Mark Ian Schwartz, L.Ac.

Fellow of the American Board of Oriental Reproductive Medicine, Dipl. O.M. (NCCAOM)

Oscar Sierra, L.Ac.

Nationally Board Certified Acupuncture (NCCAOM),
Dipl. O.M.

Infertility (Alejandra)

After several years trying to conceive, my husband and I became pregnant during my first month as a new patient of Mark Schwartz. I credit his combination of acupuncture, Chinese medicine, fertility knowledge, and calming reassurance with our success in conceiving, as well as reducing the chances of miscarriage early in the pregnancy. Mark is a great listener and always available for concerns and questions.

Después de varios años tratando de concebir, quedé embarazada durante mi primer mes como un paciente nuevo de Mark Schwartz. Mi esposo y yo damos crédito a su combinación de la acupuntura, medicina china, su conocimiento en fertilidad, y tranquilidad en nuestro éxito para concebir, y reducir las probabilidades de pérdida los primeros meses en el embarazo. Mark es un gran oyente y siempre disponible para responder y ayudar con cualqiuer pregunta o preocupación.

Infertility (Isabel)

I've had a great experience with Mark. I came to him with a diagnosis of unknown infertility and five failed IVF. My husband and I had decided to try for a sixth and last time, but at this point, we didn't have too much hope. After more than five years trying to conceive and after so many failed fertility treatments, we thought it was probably impossible for us to succeed. I started this last IVF attempt and at the same time an acupuncture treatment with Mark. We were really surprised and excited when we knew I was pregnant, and not only that, we were expecting twins! During my pregnancy, I've seen Mark on a regular base. I've had a great pregnancy with really little discomfort and I'm convinced it happened thanks to the acupuncture treatment. I really like Mark because of his professionalism, kindness and respect for his patients.

Unexplained Infertility (Elizabeth)

I called Mark in September 2010 after me and my husband had been trying for almost a year to have a baby. When I called him the first time, I had not visited the doctor for testing and that was one of the first questions that Mark asked me. I decided at that point to visit my doctor and wait a little bit longer for my first visit to Mark. After an HSG I got a report from the nurse practioner about possibly having a T-shaped uterus. That was the beginning of a rollercoster of emotions. On top of that, the OB/GYN office that was seeing me started ignoring my calls and the last thing that the nurse practioner told me was "One day you are going to call me to tell me you are pregnant". At that point I decided to start going to a Fertility Clinic and at the same time I contacted Mark once again. At the beginning, I didn't know what to think or expect and was very anxious about how long it was going to take me to get pregnant. I'm not a fan of needles, but Mark's explanation of the whole process made me feel better and it overcame my fears. By the third appointment, I was already taking herbs in addition to going to the acupuncture treatments once a week. The atmosphere that Mark and his staff created in the office was very professional and relaxing. I took a nap a few times after the needles were in place (I loved the heated bed that they have in the Buckhead office). I started the acupuncture treatments around January and at the end of March of this year, I got my first positive pregnancy test ever!!!!!! I'm currently six months pregnant and our little blessing is making his/her (we don't want to find out the gender) debut on December 30, 2011. I have shared my experience with a lot of people and have told them how the acupuncture treatments helped me during this journey. God blessed us with this miracle, along with the great help and expertise of Mark. He was very supportive during the whole process and even drove out of his area/route one night to meet me to deliver the herbals supplements.

I have been doing great. I never experienced morning sickness. The only "issue" that I can report is back pain, which I used to have before the pregnancy but now is getting a little bit stronger in the lower back area. I have been doing pre-natal yoga hoping that will help strengthen my muscles for the delivery.

We started working on the nursery a couple of weeks ago, but have a long way to go. We are also still working on baby names since we need to have two names ready, one for a boy and one for a girl. Again, thank you for your all your help and the support that you provided to me during my journey.

Endometriosis - An Acupuncture Success Story (Beth E.)

