As a Silicon Valley native, I love it here. I am the daughter of two electrical engineers and now the wife of a software engineer. To me, Silicon Valley represents endless possibilities. Immigrants, women, people of color, and anyone with a solid work ethic can share in the abundance and create something beautiful.

Although exciting, the buzz, drive, and passion of the valley is often damaging to our health

Silicon Valley culture rewards the hustle, but has no sympathy for the burn-out.

Many of us are constantly tired. We are often pushing, working hard, playing hard, exercising, being productive, but often leave ourselves exhausted. We achieve greatness in a short amount of time but our bodies pay a price for it. Stress, digestive issues, infertility, and poor sleep are just a few of the common symptoms.

We have very little down time.

Our minds and bodies require time to digest, process, reflect, and simply be still. Now, with our beloved smartphones, we are always online and plugged in. Before smartphones, we had little breaks of waiting in our lives at a stop light, waiting for a friend, or in line at the grocery store. Today, all of these breaks are filled with an intake of information. Checking social media, emails, texts, making calls, reading news, or getting caught up on work; we just bounce from one thing to the next.

Although I love technology, I decided to become an acupuncturist. Why? Because I suffered from all of the above and acupuncture was what saved me!

Acupuncture can counterbalance the hustle of Silicon Valley.

1. Acupuncture turns the sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight mode) OFF and the parasympathetic nervous system ON. This calms the mind and brings us into a highly relaxed state of being.

2. Acupuncture directs blood flow from the extremities to our internal organs. This optimizes function of the digestive system, sexual organs, and the immune system. It allows healing to occur where needed.

3. An acupuncture session gives us permission to be still, rest, or even nap during the day. It allows us to take a break from it all while doing something good for our health.

The bottom-line.

Acupuncture is cost-effective. Treating stress, pain, or infertility with acupuncture is much less expensive than a lifetime dependence on pharmaceuticals, surgery, or other procedures.

Acupuncture has other hidden benefits! When we are grounded, content, and joyful we spend less on consumables we don’t need, drinks, foods, or constant entertainment with the hope of achieving temporary happiness.

So, my beloved Silicon Valley, please take good care of yourself and get some acupuncture!