Infertility

Although acupuncture is not generally available on the NHS, more and more doctors are suggesting it as an option for patients, although most of Irina's patients are self-referred.

She said: "Many doctors are having training in acupuncture.

I think that speaks volumes.

"Most doctors will not object to patients having acupuncture, provided they are satisfied the person providing acupuncture is appropriately qualified." Last year, Irina was invited to give a presentation at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, on the use of acupuncture for treating low back pain, to orthopaedic surgeons and consultants, osteopaths, physiotherapists and chiropractors of the East Anglian Spinal Club.

Acupuncture has been treating back pain and many other conditions for around 5,000 years in China and other Eastern countries.

According to traditional Chinese philosophy, our health is dependent on the body's motivating energy, known as Qi (pronounced chi.) This energy supposedly moves in a smooth and balanced way through a series of meridians, or channels, beneath the skin.

The flow of Qi can be disturbed by a number of factors, including anxiety, stress, grief, anger, poor nutrition, weather conditions, hereditary factors, infections, poisons and injury.

Fine needles, inserted into the channels of energy, stimulate the body's own healing response and help to restore its natural balance.

There are 500 recognised acupuncture points, but only a sm...

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