35-year-old Lisa had endometriosis since she was 20. She
received two operations and hormone treatment in the past but none of them helped much. Her periods were always delayed and very heavy, and the blood
was dark and clotty. The pain in her lower abdomen and back would start from
the middle of the menstrual cycle and get worse two days before the period. The
pain was so intense and pain killers didn't work. She always felt
headachy, sick and lethargic, and also had bloating stomach, constipation and cold
limbs. These made it really difficult for her to cope with working and also studying for
a training course. Her tongue had white coating and her pulse was thready and
deep. According to the theory of Chinese medicine, this condition was
recognized as stagnation of blood due to yang deficiency. After the first two
sessions of acupuncture, Lisa had a few bad days because it was right in the
middle of a menstrual cycle when symptoms would start to get worse. But then the
symptoms eased off very quickly and she started a period - exactly four weeks
since the last one, and less painful, better blood colour. Soon she reduced the
treatment to once every fortnight. After eight sessions of acupuncture, Lisa
only felt mild discomfort before periods, and had so much energy that she started
training for the Great North Run. When she came back to see me after a
long break in October, I was told she had felt very good for the whole
summer.
