Auto-immune & Blood Clotting Disorders Contributing to Infertility & Recurrent Miscarriage

We  have 30 different types of white blood cells as part of our immune system. In a reproductive immunophenoptype panel, eight of the most important ones are tested.

Disorders in any of these eight are prognosticators for a future pregnancy loss regardless of how the conception was achieved.

Listed below are an explanation of some of these cells, representative tests and their significance.

1. CD-3 cells. Normal range: 63 - 86%

These are the most important cells in the immune system. They are low when the immune system is poorly functioning (suppressed) and normal when the immune function is normal. Infertile patients and those with repeated pregnancy loss have values in the high normal range. These individuals have immune systems that are very strong or overactive. An overactive immune function is frequently associated with a 5% incidence of autoimmune disease including but not limited to thyroiditis, lupus, and rheumatoid arthritis.

2. CD-4 (T – helper cells). Normal range:  31 – 53%

These cells direct the action of other lymphocytes.  In women with infertility or  miscarriage these cells are high because they are helping CD3 cells.

3. CD – 8 (T – cytotoxic suppressors). Normal range: 17-35%

These cells coordinate how strongly or how weakly the immune system reacts. They are like referees.  In women with repeated miscarriage or infertility, these cells are frequently low as they become exhausted negotiating the hyperactive CD – 3 cells and CD – 4 helper cells.

4. CD -19 (B cells). Normal range: 3-8%

These cells are plasma cells (white blood cells called B cells that have been triggered to make antibodies). IgM is the first antibody produced to fight anything that enters our body that shouldn’t.   This antibody stays in the blood and then, as the immune response progresses it produces IgG (gamma globulin G) and resides in the lymph system.  IgA, (gamma globulin A), is the last antibody made in an immune response. It resides in and protects the organs, skin and GI tract. When this antibody appears, it means that the immune response is completed and cannot go any further.

When IgA responses (organ immunity) are present in any test for reproductive failure it usually means that the patient has an autoimmune process such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis or other disorders.

CD- 19 B cells are almost always high-normal or very elevated in women with an immune cause for their infertility or recurrent pregnancy loss.  There is frequently a greater than 12% elevation. This is a very important indicator that the immune system is being over-worked. Endometriosis also provokes CD -19 activity.

Immune and/or blood clotting pathologies are responsible for approximately 30% of repeated pregnancy loss.

Antiphospholipid antibodies

Antiphospholipid antibodies (APA) have been linked to poor reproductive performance including infertility and repeated pregnancy loss. The typical treatment for this disorder is heparin or lovenox and baby aspirin.

Aspirin prevents intravascular thrombosis (blood clotting) from occurring in the early utero-placental vasculature. There are many herbs including but not limited to *dan shen, chuan xiong, tao ren, yi mu cao, hong hua and wang bu liu xing which do the same thing that aspirin does in the APA+ patient. The difference however, is that the herbs in combination with acupuncture do not cause stomach problems or bleeding problems or ulcers. Additionally, herbs are given in formulas which usually address both the cause and the manifestation of a pathology whereas aspirin treats only the manifestation.

I am not suggesting that you do not take aspirin if it is recommended by your reproductive endocrinologist; only that you consider getting treated with acupuncture and herbs simultaneously as this type of therapy is synergistic, complementary, and potentiating of the Western regimen.

Acupuncture and herbal medicine have been used for immunoregulation and blood clotting causes of infertility and/or repeated pregnancy loss for millennia. 

My clinical experience has shown that when combining acupuncture and herbs with the appropriate immunosuppressants such as dexamethasone or IVIG the effect is more pronounced then when using one of these therapies alone.  We have seen, for example, many patients who underwent immunosuppressive and/or anticoagulant therapy whereupon pregnancy was not achieved or, pregnancy was attained only to end in miscarriage. Subsequent cycles which included acupuncture and herbs resulted in increased numbers of take-home baby’s. Obviously this is not the case with each and every cycle but we have seen success enough times with the inclusion of acupuncture and herbs where success was not previously manifest that experientially we can conclude that the inclusion of acupuncture and herbs significantly improves the desired outcome.

A combined approach is recommended because Western immunosuppressive therapies though efficacious, treat the manifestation of the problem and not the underlying cause which means that your chances of conceiving this time will improve but once you stop taking the medicine, the effects will cease. Acupuncture and herbs strive to reach deeply into ones system and strongly alter the causation or etiology of infertility and repeated pregnancy loss; for good.

