Tally
I found Olivia after searching on the internet for an acupuncturist in my local area. I came for treatments weekly for the first month and then fortnightly thereon. I was having treatment to manage the immense pain I was suffering during my periods.
After one month or so, I had reduced my pain-killer intake from 12 a day to just 4 a day at the beginning of my period. I was extremely pleased with the results and continued treatment for a further two months, with further improved results. Aside from the menstrual results, I also found the treatments very relaxing and the whole experience beneficial. I felt comfortable to speak openly with Olivia, and I received support in many ways from her warmth and concern.
Mrs E
I met Olivia Shaw through my then boyfriend, now husband, D. I needed treatment as I have PCOS and wanted to sort out my very irregular periods, with a view to eventually getting pregnant.
I was really unsure what to expect, and my husband, who is a conventional doctor, was initially quite skeptical about the whole thing.
After my initial session and introduction to acupuncture (I had never had a session before), I felt deeply relaxed and felt that I was benefiting in some way that I couldn’t quite put my finger on. I had initially bonded with Olivia as a friend, but found that it was easy to slip into a more professional practitioner/patient relationship with her when we were having our sessions. She has a very gentle way about her, always sympathetic and compassionate.
I decided to go ahead with a fairly intensive three-month programme involving an acupuncture session initially once a week and Chinese herbs (these I had to boil up myself and drink the resulting concoction daily). I was also to take my temperature every morning on waking and then mark it on a graph (Basal Temperature Chart) to see what it was doing. My temperature became a very good gauge of how my body was responding to the treatment.
When I started the treatment in early Feb 2007 I hadn’t had a period since the previous December and my temperature was see-sawing all over the place. By the end of March, I’d had my first period, and from the way my temperature readings were beginning to regulate, it was clear that my body was responding positively to the treatment. Interesting to note, my initially skeptical soon-to-be-husband was quickly being won over! I also felt a lot better in myself and looked forward to the feelings of relaxation that the sessions would leave me with. The needles were never painful – Olivia is very gentle and tells you exactly what she is doing so it’s not scary in any way.
D and I got married at the end of June 2007, and we immediately began to try for a family. Because of my history of PCOS and irregular periods, we assumed that we would be in for a long wait, but to our surprise and delight, I fell pregnant a month after the wedding. Our baby was born the following April – a beautiful baby girl!
Sarah
As a sufferer of Polycystic Ovaries I needed fertility treatment to conceive my first child. I was consequently shocked and elated to fall pregnant a second time whilst breastfeeding. Sadly the pregnancy resulted in a traumatic miscarriage and I was keen to find an acupuncturist to help me get my body back into shape before trying again.
I found Olivia through the internet and bonded with her instantly. She immediately inspired confidence with her in-depth knowledge of fertility issues. She would explain her proposed courses of treatment before implementing them so I clearly understood what she was doing, allowing me to just relax and allow my body to respond. Within two months of seeing Olivia I had my first natural period in over ten years and within four months I was pregnant!
Barbara
I first went to see Olivia in May 2008, after being recommended by a friend who was having treatment to help her conceive. I wanted to try acupuncture as my periods had become irregular and I was having some unpleasant symptoms, including hot flushes. I was keen to get my cycle back for general health reasons and, as I also suffer from ME, was hoping the treatments would help me relax and possibly improve my sleep pattern and general energy levels. I had also recently been diagnosed with an ovarian cyst and was looking for a method of treatment, which avoided surgery.
I found the treatment to be immediately helpful. I actually had a period about two and a half weeks after the first treatment. Olivia also prescribed some Chinese herbs, which helped with some of the hot flushes and alleviated some of the fatigue associated with my ME. She also inserted some small needles which could be left in my ears to help with my sleep pattern. My cyst eventually resolved itself after several months.
Olivia was always professional during our sessions and I felt that she really took time to think about what would be the right treatment for me, depending on how I was each time I saw her. I would describe her approach to healing as quite intuitive. Her manner was also very calm, which made me relax immediately and the sessions were always beneficial and restorative.
Rebecca
I was recommended to Olivia Shaw by a previous, highly satisfied, client of hers, though for a different complaint – irregular periods. I had not considered acupuncture before for this problem, and had tried conventional medical treatment with relatively little success. Following an in depth consultation with Olivia during which we discussed my medical history, my lifestyle and the complaint itself, she suggested and implemented a clear and easy to follow “prescription” which included acupuncture, herbs and easy to implement, suggestions on how I could better manage my menstrual cycle. I found her calm, knowledgeable and sympathetic approach gave me confidence in the treatments, and quickly, my periods returned to normal. I would thoroughly recommend her, and wish she had stayed in the UK so that I could have continued treatments with her.
Berna
I suffer from endometriosis and after 3 years of trying to conceive , I found Olivia’s details on the internet and thought to try acupuncture as a way of complementing IUI treatment I was due to have. I have always been afraid of needles but Olivia put me at ease and not only did the acupuncture help me mentally, I also found myself pregnant within weeks of beginning acupuncture treatment without having to undergo IUI. I would not hesitate in recommending Olivia for fertility treatment and beyond.
A.G
I turned to acupuncture to try to alleviate the severe period pains that I had suffered for many years. Conventional medicine was a disappointment and tended to dull not only the pain, but most other sensory functions as well. While this short term “relief” dealt with the symptoms, I felt it didn’t really deal with the root of the problem and until this was addressed I was concerned that I would endure the same pains each month indefinitely.
So I searched for an alternative and this is where Olivia came in. As well as considering the physical aspect of my pain, she also looked at my overall constitution, lifestyle, emotional state, medical history and so on. While I am not nervous of needles, I was greatly calmed by the fact that she patiently explained what she was doing and what she hoped to accomplish every step of the way.
The results took about a month to kick in and were a revelation. I no longer suffer excruciating pain and am now able to function normally for 4 weeks of the month, instead of just 3!!