Laurel Axen, MS, L.Ac
Acupuncturist & Chinese Herbalist
www.ancientcurrent.com
Park Slope office:
911 Union St (btw. 7th and 8th Aves), ground floor
Ph. 917.862.7589
I met Laurel when she was doing Bambino Boot Camp in Fort Greene Park. She has an upbeat attitude and is in amazing shape. She has transitioned into being a full-time acupuncturist and herbalist when her daughter was about a year old. In her own words: “I really love to work with women through the entire process of conceiving, carrying and delivering babies. I work with all the aspects of conception through delivery and post-partum care: fertility treatments, breech presentation, labor preparation, and induction if the woman is past 41 weeks. I am also a labor doula and work with women during delivery.”

My favorite accupuncturist to refer to both for morning sickness and later for turning a breech baby or inducing labor, is Laurel Axen Carroll from Ancient Current. Laurel is a native New Yorker, a mother of two beautiful little girls (ages 3 and 1) and a resident of Brooklyn. She has two offices (one in Ditmas Park on Avenue H and one in DUMBO at the Wellness Lounge on Water Street) and treats pregnant women for nausea, carpal tunnel syndrome, sciatica, breech presentation and labor induction (including a pre-labor protocol with treatments from the end of the 37th week until labor begins). Her pre-labor protocol treatments target core areas and any specific issues a woman is facing in late pregnancy and is useful for helping a baby to baby drop into position, and also to relax the mother’s muscles and calm her mind. With so many women facing medical inductions at the hospital, this treatment (which Laurel stated she has about a 90% success rate with mothers beginning labor by her estimated date of delivery) can help reduce the rate of interventions for moms. Laurel also works with dietary changes, herbal treatments, and yoga breathing techniques to help facilitate lasting changes for her clients.
-Megan Davidson

Jill Blakeway at YinOva Center
Www.yinovacenter.com
80 E. 11th St. Suite 407
NY, NY
212-533-2255
106 Angell Hill Road
Chatham NY 12037
518- 392.4555
$125 for first session; $95 thereafter. An acupuncturist and Chinese herbalist, Blakeway specializes in pediatrics and women’s conditions, including infertility, PMS, morning sickness and gynecological disorders.

She was written up in the NYTimes Sunday Magazine on October 16, 2005 for being a top fertility specialist. From the article: ‘Jill is a fertility goddess,” says Marisa Schwartz, a 39-year-old Brooklyn-based teacher who conceived two sons under Blakeway’s care after trying unsuccessfully for five years.

Greenhouse Holistic
greenhouseholistic.com
michelle@greenhouseholistic.com
88 Roebling Street
Brooklyn, Ny 11211

783 Driggs Ave. Brooklyn, NY 11211
Phone – 718-599-3113
Greenhouse Holistic is a Yoga and Hot Stone Spa offering classes in Yoga, Tai Chi, Pilates and Belly Dance as well as Healing Services in Hot Stone Massage, Body Treatments, Facials and Acupuncture. We provide a safe enviornment in a spiritually grounded setting for people interested in growth, healing and communtiy. We are now offering Prenatal classes on Mondays and Fridays at 10:00am at our 783 Driggs Ave. location. Beginning Feb. 2nd, 2009. Mommy and Me classes to follow in March.

When I got to Greenhouse I was ready to relax and I was really hoping it would be great- and it was. Everyone is friendly there and I found Victoria (the esthetician) very knowledgable and detail oriented. She seems to be very devoted to her profession and being as much of a healer and helper as possible.  She examined my skin and asked if I was feeling adventurous- and I was- so she recommeneded a detox facial with a paprika exfoliant. It was something I hope to get to do again- it felt warm and oddly comforting- you could really feel the blood rushing to the surface of your skin. (It was not at all painful.)  It left me glowing- and my husband noticed right away and said I looked amazing. I usually look picked over and messy after a facial- so this was a huge improvement.  One thing that I found really unique about the experience at Greenhouse with Victoria was that it was more than a luxury treatment- it was a real learning experience. I learned a lot about my skin and what I could do to take better care of myself- not just my skin. She could tell from my skin so many things about my life and choices and personality. I have had great facials before but this was more than that. She was massaging my face and neck and found that my thyroid is enlarged- something that I did not mention but that I new about and was not treating yet (still breastfeeding). She said it was something I shold check out- and I actually already had an appt to see my doc about it again this coming week.  I was hoping that the all natural products would work hard enough for me to feel like I could really see a difference in my skin and they did- I was impressed. all in all, it was splendid and I loved it. I have nothing but positive things to say about Greenhouse Holistic and the staff. I hope that you get the chance to go sometime- I am recommending it to everyone! They have such a great approach to health- mind, spirit and body.
-Camille

