“I was in the conservatory one day and I just knew I had to do something. I was on such a spiral, the more I worried about it the worse it was getting,” she said.
So, in June 2016, a year after her husband’s death, she visited the British Acupuncture Council’s website to find an acupuncturist in her local area.
She located acupuncturist David Millard's acupuncture clinic in Tettenhall, Wolverhampton.
Following an initial assessment Mr Millard identified that Isobel’s dermatitis was probably being caused by her overwhelming grief and anxiety.
A treatment plan was devised and Isobel, 64, visited Mr Millard for acupuncture once a week for a month, followed by fortnightly sessions for another few months.
“Within six months of starting the acupuncture the dermatitis had gone,” she said, “I had it on my body, my arms and my legs and, apart from the slight blemish every now and then it’s gone.
“I now understand that my problems were coming from inside of me and wasn’t purely a skin condition. I had to come to terms with my husband’s death. I had never had acupuncture before but I found it to be such a positive experience and that is still the case. I am a believer.”
Isobel now sees Mr Millard once a month and this enables her to stay on an even keel.
She has even found it has helped with other symptoms.
"Last January I had the flu and it really affected me. I took to my bed for three days, which I don’t normally do. When I next saw the acupuncturist, I explained to him how I had felt and how low I had become.
“After that treatment I somehow felt my body had been put back into sync and I felt so much better.”
Mr Millard said: “The body, mind and spirit have an inbuilt capacity to self-heal. It is when this 'capacity' breaks down that we seek help and Western medicine is used to address the problem.
“Unfortunately certain issues such as anxiety-type symptoms like those exhibited by Isobel can be extremely difficult to address with drug based therapy.
“This is where Traditional 5-ELEMENT Acupuncture proved to be successful. A gentle and passive therapy with incredible effect if carried out correctly. Hopefully, Isobel will be able to go forth in her life with vigor and zest.....and completely drug -free!”