I was diagnosed with endometriosis at age 30 after many years of painful periods and frustration with numerous physicians that couldn't figure out exactly what was wrong with me. It took my winding up in the emergency room after passing out unconscious and an emergency laparotomy the next day for doctors to discover that I was suffering from stage IV endometriosis (the most serious stage). Following the surgery, 6 weeks of recovery time and six months of hormone therapy injections (which was very harsh on my body), I was able to live my life a bit more normally. However, over time the pain returned - doctors weren't sure if it was a recurrence of endometriosis or if the pain was due to adhesions caused by the original surgery. At any rate, I was put on all sorts of pharmaceutical therapies by doctors and I even tried physical therapy to try and alleviate my pain. Fast forward several years later and a veterinarian that I know (one that does acupuncture on animals) encouraged me to try and seek relief through acupuncture. Honestly, I figured why not, since I had tried everything else (short of more invasive, complicated, and expensive surgery).

I found Mark Schwartz and his acupuncture clinic online while searching for an acupuncturist that specializes in "female problems" in the Atlanta area. Mark spent a lot of time with me at my initial intake appointment really learning about the problems associated with my menses, ovulation, and those experienced throughout each month. He also asked about my overall health, my frame of mind, and even checked my tongue for patterns of discord. He was very thorough and I really felt like he was listening to me. It's very reassuring that Mark shows he is a caring and experienced acupuncture practitioner in the way that he works with his patients to formulate a plan of treatment that will be of the greatest benefit. After my first treatment I felt so much better. After several treatments, I really felt as if I were on the mend for the first time in years! Mark combined acupuncture with electro-stimulation, herbal formulas, and even cupping (to help with a shoulder problem I was experiencing) to help me feel better than I've felt in a very long time.

I am forever grateful to Mark for his compassionate healing work, as I feel that I am basically cured of the horrible disease that has plagued me for years. Not long ago, I felt like I was at the end of my rope and I was considering major surgery that would've been an immense undertaking - it would have put me out of commission for a long time, without a guarantee of any sort of success. Now I know that I have a wonderful option that is inexpensive with no down time, no invasive surgery, no anesthesia, and it is an option that has had amazing results for me. My only regret is that I didn't try acupuncture sooner. Ultimately, I highly recommend Mark Schwartz and the Buckhead Acupuncture and Herbal Center for relief from many maladies, especially endometriosis - a disease that western medicine doesn't seem to have a handle on yet.

Infertility: PCOS, 3 failed IUI's, 2 cancelled IVF cycles. Acupuncture & Herbs stand alone (...just what the doctor ordered!) (Whitney Gaines - 13 weeks pregnant)

Oh, the journey of infertility… (which I preferred to call "having fertility challenges" since the word infertility seemed to have a much more negative connotation to me) Anyway, my journey began at the start of a new year near my 27th birthday when my husband and I made the all important decision to start a family. Both my sister and mother got pregnant very easily so I of course assumed that my experience would be pretty similar. I was young, healthy, and physically active. I was convinced I would have a new baby by the end of the year! I had no idea what we were about to embark upon…

My periods had never been regular and I had been on birth control for about nine years prior to trying to start a family. As soon as I got off the pill it was apparent that my cycle was very irregular. After we had been trying to get pregnant for about four months I went to my ob/gyn and consulted with him about my irregular cycles. He immediately chose to put me on Clomid and sent me on my way vowing that I would be "pregnant in three months!" Well, this made me uncomfortable just starting Clomid without determining an evidence based reason via ultrasound or blood work what my real issue was. So I decided to go to another ob/gyn and it was there that it was determined through an ultrasound and blood work that I had PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome). The doctor put me on metformin to help regulate the PCOS and this proved to be a difficult experience for me. The gastric side effects of the metformin were pretty brutal and since I have an occupation in sales that was especially difficult. I felt as though I needed to wear sneakers with my suits rather than high heels so that I could make it to the restroom more quickly! After taking metformin for a few months with no success, my ob/gyn referred me to a reproductive endocrinologist for further evaluation.