Acupuncture and herbs function to enhance and regulate the immune function and, offers a longer term solution. Drug therapies such as dexamethasone, prednisone and IVIG (intravenous immunoglobulin therapy) are much stronger than acupuncture and herbs and therefore,  have a more immediate effect. But acupuncture and herbs have a gentle, constant and longer term effect. Therefore, combining both therapeutic models will serve to 1) alleviate the immediate cause of infertility and/or repeated pregnancy loss and 2) strengthen and regulate the immune system to make you stronger and help balance and normalize your immune function so that you can increase your future fertility potential.

Natural Killer Cell Activity (cytotoxicity)
NK cells are lymphocytes that are present in endometrium and in the decidua during pregnancy.

Women with recurrent pregnancy loss, endometriosis and primary autoimmune conditions (such as rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosis), have been found to demonstrate elevated levels of NK cells, resulting in failed implantation.

Immunoglobulin (IVIG) has an ability to down-regulate and deactivate NKa cells.  Though IVIG has been shown to be effective, its effect is manifest only during the treatment and for a short period of time thereafter.  Including acupuncture and herbs in the treatment protocol not only enhances the effect of immunomodulation but, by regulating the immune response, has been shown to have longer lasting effect.  While it is true that we have not conducted formal studies on the effect of acupuncture and herbs in the suppression of NK activation, we can report success based on clinical experience.

Certain acupuncture points such as Stomach 36, Spleen 6, Ren17, and Ren 6, along with certain herbs including but not limited to *huang qi, shan yao, bai zhu, shu di, dang gui and lu rong have been used to successfully complement IVIG therapy via their immunoregulatory activity.

 The Berkley Center for Reproductive Wellness is the first complementary medicine clinic in the United States that specializes in treating reproductive disorders.  All of our practitioners are licensed and board certified. 

We have been treating fertility challenges in New York City since 1996. We have offices in Manhattan, Westchester and Long Island.

Our staff consists of specialists in acupuncture, herbal medicine, nutrition, yoga, Maya abdominal massage, mind-body-meditation, hypnotherapy and clinical counseling.

We treat patients from many reproductive medicine clinics including:

NY Weill Cornell

Saint Barnabas

Long Island IVF

Center for Reproductive Medicine and Infertility (CRMI)

Connecticut Fertility Associates

Kofinas Fertility Institute

Cooper Center for IVF

RMA

NYU

Sher Institute for Reproductive Medicine

And others…

Please feel free to call with your questions or enjoy a free 15 minute mini-consultation with any of our practitioners. 

By the way, we are the only clinic that offers a Full Refund program. Ask about it when you call!

212-685-0985

*These herbs and acupuncture points are listed for illustrative purposes and I strongly recommend that you do not self medicate. Take herbs only when prescribed by a Board certified herbalist and one who specializes in treating infertility.

What is TCM?

Traditional Chinese Medicine

Although the goals of  Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and allopathic medicine are the same, their ideas of etiology of disease, disease itself and the process used to regain health  are decidedly different.   The allopathic physician learns that disease must be cured by prescribing medicine which kills bacteria or renders a virus ineffective; at times surgical intervention is a necessity.

There is nothing inherently wrong with this approach. It often works.  The question worth exploring is why TCM succeeds when allopathic medicine fails? What is the mechanism of action of acupuncture and herbal medicine which results in palliation or cure that is not manifest in biomedicine?  It is through this exploration that the unique nature of TCM avails itself.

Though the goal of TCM is to cure a patient, the doctor of TCM attempts to do this not by treating the disease but rather by treating the whole person which takes into account the various attributes of an individual which, when combined, account for an individual being sick or healthy.  A person, according to the tenets of TCM is more than their pathology. To treat just the pathology may yield impressive though temporary results. 

People are not, according to TCM, represented solely by their illness, but by the accumulation of every human interaction engaged in from the moment of birth including the values of and the culture from which the individual develops. The emotional experiences, eating habits, work habits, work and living environment, personal habits and the social milieu are considerations which are important to fully comprehend for the deleterious effects they may have on the individual.

