She was just 25 when I met her in 1981. A spunky, larger-than-life goldsmith with a wicked sense of humour, big hair and a loud, cheery voice, Laura Beard had the world by the tail.

When acupuncture was introduced to Toronto's Lyndhurst Hospital in 1992, The Medical Advisory Committee wisely restricted our treatment to the management of pain. Obviously, if we were to try to cure paralysis with our needles, everyone would want treatment.