Moonflower Acupuncture
Michelle LaDue
718.415.1583
moonflower7@earthlink.net
www.moonfloweracupuncture.com
455 W. 23rd Street btw. 9th and 10th aves
Specializes in turning breech babies. I specialize in women’s health and offer acupuncture, herbal medicine, shiatsu, and Reiki services to women during their pregnancy, labor, and postpartum.

Dr. Rong-Bao Lu
221-227 Canal Street
New York, New York
212-966-2178

He has been written up in the NY Times. He is a licensed MD in this country and he integrates chinese practices like herbs and acupuncture for fertility and other things as well. He has some sort of specific affiliation with a fertility center at Columbia, and he works with patients at other fertility clinics. He would probably work with you however you want to go, but it is my understanding that it’s good to give the herbs and acupuncture a little time to do their thing before initiating a round of ivf. Good luck!
-Anonymous

Everyday Family Center at the Everyday Athlete
www.everydayathletestudio.com
136 Union street (between Hicks and Columbia.)
718.852.6300
The Everyday Family is a new center within the Everyday Athlete Studio in Carroll Gardens that is facilitated by experienced Childbirth Educators, Doulas, Midwives, Nurses, and Lactation specialists and caters to the needs of new and expectant families. They have Childbirth Preparation Classes, Breastfeeding and Newborn Care classes, Breastfeeding Support Groups, Colic Support Groups, Prenatal Yoga, pre and postnatal training (with childcare!) and yoga, nutrition, massage, craniosacral therapy, and more.

Lafayette Avenue Community Acupuncture
Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian Church
571-344-2225
hope.acupuncture@gmail.com
85 South Oxford
Brooklyn, NY 11217
A low-cost acupuncture clinic in a group setting. Fees: $10-50 on a sliding scale.

Stephanie Proppers
stephaniepropper@gmail.com
347-277-8869

I’m sure there are many talented practitioners but stephanie propper is the bomb.   She is deeply committed to her study and practice, she is full of wisdom and generous with her knowlege, she is both intuitive and diligent in her assessment of clients.   She  listens to the body and she has compassion for the body.  She helped improve a chronic breathing problem and intuitively addressed other issues that were hindering me physically and emotionally.  She is fantastic.   I highly highly highly recommend her!!
-Jessica

Sarah Rivkin
Park Slope Acupuncture and Chinese Herbs
www.slopeacupuncture.com
665 President Street
Brooklyn, NY 11215
718-309-0432
While her primary area of interest is women’s health, she has treated a wide range of conditions—from joint pain to digestive problems and infertility to insomnia. In additional to her private practice, Sarah is on the board of the Acupuncture Society of New York (ASNY) and the editorial board of The American Acupuncturist, an academic journal. She continues to participate in the acupuncture for labor and delivery program at Lutheran Medical Center. Sarah lives in Park Slope with her husband and daughter.

Noah Rubinstein at Longevity Health
www.longevityhealth.org
166 Fifth Avenue, Second Floor
New York, N.Y. 10010;
(212)675-9355 ;
$85 a session (a second office is in Chatham, N.Y.; 518-392-4555).

“This handsome ex-paramedic studied acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine in both China and the United States and treats everything from insomnia to migraines to men’s infertility and back and neck pain. He’s married to another top acupuncturist, Jill Blakeway.”
-NYTimes article, October 2005 for top services in NYC.

Billy Villano and Zoe Kogan
http://brooklynacupuncture.com/
info@brooklynacupuncture.com
28 Berkley Place #3 (btw. 5th and 6th)
Brooklyn, NY 11217 (Park Slope)
718-230-0583

I went to Billy on the suggestion of my labor doula when my baby was breech. I went for one session to do moxiebustion. Within 10 seconds, (I am not kidding!) I felt a huge movement and told Billy so. He said, “Oh, it’s unlikely the baby turned so fast…but who knows?”. The next morning I went to get an ultrasound, and the baby had turned! Billy was thrilled and very humble about it. I have been back to him for various other needs: sciatica, balancing, etc and have been pleased each time. Very gentle soul.
-Karen