Though the Western methodology of research of Chinese medicine has not, to date, been arrived at by the Western scientific community, the veracity and efficaciousness of this medical modality is nonetheless proved by its long history of continued success. More than a quarter of the world’s population regularly uses TCM as part of their health care regimen. Chinese medicine is the only form of classical medicine which is regularly and continuously used outside of its country of origin.

TCM is part science, empirical as that may be and part art. It’s practice is, to a greater or lesser degree interpreted and performed by based not only on the facts but also on the experience of the treating doctor. 

The experienced doctor must utilize his or her own interpretive skills, taking into consideration not only what the patient tells and shows, but also what they reveal without meaning too and, what they don’t express during the intake process. The empty spaces can contain more important information than the filled ones.  The tone of the voice, the complexion, the condition of the eyes, the facial expression, the overall demeanor, how one walks, sits, and stands are all observed and utilized by the doctor of Chinese medicine as part of the information required to arrive at a differential diagnosis.  In other words, even before the first words are spoken by the patient, the doctor already has some idea of who this person is.

The doctor must be able to note and sense inconsistencies in an individual that are expressed by the patient even without the patient being cognizant of the chasms which exist between what they verbally express and what their spiritual presentation divulges.

A great doctor is one who can process a mix of factual knowledge of medicine with a personal sensitivity based on experience.  The doctor of TCM specializes not just in inserting needles or prescribing herbal formulae but in being able to divine ‘hidden’ or subtle pathology which may not been seen or understood by practitioners of other types of medicine. In fact, a patient’s main complaint may be only one of several pathologies which are present though the patient herself is only aware of the one which is most important to her at the time of examination.  This ability of divination though quite difficult to master is ascertained without the benefit of modern technology; we rely on the  ‘Four Examinations’.

This method of diagnosis dates back over three thousand years.  Observing, Listening and Smelling, Questioning and Palpating make up the ‘Four Examinations’. Listening and Smelling are considered to be one of the Four Examinations.  This method of diagnosis, though seemingly quite simple, is far from simplistic. It allows the astute practitioner to arrive at a differential diagnosis.  With the advent of technology, as amazing, necessary and beneficial as it is in relation to medical intervention, there seems to be a direct correlation between advancement in technological wonders with an increasing decrease in doctor sensitivity to the patient.  It is important to always remember that a patient is a person first!

Proper treatment in TCM is more than the elimination of pathological processes. In addition to attacking the pathological factor(s), it is the responsibility of the TCM doctor to support the individual in his or her goal of achieving overall total health which includes the physical-psycho-emotional and spiritual aspects of health.  This paradigmatic approach is an inexorable part of the process of healing. Without it, we are merely chasing the sickness and forgetting about the patient who, though a patient they may be must also be recognized first as a whole person, not just an embodiment of illness.

Pathologies are guests (and we hope temporary ones!) in a home which serves as a gracious host – our physical, emotional and spiritual selves.  TCM first is concerned with strengthening the immune function which includes homeostasis of the physical, emotional and spiritual attributes of the patient, so as to be able to assist the patient in his or her endeavor to do battle and destroy the enemy at the gates (or inside them).

Herbal medicine

Herbal medicine has been used to treat internal disorders including infertility for thousands of years.

               

Practitioners of Chinese herbal medicine rarely use a single herb in treatment. Chinese herbs are formula based; many herbs are mixed together to create the perfect ‘concoction’ specifically designed for the individual patient.

Some formulae contain two herbs and some thirty or more herbs. Each herb has many functions. Each herb has its own flavor, nature, temperature and trophism.  Prescribing the right and the safe herbal medicinals requires training and clinical experience.  Herbal medicine is an extremely complex form of medicine which requires many years of arduous study and clinical experience to master. 

Self medicating with herbal medicine presents a dual dilemma. At best the herbs will be useless, as the key to correct formula prescription is an accurate differential diagnosis which can only be made by a licensed, board certified, experienced practitioner. At the worst case, self prescribing of herbal medicine may prove harmful or fatal.

A good example of this is Ma Huang/Ephedra.  Ma Huang is an herb prescribed on a daily basis by hundreds of TCM practitioners to thousands of patients safely. 

That several people have died as a result of taking Ma Huang has very little to do with the dangerous properties of the herb inasmuch as it has to do with individuals self-medicating.  Aspirin can prove fatal if taken by a hemophiliac.  This is not an indication that Aspirin should be banned or that it is a dangerous drug.   It is totally safe if used appropriately.