By the time I got to the specialist's office, I had lost several pounds on the metformin because of the gastric side effects. He was concerned that I needed to gain some weight back so that my body would be at an ideal size to get pregnant. So, he switched me to Actos, another type of diabetic drug that is prescribed to help regulate the effects of PCOS and to make you ovulate more consistently. When he got me to the desired weight, we started down the road of trying the myriad of fertility medications that were available to see what would finally work for me. My laundry list of meds that I took include the following (in no particular order): Clomid, Femara, Menopur, Novarel, Prometrium, Lupron, Vivelle patch, Estradiol, Cabergoline, Doxycycline, Follistim, Ovidrel, Gonal f, and Endometrin. Whew what a list! Some of those were pills while others were injections that I had to give myself, unless my husband was there to help me. During the course of taking all of those medications, we had three failed IUI attempts. We thought that IVF was our only other option but my body did not take well to that process at all. I ended up getting so hyperstimulated during the IVF cycle that, although they were able to take some of my eggs and make embryos, we were unable to transfer any embryos because I became so ill. We tried again the following month for an embryo transfer but my fertility specialist told me that my uterine lining was officially "fried"….. His exact words… So, he told me that I needed to give my body a rest and that I needed to take a couple of months off. I was devastated! I wanted to keep trying, but I trusted that he knew what was best.

I ended up taking three months off all medications, although I ended up bleeding constantly the entire time! What an awful experience! I called my specialist and he then proceeded to tell me that he would not see me again until I went to an acupuncturist. I was furious! Why would he not see me immediately! Had he given up on me? This bleeding was really starting to wear on me and what the heck could an acupuncturist do to help me?! I did not know much about acupuncture at all but the thought of lying on a table and becoming a human pin cushion was not appealing to me! I was desperate to get help from somewhere so I decided to just go ahead and call the acupuncturist that my specialist had recommended, Mark Schwartz. Little did I know that I was about to meet the person that was going to help make all of this heartache and emotional turmoil come to an end.

When I first met Mark, he knew I was rather apprehensive about acupuncture. But, he also knew that I needed help to get my body back under control and to make the bleeding stop! He explained his treatment regimen in depth to me and was very compassionate about the emotional roller coaster that he knew I had endured thus far. He immediately determined a course of action for me and he modified it as needed during subsequent visits. He put me on a formula of herbs that was made specifically for me and called me consistently to check on me to make sure that I was continuing to feel better. The herbs helped to not only regulate my cycle but also gave me more of a sense of calm about my situation. And then my miracle came….. After only 1.5 months of going to see Mark weekly and being on the specific formula of herbs he had written for me, I found out I was PREGNANT!!! My husband and I had conceived on our own without any fertility medications!! Unbelievable!! I just thought that after going through all we had been through, IVF would be the only way that we could have a baby. I never dreamed we would have an acupuncture baby! What a tremendous blessing for me not to be on all of those crazy fertility drugs when we conceived. Now I know that "those crazy fertility drugs" have worked wonders for a lot of women, and I am definitely not meaning to downplay the little miracles that they have provided to so many women. But, I am just saying that for me personally, I was thankful to have discovered an alternate route and a more natural route for me to conceive.

I highly recommend Mark Schwartz to others and I only wish that I had known about him before I had gone through all of the long list of fertility treatments over the past couple years! He is a genuine individual who truly cares about his patients and is extremely knowledgeable about his field. He has definitely made me a believer in acupuncture!! My husband and I were able to get pregnant because of Mark and I could not ask for a blessing greater than that!

Infertility: Unexplained. Acupuncture & Herbs (Jennifer)

In July 2008, I became pregnant for the first time at age 34. My partner and I had only been trying for four months, and we were very excited. He was age 37 at the time. Unfortunately, the pregnancy ended in miscarriage at 10 weeks. It was devastating, and because I didn't know what to expect, I ended up in the hospital for a blood transfusion. After my body healed, it took several months before we were ready to try again. When we did start trying, it wasn't as easy to get pregnant the second time. After five months of trying, I met Mark Schwartz, and decided to try acupuncture on a weekly basis.

