Welcome! My name is Laura. I am an acupuncturist and Chinese medicine herbalist based in Sutton Coldfield.
I am an MSc ‘Fertility Support Trained’ Acupuncturist and Herbalist with advanced expertise in reproductive health, providing compassionate, evidence-based support for complex fertility cases. I have over a decade of experience and work with people from all walks of life, particularly those with fertility issues, anxiety and hormonal imbalances. I have a BSc Honours (Acu) and an MSc (Herbs) in Tra
ditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). I have undertaken advanced courses in fertility, have conducted and written a research paper specifically looking into male-factor fertility and am currently working toward an advanced diploma in fertility support. I work with couples or individuals to optimise their chances of conceiving naturally or through IVF and follow evidence-based protocols and guidance. During your comprehensive initial consultation, together we work through your diet, lifestyle and environment and I can advise if further medical testing may be required. I am a medical phlebotomist and can arrange blood work and other testing privately or suggest what may be necessary if you can access it through the NHS (although this would need to be arranged through your general practitioner). Over the years, I have worked with many couples and individuals. Natural medicine can be a slower route, but it will focus on the cause of your issues and symptoms and address them from the root. I have confidence that with patience and perseverance, we can work together to optimise your chances of achieving your goals.
27/04/2026
The youngest member of the family (currently) has been roped in as my social media model… and I think he loves the inconvenience of ‘having’ to get acupuncture, cupping or massage (from Therapy ).
Cupping is a traditional technique used in Chinese medicine to help improve circulation, release muscle tension, support detoxification, and promote overall healing. It’s especially great for tight backs, stubborn knots, and that “heavy” feeling you sometimes can’t quite shift.
In this video, I’m using fire cupping with bamboo cups I picked up while training in China. I also use glass, suction, and silicone cups depending on what your body needs from the treatment.
And yes… some people definitely just come for the marks. But they leave for all of the benefits too.
If you’re curious or want to try it for yourself, you can add 10 minutes of cupping onto your acupuncture session for an extra £10.
S***m health matters more than most people realise…
It’s not just about count — quality, motility, and DNA integrity all play a huge role in fertility outcomes.
The good news? There’s a lot that can be done to support it.
I’ve put together a simple, practical guide to help you understand where to start ✨
If you’d like a copy, just comment:
S***M
and I’ll send it straight to your DMs 💛 Or send it to a man in your life that may need some support.
***mHealth
S***m eye cooling patches from
S***m keyring from
Both stalls were at in May 2025.
17/04/2026
Hayfever Help! 🌿 (Part 1)
Struggling with blocked sinuses or itchy eyes? Try these two simple acupressure points:
✨ LI20 – found either side of the nostrils
Helps open the nasal passages and relieve congestion
✨ Yintang – between the eyebrows
Calms irritation, sinus pressure, and helps soothe itchy eyes
Gently massage each point for 30–60 seconds.
Save this for later or share with someone you know who suffers from hayfever 💛
If your symptoms are ongoing or more severe, acupuncture can offer longer-term support.
You can book an appointment online at:
✨ www.theacu.co.uk
13/04/2026
Looking after your eggs starts long before IVF or trying to conceive…
Small, consistent changes can make a real difference to egg quality — and knowing where to start can feel overwhelming.
So I’ve put together a simple, practical guide to support you 💛
If you’d like a copy, just comment:
EGG
and I’ll send it straight to your DMs ✨ (On Facebook, this may take a few hours as I'll be sending it personally to you)
03/04/2026
Chinese Herbal Medicine during IVF: What does the evidence actually say?
Many IVF clinics advise patients not to take herbal medicine.
That recommendation usually stems from concerns around:
• Self-prescribing
• Ordering herbs online
• Unknown ingredient quality
• Lack of practitioner training in IVF pharmacology
• Potential herb–drug interactions
These are legitimate safety concerns.
However, when prescribed by a trained practitioner, Chinese Herbal Medicine (CHM) is not the same as over-the-counter supplementation.
A systematic review and meta-analysis evaluating CHM alongside IVF found that, in certain protocols, adjunctive herbal medicine was associated with improved clinical pregnancy rates compared to IVF alone
Importantly, the review highlights heterogeneity in study design, herbal formulations, and timing — meaning outcomes depend heavily on practitioner skill, protocol timing, and individualisation.
This is where clinical training matters.
