By Mike Berkley

We treat our pregnant patients twice weekly for 13 weeks with acupuncture. The reasoning behind this is statistically sound: 90% of miscarriages occur within the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. So, if we can get you to week 13, you’re probably going to deliver a beautiful baby! We also prescribe special miscarriage prevention herbs, as the use of acupuncture and herbal medicine assists in preventing miscarriage that is not due to chromosomal anomalies.

One reason for miscarriage other than aneuploidy (chromosomal problems) is lack of proper blood flow to the embryo, developing fetus, and/or placenta. Our Manhattan fertility acupuncturist and herbal medicine specialist addresses this issue by stimulating blood flow to ensure the proper delivery of oxygen and nutrition to the developing fetus.

Another reason for miscarriage is that the body can attack the embryo or the placenta, which occurs when women have certain types of autoimmune disorders. As acupuncture and herbal medicine are frequently able to regulate immune function, these women’s pregnancies are often saved due to the inclusion of acupuncture and herbs.

Healthy Mom & Healthy Baby Protocol

Under this method of care, you are treated throughout your entire pregnancy weekly, and you will also take herbs. Acupuncture and herbal medicine serve to deliver more blood and more oxygen to your growing baby, helping to ensure a beautiful, healthy, and well-developed child.

• The other purpose of this protocol is to help maintain your health during pregnancy and to assist in the avoidance of possible complications, such as:
• Pre-eclampsia
• Eclampsia
• Gestational diabetes
• Hyperemesis gravidarum (severe vomiting)

The Recovery Protocol

bleeding, swelling (edema), sweating, lack of energy, depression, weight gain, carpal tunnel syndrome, and lower back pain are not uncommon after delivery. Through the proper use of acupuncture and herbal medicine in our New York office, relief may frequently be found for these issues. We typically treat post-partum patients with any of these complaints for a period of two to four months at the frequency of two treatments per week.

• To learn more about how our clinic can help you to prevent miscarriages with fertility acupuncture and herbal medicine in Manhattan, contact us now at (646) 832-4480 for a consultation.

Mike’s Personal Story

I developed an interest in acupuncture and herbal medicine due to a very personal and difficult reason – infertility. My wife and I decided that we wanted to start a family soon after we got married. We tried and tried for two years before seeking the help of a reproductive endocrinologist. My wife was diagnosed with a bacterial infection and an autoimmune marker. At our follow-up examinations, we were “cleared” of all obstacles to conception and told to go home and “try.” We tried for another six months without success.

At this point, my wife sought out the help of an acupuncturist/herbalist who had some basic knowledge of reproductive issues. After treating with acupuncture and herbal medicine for six months my wife got nothing more than a regulated period. We were disappointed, then, the very next month, the miracle manifested! She was pregnant and she carried to term without a hitch. We had a beautiful 7.5-pound little tiger who is now a young man, healthy, happy and productive! I was amazed, humbled and enormously excited and gratified by the result which was yielded by what seemed like some hocus-pocus newfangled type of medicine, but it really worked.

It was then that I started to explore acupuncture and herbal medicine on my own. I had a curiosity to learn more. I couldn’t believe it when I found out that this type of medicine had existed for 3,000 years and there are hundreds of medical texts dating back centuries on the subject of reproductive disorders and how to treat them.

I responded to an ad in the Village Voice for an open house at Pacific College of Oriental Medicine’s New York campus and left almost six years later with a degree in acupuncture and a National Board Certification in herbal medicine.

With license in hand, I devoted every free moment to studying Western medical and Chinese medical approaches to treating infertility. After years of study and clinical experience, I have been fortunate in that I have been able to develop my own unique acupuncture protocols and proprietary herbal formulas.