Acupuncture was a very foreign experience for me. I am not a fan of needles (a bit of an understatement), but Mark's manner of explaining the process and creating a relaxing atmosphere helped greatly. It did not rid my anxiety, but after a few weeks, I was comfortable with the procedure and able to nap once the needles were in place. I even had a few favorite acupuncture points for relaxation. Within a month of starting acupuncture, I also began drinking Chinese herbs three times per day. On day one, I wasn't sure that I would be able to drink the teas, but by day three, I didn't even notice the taste. I also felt healthier every day. My body temperature increased, and my monthly cycle became more regular and predictable. Unfortunately, still no pregnancy.

After four months of acupuncture, and nine months of trying, I went to visit Dr. Mark Perloe at Georgia Reproductive Specialists. My partner and I underwent various blood tests and analysis, and were relieved to learn that there was nothing specifically preventing pregnancy. We decided that I would continue acupuncture, stop taking Chinese herbs, and begin taking Letrozole prescribed by Dr. Perloe. I became pregnant in November 2009, and I will complete my first trimester next week. Dr. Perloe's office has performed two ultrasounds, and all appears to be very healthy. After my previous experience, it has been comforting to be so closely monitored.

During the first trimester, I have continued to see Mark for weekly acupuncture treatments. The treatments are designed to prevent miscarriage, and there are additional benefits like relieving nausea and congestion. So much is out of our control when we try to become pregnant, especially when we spend most of our adult lives thinking we can become parents whenever we make the decision. For me, acupuncture has given me more control over a mostly uncontrollable situation. I feel more in tune with my body, and I look forward to continuing acupuncture treatments with Mark through my third trimester to prepare for labor and delivery.

Acupuncture Labor Induction (Jennifer)

Acupuncture was great today but I think that one session was enough for me! My pressure points are a little sore. I have been having cramping/contractions all day so hopefully I'll go into labor soon!

... I just wanted to let you know that after our acupuncture session Thursday morning I went into labor at midnight! I delivered our son at 7:35 Friday evening. Just wanted to let you know that the acupuncture worked!

Endometriosis (Lilly Belle)

I had suffered from SEVERE menstrual pain since my teenage years and I was diagnosed with stage IV endometriosis in the late nineties. I had a major operation to remove the endometriosis and associated ovarian cysts. Initially the pain was reduced, but over time pain returned to the point where it was chronic and I was in some form of pelvic pain at least 80% of every month! I found out about acupuncture for treatment of painful periods, endometriosis, etc. from a friend and I decided to give it a try this January. The relief was almost immediate and after a couple of treatments, I was virtually pain free. Here we are in May and I can honestly say that I feel I am cured. Mark Schwartz and his acupuncture treatments have done what western medicine couldn't do for me and now I feel like I have a life again. Thank you!

Chronic Breast Pain for 5 years (Diane)

I first sought out Chinese medicine because I had been experiencing severe, chronic breast pain during 3 weeks out of every month for the past 5 years. I had been seen by many different western doctors including my family practitioner, my gynecologist, an endocrinologist, and others who prescribed me everything from different types of birth control pills to high doses of Vitamin E. Nothing helped. When I finally had given up on western medicine, I was introduced to Mark through Willner Chemists. After my initial, very thorough consultation, Mark started me on a regimen of raw herbs. Within the first month, I was completely free of the breast pain. I stayed on the treatment for 3 months, then slowly started to decrease the raw herbs and replace them with a lower dose pill form. During all of this time, my breast pain never returned. Mark is a miracle worker! He was able to accomplish in days what several doctors in western medicine could not in years, and I feel so much better! Mark is not only a very skilled Chinese herbalist and Acupuncturist, he is also a pleasure to be around, and really takes the time to get to know not only the medical side of his patients, but also the personal side. I would highly recommend Mark to anyone who is looking to improve their overall health or solve a particularly vexing medical problem like mine. It was one of the best decisions I've ever made!