In fertility-focused practice:
✔ Herbs are prescribed individually — not generically
✔ Formulas are modified according to cycle phase
✔ Herbs are typically used in the 3 months prior to stimulation to support folliculogenesis
✔ Herbs are paused or adjusted during ovarian stimulation, egg collection, and embryo transfer depending on protocol
✔ Prescriptions are adapted around GnRH agonists/antagonists, progesterone support, and trigger timing
The aim is not to “boost” IVF.
The aim is to optimise physiology before the cycle begins and to step back when pharmacology takes priority.
Chinese Herbal Medicine is a powerful medical system. Used incorrectly, it can conflict. Used correctly, it can complement.
Safety comes from:
• Proper diagnosis
• Pharmaceutical awareness
• Clear stop/start timing
• Ongoing monitoring
• Open communication with the patient
If you’ve been advised not to take herbs, that advice is often about unsupervised use — not about properly prescribed, fertility-trained herbal medicine.
If you’re preparing for IVF and want an evidence-informed, safe, collaborative approach, you’re welcome to book an initial consultation to discuss your specific protocol and timing through www.TheAcu.co.uk
27/03/2026
Sometimes the hardest part of your health journey isn’t knowing what to do…
…it’s feeling like no one is really listening.
“I don’t care” might not be what’s actually said —
but it’s often how it feels when you’ve:
• Been dismissed
• Been told your symptoms are “normal”
• Been given no real answers
• Or been passed from pillar to post
Whether it’s fertility, hormones, pain, digestion or your mental wellbeing — you deserve to feel heard, understood, and supported with a clear plan.
This is something I hear far too often in clinic. So the video shows some of the things people say that really do not make me blink twice.
And it’s exactly why I work the way I do.
Taking the time to look at the full picture.
Explaining what’s going on in your body.
Creating a treatment plan that actually makes sense for you.
Because your symptoms are not random.
And they’re not something you just have to “put up with”.
If you’re ready to feel supported properly, you can book an appointment online:
Or feel free to message me to email me Laura@TheAcu.co.uk to schedule a free 15 minute discovery call if you’re unsure where to start 💛
27/03/2026
20/03/2026
Acupuncture for pain: how does it actually work?
When we talk about pain, we’re not just talking about “tight muscles.”
Most persistent pain involves:
• Nervous system sensitisation
• Altered pain signalling
• Increased pro-inflammatory cytokines
• Reduced local circulation
• Muscle guarding
• Central processing changes
In other words — it’s biochemical, neurological and mechanical.
From a biomedical perspective, acupuncture has been shown to:
✔ Stimulate the release of endogenous opioids (your body’s natural painkillers, such as endorphins and enkephalins)
✔ Modulate serotonin and dopamine pathways
✔ Reduce pro-inflammatory cytokines involved in systemic inflammation
✔ Increase local microcirculation
✔ Down-regulate central sensitisation in chronic pain states
✔ Activate descending inhibitory pain pathways in the brain
In simple terms?
It helps calm an overactive alarm system.
Pain is often your nervous system stuck on “high alert.”
Acupuncture helps turn the volume down.
From a TCM perspective
We might describe pain as:
• Qi and Blood stagnation
• Cold or Damp accumulation
• Liver constraint
• Underlying deficiency preventing proper nourishment
Different language — same clinical goal: restore flow, reduce inflammation, support regulation.
How long does it take to work?
This is the honest part:
It varies.
• Acute pain can shift within 1–3 treatments.
• Chronic pain often requires a course (commonly 8-12 sessions).
• Longstanding inflammatory or systemic conditions may take longer.
• Frequency and lifestyle factors matter.
Your body didn’t arrive at its current pain pattern overnight — and we shouldn’t expect it to unwind overnight either.
But change is absolutely possible.
If you’re struggling with:
• Migraines
• Period pain
• Back or neck pain
• Joint pain
• Endometriosis-related pain
• Digestive inflammatory pain
• Stress-related tension
Acupuncture is worth considering as part of a wider plan.
IVF clinics prepare you for injections.
They prepare you for scans.
They prepare you for transfer day.
But the Two Week Wait?
That part you’re often left to get through it alone.
The symptom spotting.
The Googling at 11pm.
The analysing every twinge.
The hope.
The fear.
The silence.
So I created something I wish every IVF patient was given.
A practical, honest Two Week Wait guide that includes:
• Nervous system support during the wait
• Real tips from previous IVF patients
• Things to avoid
• Support resources, courses & podcasts
• Gentle mindset anchors
Because this stage isn’t “just waiting.”
