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.