Neck Pain (Simone)

I have lived with neck pain and severe muscle spasms for almost 10 years. In the last ten years, I have tried a myriad of treatments and medications. Chiropractic care and deep muscle massage both gave me some temporary relief. I have been treated by two pain management doctors and have undergone several anti-inflammatory injections. I have also been on Soma (a muscle relaxant), Celebrex (an anti-inflammatory), and Ultram and Codeine (pain medications).

Out of desperation, I decided to try acupuncture. After my first treatment with Mark Schwartz, I left his office feeling about 40% better. The morning after treatment, however, I woke up with hardly any pain or discomfort. I did not take any medication that day. I remained un-medicated for the two weeks leading up to my second appointment. My second appointment was almost a month ago. I have not even taken a Tylenol for neck pain.

Back Pain - Pain free! (Bradley)

I wrenched my back doing some vigorous flow yoga. The next day I was in such pain, I went to the doctor and he prescribed some pain pills, which alleviated some of the pain, but did not help me to become functional again. Two days later I went to see Mark for my first acupuncture treatment. When I entered his office I was barely able to walk and in constant pain. Mark worked on me for two hours, and when I got up off the table I was amazed that I could move normally and felt no pain in my back. Mark cautioned me that the pain was likely to come back, and I would need a follow-up treatment, which we scheduled for three days later. He also gave me herbal medicine to relax the muscles. As anticipated, the pain did return the next day. The follow-up treatment was nearly as intensive as the first with similar immediate relief, however this treatment solidified the effect. It is now five days later, and I have been able to function normally without any significant pain.

Plantar fasciitis and Wellness (David)

Mark has made a big difference in my overall health. I came to him originally because I was suffering from Plantar Fasciitis, which was really affecting my work outs. I had the condition off and on for almost 5 years. The only thing that would really help get rid of it was cortisone shots from a podiatrist. After the first treatment with Mark, the pain was almost entirely gone, with the exception of a little soreness in the heel. After the second treatment it was gone all together. That was about 3 years ago and I have not had any issues since. This is also the first pollen season that I have not been completely miserable with allergies because we started working on those about 6 months ago. He is truly a miracle worker.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (Adam)

I have been dealing with IBS since 2005 and treating it with prescription medication. It worked great but they stopped manufacturing the meds starting in 2009 and nothing else worked for me. I was desperate for help and was recommended acupuncture. My two biggest concerns were proximity to my home and hours of operation since my work schedule is hectic. I called Mark on a Saturday and he called me back within an hour to schedule a consultation for the following week. My symptoms improved after my first session. It has been great working with Mark and I am now able to get back to living a regular life. I highly recommend him to anyone dealing with IBS.

Fatigue, Pain, & Stress (Veronica)

Mark is well skilled and experienced in acupuncture and Chinese herbs. I have been under his care for almost a year and have come to respect him a great deal. I initially came in for pain, stress and energy work and he has helped me tremendously so much so I have decided to stay with the treatment for preventative measures. Mark is also a very caring - He will take great care of you and make sure that he is doing everything he can to help you be a more healthy person...

Infertility: PCOS, 2 failed IUI. One very successful IVF + Acupuncture (Tracie)

I came to Mark in December of 2009 in an effort to overcome the fertility issues I was facing. With a long standing diagnosis of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, I had been trying to conceive for over a year with no success. After two failed intrauterine inseminations with a fertility specialist, acupuncture had been suggested in an effort to enhance my fertility and reduce the stress on my body. After seeing Mark twice a week for well over a month, my husband and I decided to try IVF. Mark's support and wisdom was invaluable in this process. He made himself available whenever I needed him, as IVF timing is extremely sensitive. He was kind enough to meet me at the doctor's office for post acupuncture following my first embryo transfer. I am happy to announce I am now almost 5 months pregnant with twins! I have continued to see Mark weekly throughout my pregnancy in an effort to reduce stress and manage any discomfort I have had. I have been free of morning sickness too, which I attribute to regular acupuncture! Mark takes the time to really know his patients and will go above and beyond at all times. Seeing Mark was not only a blessing, but one of the best decisions I have ever made!