I've had a poorly knee for about seven weeks now, and waiting for doctors' and hospital appointments has been a frustrating chore.

Instead of feeling very sorry for myself I've tried alternative therapies for a welcome relief.

I've tried reflexology, a chiropractor, acupuncture and Chinese medicine and this week I tried Tapping, which roughly speaking is acupuncture without the needles.

The chiropractor provided a little relief and freed a trapped nerve in my back so I could at least put my foot to the floor, which was money well spent.

Money not well spent was on the Chinese medicine. Frankly, I may as well have flushed my hard earned cash down the pan, quickly followed by the ‘tea' concoction they gave me. It may work for some people, but for me it did not. It smelt and looked revolting.

The 'tea' was supposed to aid blood circulation to the injured limb, but they didn't check my medical history so I decided to ditch the bird's nest looking stuff and have a medicinal glass of red wine instead.

When Tapping expert, Kim Trevett offered me a treatment I was grateful and as always went along with an open mind - after all some of these treatments have been around for thousands of years and fallen into obscurity as modern medicine took over.

Tapping, or EFT (Emotional Freedom technique) is based on the Meridian system as used by the Chinese. It is said to be capable of treating mental, emotional and physical issues and has been described as psychological acupuncture without the needles.

The theory is that by using a simple tapping procedure on various parts of the body, it gently realigns the body's energy system and incorporates an emotional element to the healing process, addressing unresolved emotional issues which may have caused the physical disease or pain through negative energy.

Kim Trevett has been practicing EFT since 2004 and is a qualified practitioner. She works from home and a treatment room at Tiddenfoot Leisure Centre, Linslade.

Although most of the swelling has gone down in my knee, I cannot straighten it or bend it fully. It can be quite painful at times – with the odd sharp shooting pain – and it just won't bend however much I try. I have this odd feeling, it's best to describe it as an urge to click and something is catching behind my knee cap. I can walk up stairs but not down properly and it has been a problem walking generally – Christmas shopping was a nightmare. Luckily my family ran around everywhere for me.

Kim thought she could help so I spent two hours with her. She asked me loads of questions about how the injury happened and how I perceived it. She then began tapping.

Taps to my head, face, shoulder and side of my body somehow helped alleviate my knee for a short while.