A BUSINESSMAN has traded his stressful job as a sales director for a career in alternative medicine.

Mark Fielding, from Saltburn, east Cleveland, decided he no longer wanted to live life in the fast lane, and decided to venture into a new profession.

He has built up more than 100 regular customers for his acupuncture services at clinics in Linthorpe and Saltburn.

He said: "In my former job, a typical week would see me fly off from Teesside to Heathrow very early on a Monday morning, spend four ridiculously busy days in London and the South-East and, if I was lucky, try and get back to spend the weekend with my family.

"A lot of my former work colleagues were going down like ninepins, simply due to the hectic lifestyle and sheer pressure of work. It got to the stage where I was haring around various motorways at 80mph while trying to eat a sandwich at the same time.

"One day I just thought 'hang on a minute', and decided to make a change."

He discovered the benefits of acupuncture as a patient and completed a four-year course in acupuncture and Chinese medicine at the Northern College of Acupuncture, in York. He is now a member of the British Acupuncture Council.

He said: "The treatments I offer really help to relieve muscle pains, stress, tension headaches, migraines and many other conditions.

"I now have a fantastic work-life balance, great job satisfaction, and I look forward to every day."