One should take herbs only when they’re prescribed by a Board Certified herbalist.

Herbal medicine is totally safe if prescribed by a knowledgeable expert. Not only is herbal medicine safe, it is highly effective in treating many pathologies without the concomitant harmful side-effects which often accompany pharmaceutical drugs.   There are greater than one million hospitalizations per year as a result of drug induced side-effects; not so with herbal medicine.

Infertility

There are many causes of infertility which include but are not limited to elevated FSH levels, PCOS, endometriosis, luteal phase defect, hyperprolactinemia; pituitary adenoma, blocked tubes, uterine anomalies, sperm anomalies, stress, and, infertility which is diagnosed as idiopathic. 

Traditional Chinese Medicine has, for more than three thousand years, successfully treated infertility; and it still does so today.

Nancy is thirty-nine years old and she wants to compete as an Olympic triathalete; she is five feet in height and weighs three hundred and thirty pounds.  Can she compete?  Let’s see.  She asks her best friend, Alice, for a recommendation for a nutritionist. Alice raves about Teresa J., a fabulous nutritionist who “changed her life”. So Nancy makes an appointment with TJ and has a consultation. Nancy listens attentively to TJ, takes notes and leaves TJ’s office full of enthusiasm, commitment and motivation.

Starting the next day Nancy begins implementing the new dietary regimen which TJ has prescribed.  Next, Nancy joins a local health club, hires a personal trainer and works out three to four days per week.  Finally, Nancy joins a meditation group and meditates daily.

What happened?  In twelve months, Nancy lost one hundred and fifty pounds, put on solid muscle, developed a ‘six-pack’ abdomen and can run twenty-five miles per week. She is in the best condition of her life!  Can she now compete in the Olympics? Well, I’m afraid not. To be an Olympic athlete requires a life-time commitment of training and nutritional guidance.  Nancy has, however, become healthier, stronger and happier than ever before!   What if Nancy wanted to get her reproductive system in Olympic condition?  

The proper life-style counseling which includes nutritional changes and perhaps an exercise routine and acupuncture and herbal medicine can get a women’s reproductive system in the best possible condition that it can be in at the present moment.  Your TCM practitioner should be able not only to treat you with acupuncture and the appropriate herbal formula but should also give you guidance regarding diet, exercise and life-style changes which will positively impact your health.

Many women undergo three to five unsuccessful IVF procedures. Often these procedures are unsuccessful for the same reason that Nancy could not even begin to be athletic – overall poor health and specifically, poor reproductive health.  Women who are over thirty years old need to get their reproductive system in the best condition possible to achieve pregnancy either naturally or via an A.R.T. procedure.

As we grow older our circulation becomes less patent. In addition to the frequent complaint of cold hands and feet, another effect of inhibited blood flow is that the quantity of blood flow to the uterine lining, ovarian tubes and ovaries is less.  Acupuncture and herbal medicine have a stimulatory effect on the blood circulation.  An example of impeded blood circulation is blood clots in the menstruate. Though in and of itself, menstrual clotting may not be an issue, it does indicate a circulatory dysfunction which can be both a manifestation of an illness (circulatory inhibition) and the cause of an illness (blood stagnation [i.e., endometriosis], causing infertility).

Acupuncture and herbal medicine can be an important aspect of one’s healthcare routine, used to assist in achieving the goal of better health in general and better reproductive health in particular.

Under the care of a licensed and board certified acupuncturist/herbalist who is experienced in treating the infertile person there are no negative or dangerous side-effects associated with acupuncture or herbal medicine; there is only upside potential.   Using acupuncture and herbal medicine as part of the regimen to achieve a healthy reproductive system is a fertile idea.

For more on acupuncture/herbal medicine and reproductive health, visit www.acupuncturecenter.com.

Morning Sickness can be treated with Acupuncture

Ask Mike Berkely at the Berkley Center how Acupuncture can help you conceive, have a healthy pregnancy and deliver a healthy baby. The research below is by a fellow Acupuncturist in Australia who decided to look specifically into morning sickness. Read the interesting findings below.

