings us to Chǔshǔ 處暑, the “Limit of Heat.”

Anne wrote a little about how you can see the seasonal shift happening right now, what it means for our bodies, and how these changes inform our acupuncture treatments and seasonal care at Ritual Health and at home.

Conveniently, this is exactly what we’ll be exploring in Yangsheng this Sunday at 10am.

Read the article and learn how to join us with Adam Okerblom:

Why does autumn begin before the equinox in classical Chinese medicine? Explore the autumn qi nodes, seasonal health, yangsheng, and acupuncture in Berkeley with Dr. Anne Shelton Crute of Ritual Health.

08/10/2026

A new piece on the Ritual Health blog: Shen Is Not the Heart-Mind.

Shen—often translated as “spirit” or “heart-mind”—is central to classical Chinese medicine. But what happens when a translation quietly changes the conceptual framework of the medicine itself?

Anne looks at the historical development of the idea, its relationship to the Heart and the other spirit aspects, and why these distinctions still matter in clinical practice.

For practitioners, students, and the historically curious. with Adam Okerblom

What does shen mean in Chinese medicine? Often translated as “spirit” or “heart-mind,” shen is a distinct classical concept. Learn why that distinction matters.

05/10/2026

If you are like me, and acupuncture has changed your life — or even saved it — please consider signing this to help protect both your favorite acupuncturists and the integrity of our medicine.

We need qualified practitioners administering needles. That should be licensed acupuncturists, not physical therapists practicing “dry needling.”

Officially, licensed acupuncturists complete extensive medical training, including a minimum of 960 hours of supervised clinical practice within a 4–5 year Doctoral program in Chinese medicine. Adam and I clocked far more than that for our Masters and Doctoral progams, not to mention our private apprenticeships with Dr. Bob, with 'ev Rosenberg, with Liu Ming, and abroad in Tibet, Japan, and India.

Physical therapists dry needling trainings, by comparison, may involve little to no supervised clinical training in needling itself. We love physical therapists and deeply value the work they do. We simply believe they best serve the public by practicing physical therapy — not acupuncture under another name.

Because dry needling *is* acupuncture. It is in our texts and tradition. But the way they are practicing it strips it down and rebrands it. Even when performed with good intentions, it affects channels, organs, and systems in ways that require a coherent diagnostic framework and deep training in East Asian medicine.

If you’ve worked with us, you already know: the needles are only as good as the diagnosis. You need a qualified practitioner to make that diagnosis and insert those needles skillfully.

Thank you for supporting this field and the practitioners who have devoted their lives to studying it.

Sign here:

04/08/2026

Sending out the Yangsheng class recording shortly.

If you want a clear sense of how to work with this moment in the season, this is a good time to join.

Spring is subtle, but it’s not neutral.

I wrote this to help orient you:

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.