It’s an emotional marathon.
If you’d like a copy, comment:
TWW
And I’ll send it straight to your DMs 💛
06/03/2026
✨ The power is now in your hands…
You can now book, amend or cancel your appointments yourself — quickly and easily.
No more waiting for me to finish clinic, reply between patients, or play diary tennis trying to find a time that works.
Simply head to:
laura.janeapp.co.uk
Create an account (or log in), and you’ll be able to:
✔ Book new appointments
✔ Reschedule existing ones
✔ Cancel if needed
✔ Manage everything in one place
We’ve had a couple of weeks ironing out the little teething issues during the switch over — thank you for your patience — and everything is now running much more smoothly ✨
Just a gentle reminder that the 48-hour cancellation policy still applies, so appointments can’t be amended or cancelled within 48 hours of the start time.
It’s designed to make life easier for you — and for me (baby brain is real!).
If you haven’t set up your account yet, this is your sign to do it today 💛
20/02/2026
Let me reintroduce myself. There has been a huge influx of new clients so far this year, so I'd like to take the time to show my appreciation for their trust in my clinic and practice of acupuncture and Chinese medicine. We've been getting a getting a lot of positive results and feedback - ranging from fertility struggles, pregnancy support, labour induction, digestive issues, MSK pain and stress.
Hi, I'm Laura The Acupuncturist.
I trained at NCA in York TWICE. My first degree is in Traditional Chinese Medicine Acupuncture and after a few years of travelling and practicing acupuncture, I went back to get my Masters in Chinese Herbal Medicine. Since adding herbs to my practice, I have seen such a huge jump in the range of conditions I can successfully treat. My clinic ethos is to ensure you are comfortable and feel heard, and that we work together to provide you with the best treatment plan we can, to return you to health or help you achieve your goals as soon as we can. Acupuncture and herbs may seem to work like magic, but they certainly aren't magic. All of my treatments are evidence-based medicine driven - I love my mantra 'Backed by research. Driven by care.'
In my clinic, conversation is often about poo and discharge, so your hairy legs are definitely not something you need to worry about. I like to get to know you as a person too, so I can ensure you walk in feeling like a friend, I'll definitely learn your dogs name, and maybe even your partners!
Outside of clinic, I'm pretty much constantly surrounded by animals. I have a beautiful Jack Russell named Bridget, a cheeky cuddly cat named Bernard and 6 chickens from the British Hen Welfare Trust. I love true crime documentaries and reading murder mystery books. I have a wonderfully supportive fiancé and a baby on the way, so I'll be out of clinic for a few months from July-time.
As I work predominantly with people on their fertility journeys, I have spent many years researching and studying, gaining advanced diplomas specifically in my passion - Fertility Support Acupuncture and Herbs.
Here’s to more healing, laughter, and maybe a little magic (the research-backed kind 😉).
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Traditional Chinese Medicine Acupuncturist specialising Musculo-Skeletal, Mental-Emotional and Gynaecological issues. #thehappyacupuncturist
Acupuncture has been developed over thousands of years to be able to help you today. Whether you're suffering from headaches, migraines, arthritis, IBS, acid reflux, digestive concerns, stress, anxiety, depression, allergies, plantar fasciitis, neck pain, shoulder tension, substance abuse, eczema, acne, insomnia, worrying about the amount of medication you’re on... any health concern you may have, come and get treated the natural way.
Acupuncture works in numerous ways. It sets your body into Parasympathetic Nervous State to stop the secretions of Adrenaline and Cortisol, this reduces stress levels, blood pressure, aids digestion, improves sleep and so much more. It also starts off a reaction in the body which increased histamines, white blood count, prostaglandins, gamma globulins and antibody levels, this is what controls your body’s inflammatory response and leads to a reduction in pain levels, as well as the white blood cells promoting the healing of certain things. It has also been shown to increase your serotonin levels, which is why it is so successful in treating depression and anxiety, as well as PTSD.
I am Laura the Acupuncturist. Here is a little bit of information about myself. I gradutated from the Northern College of Acupuncture, after 4 years of studying full-time. Since then, I have completed numerous additional courses to enable me to specialise and therefore, be able to help people by using a higher standard of treatments. I am now a freelance acupuncturist and work world-wide, treating over 100 patients per week and I give time to each and every one of them, by offering a holistic approach to the acupuncturist/patient relationship.