Perhaps it’s your first pregnancy and you are feeling overwhelmed and stressed by the unexpected and relentless nausea.  Maybe it’s your second or third pregnancy and you have to rise and shine every morning to prepare breakfast, lunch and snacks for your child no matter how nauseated or tired you are.   Or maybe you have a job that requires you to be face to face with people all day and you cannot afford to vomit or pass out during those meetings.  While the experience of morning sickness is very individual, the one thing every woman has in common is the ability to endure the nausea.  Sure it’s one thing to feel queasy after a meal but it’s entirely another to feel queasy or vomit for 8+ weeks without a break.  This is why we stay busy treating pregnancy related nausea with acupuncture in our clinic.    

Yes there are medications to control nausea but unless you are vomiting daily, the side effects of these drugs (tiredness and constipation) can often make you feel even worse.   After many years of treating morning sickness, here are the most effective remedies that I’ve found:

1) Acupuncture.  Acupuncture works for nausea – it’s been a reliable cure for morning sickness for 2,500 years.  Countless research publications have proven in our modern day that acupuncture is an effective solution for nausea.  Most of my patients feel better after the first treatment and continue to come back as the effects wear off.  Some come twice a week and some just come once a week for 4-8 weeks depending on the severity of their nausea.

2) Extra Vitamin B6.  50mg twice/day for a total of 100mg/day.  If that doesn’t help then try combining the evening dose of B6 with a ½ or whole Unisom tablet.       

3) Ginger tea.  It must be raw ginger for this to have the necessary effect.  Simply slice off 3 or so pieces of raw ginger and boil them in a pot of water for 20 minutes.  Drink the tea warm or room temperature. 

4) Relax your diet.  Most women find that bitter foods like veggies and heavy proteins such as meat are off the menu when the nausea strikes.  Don’t worry about simplifying your diet while you’re nauseated but do try to stay away from lots of sugar.  A simple broth-based potato soup that you can have small bowls of throughout the day can be wonderful and filling.  Baked or mashed potatoes can also save the day. 

5) Rest.  Last but most important – get extra rest.  Most of the women I see for the first treatment are frustrated that they are tired and can’t keep up with their regular routine.  Feeling tired is normal and doesn’t need to be treated – you are making an entire human being and another organ with which to feed the new human being for close to a year.  The more sleep you get, the better you’ll feel.  Napping is encouraged!

(Source: By Katherine Rowe, LAc)

Why Use Acupuncture in the Treatment of Infertility?

Why Use Acupuncture in the Treatment of Infertility?

The treatment of infertility with acupuncture and Chinese Medicine dates back 2,000 years. These ancient, time-tested techniques improve fertility rates and support a woman’s whole body, unlocking the unlimited potential for health, healing and childbearing. When using acupuncture with other assisted reproductive techniques (ART), it has been proven to dramatically increase the chances of becoming pregnant. 
Acupuncture helps to:

• Increase blood flow to the uterus, which improves the chances of an ovum implanting on the uterine wall.
• Reduce anxiety, stress and the hormones that are secreted during stressful situations that can significantly decrease fertility.
• Normalize hormone and endocrine systems that regulate ovulation, especially in women with PCOS.
• Positively affect the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis which plays a key role in fertility.
• Regulate the menstrual cycle

Get to Know Mike Berkley, Founder of Berkley Center

Mike Berkley, L.Ac.


Founder and Director, 
The Berkley Center for Reproductive Wellness

Mike Berkley, Founder and Director of The The Berkley Center for Acupuncture & Herbal Medicine in New York City, is licensed and Board Certified in Acupuncture in New York State. Mike is also certified in Chinese Herbology by the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine.


Mike graduated from The Pacific College of Oriental Medicine in New York in 1996, and he has been treating reproductive disorders since then. Mike is the first acupuncturist/herbalist in the United States to work exclusively in the field of reproductive medicine

He works exclusively in the area of reproductive medicine and enjoys working in conjunction with some of New York’s most prestigious reproductive endocrinologists.

