It seems that people in western countries are becoming increasingly    1    (worry) about the side effects of drugs, and are turning to various     2     (treatment) such as yoga, reflexology and acupuncture (针灸) to complement, or sometimes even replace, western medicine.

    3    event in my life three or four years ago made me examine my own attitudes towards alternative medicine. After     4     (suffer) from insomnia (失眠) for a few months, I was feeling mentally and physically exhausted. My friend Tony, who    5     (study) acupuncture at a college near London at the time, suggested that I visit an acupuncturist. Since I had a fear of needles, I was     6    (willing) to take his advice. But by this time I was so tired that I was prepared to try almost anything.

I made an     7    (appoint) with the acupuncturist in my area and turned up at his room the following morning. After taking my pulse, looking at my tongue, and asking a few questions     8    my diet and lifestyle, the acupuncturist correctly reasoned that I was worn-out. I found this extremely impressive since he hadn't asked me     9     I had come to see him. He then inserted a needle in my right foot between my first and second toe, and, despite my anxiety, I fell asleep     10     (immediate). At the time I considered the whole experience to be close to a miracle.