TELEVISION AND RADIO APPEARANCES 
1997   Dr. Robert Atkins Radio Show, WEVD, New York, NY
1997   News All Day, NY1-TV, New York, NY
2002   Today in New York, WNBC (NBC), New York, NY
2002   Live With Regis & Kelly, WABC-TV (ABC), New York, NY
2002   The Early Show, WCBS-TV (CBS), New York, NY
2004   Interviewed on WHLV Talk Radio, Buffalo, NY
2006   WBAI - Global Medicine Radio. Interviewed by Dr. Kamau Kokayi
2006   Interviewed on the ROSHOW with Rolanda Watts
2007   Karma Radio, Myths and Realities of Infertility
2007   Conceive On Air, Talk Radio with Kim Hahn
2007   Interviewed on WWOR-TV Channel 9 News by Tena Ezzeddine


PROFESSIONAL SOCIETY MEMBERSHIPS
A Torah Infertility Medium Exchange (Medical Advisory Board)
Acupuncture Society of New York
American Association of Oriental Medicine
American Board of Oriental Reproductive Medicine (ABORM) (Board of Directors)
American Infertility Association
American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM)
American Society of Acupuncturists (Fellow)
InterNational Council on Infertility Information Dissemination (INCIID) (Board Member)
National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine 
New York State Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (Westchester Chapter) 
Pacific College of Oriental Medicine (Advisory Board Member)
Resolve, The National Infertility Association

LECTURES

Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center,
"Concepts and Applications of Traditional Chinese Medicine" 1997

Resolve, New York, 
"Infertility and Herbal Medicine" 1998

Resolve, Brooklyn,
"The Use of Acupuncture and Alternative Medicine in the Treatment of Infertility" 1998

American Infertility Association, "Traditional Chinese Medicine in the Treatment of Primary Infertility" 1998

American Infertility Association, 
"Acupuncture, Herbal Medicine and Infertility" 2001

Resolve, New Jersey, Annual Family Building Symposium
“Infertility and Traditional Chinese Medicine” 2002

Resolve, New Jersey, 
"Infertility, Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine" 2003

A.T.I.M.E. 
‘Acupuncture for Infertility, Does it Work?’ 2004

The Pacific College of Oriental Medicine, 
"Infertility, Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine" 2005

The Jewish Community Center, NYC
‘Acupuncture and IVF’ 2005

Pacific Symposium
‘East meets West in Reproductive Medicine’ 2005

Resolve Brooklyn, 
"The Use of Acupuncture and Alternative Medicine in the Treatment of Infertility" 2006

CURRENT PROJECTS
Mike is currently writing a book on reproductive disorders and Chinese medicine, and hosts his groundbreaking seminars, Traditional Chinese Medicine and Western Reproductive Medicine in the Diagnosis & Treatment of Infertility, across the country. With the increase in the number of couples being diagnosed as “infertile,” Mike feels that it is even more important now to share his expertise and findings with acupuncturists, herbalists, gynecologists, and other healthcare professionals.

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 a soon after we got married. We tried and tried for 2 years and then sought the help of a reproductive endocrinologist here in New York City. My wife was diagnosed as having a bacterial infection and an autoimmune marker. We were both given doxycycline and she was given a short course of prednisone. At our follow-up examinations we were 'cleared' of all obstacles to conception and told to go home and 'try'. Try and try we did for another 6 months without success.

At this point my wife sought out the help of an acupuncturist/herbalist who had some basic knowledge of reproductive issues. We were lucky to find one.

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 big boy. 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 (my son can attest to this!).

It was then that I started to explore acupuncture and herbal medicine on my own. I had this urgent 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 that there are literally hundreds of medical 'Classics' dating back centuries on the subject of reproductive disorders and how to treat them. Incredible!

Then, this really strange thing happens: I'm reading the Village Voice and I spot an advertisement from Pacific College of Oriental Medicine in San Diego. The ad reads something like this: "PACIFIC COLLEGE OF ORIENTAL MEDICINE IS PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE THE OPENING OF OUR NEW YORK CAMPUS. ALL ARE INVITED TO AN OPEN HOUSE." And, to the Open House I went. I left almost six years later with a degree in acupuncture and a National Board Certification in herbal medicine.

With license(s) 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. I am still amazed and in awe at how these treatments work miracles. Just ask all of our new mommies and daddies!

The fact that I am able to help so many couples achieve their dream of starting a family is the focal point of my life. Every single patient that comes to The The Berkley Center for Acupuncture & Herbal Medicine is a great gift to us. It's another opportunity to add joy to the world!

Mike Berkley, Licensed Acupuncturist
Founder and Director, The Berkley Center for Reproductive Wellness