Zanjabee

So far I have been very impressed with Dr Ali and her office. I love that each time I come in she remembers ME. I am sure she reviews her notes ahead of time but it is great when we talk about something she remembers all of my history and can make suggestions based on what will work for me, which is not the same as what would work for others.
She has some very effective natural solutions but also is not at all afraid to refer for ‘modern’ tests. I love that she wants to treat my whole body and just symptoms of the day. I would not suggest going to her if you are just looking for medicine to treat what ails you, but I would highly recommend her if you are looking for health.

After receiving stellar medical care at an integrative practice in Chicago, I was excited to find Zanjabee after moving to MA. I am a huge believer in healing the body naturally before turning to pharma for solutions. Although Dr. Ali was pleasant, I was very disappointed with my experience because of the following:
1. My BP was incorrectly recorded and results were not discussed.
After my visit, I was quite surprised to log into the patient portal to find my BP, which has consistently been low my entire life, apparently skyrocketed to ¹⁷¹⁄₆₉! Dr. Ali, in the «thorough» initial consultation failed to discuss this extremely high and unusual BP reading during my visit, even after scanning my chart.
I brought this to the attention of the staff and said it must be a mistake since the assistant who took my BP said their machine was «acting up» that day. Their response? I was told my BP was «probably just high that day.» I immediately went to CVS over the next few days to monitor my pressure, which was low and in-​range.
2. Dr. Ali was dismissive of natural treatments that had been working for me.
I had an adverse reaction to Cipro in the winter, and had great success managing the long-​lasting side effects through diet, light exercise, and supplementation. During the visit Dr. Ali told me to stop taking nearly all of my supplements and basically use food to heal my body. I am a firm believer that you are what you eat, but in the case of Fluoroquinolone Toxicity, diet is not enough. I followed her advice and weened off my supplements (which consisted of Zinc, Magnesium, B-​12, nothing out of the ordinary) and my symptoms flared up again to the point where I was having a hard time walking due to tendon pangs.
Also worth noting: She wanted me to discard everything in my supplement regimen that wasn’t an herb. Included in the «no» pile was Curcumin (Tumeric) — an herb.
3. Dr. Ali suggested dietary changes that made me sick
I have been paleo for a few years, not eating dairy. During the consultation, Dr. Ali said she wasn’t convinced Paleo wasn’t the best diet for me and to include (goat) dairy once again. Against my better judgment, and the treatment plan at Whole Health, I added in the recommended amount of goat dairy for a few days and got sick, which I haven’t been in years — runny nose, bloating, coughing, etc.
4. Dr. Ali is hesitant to do blood testing
The reason I like going to integrative doctors is because they embrace a fusion of techniques. As another Unilocaler pointed out, Dr. Ali is hesitant to order blood tests. During the consult I asked if she could order a parasite test since another doc suspected I may have picked up something since my cat is infected. She dismissed my request and said I was «probably fine.»
Even though I am no longer on the same insurance plan and have to pay full-​price, I called my doc and nutritionist in Chicago to outsource the test so I’m not wondering.

I have mixed feelings about Dr. Ali. She was not the right match for me, and I have some serious issues with her approach to testing, however I do think she would be a good doctor for someone who is relatively healthy and is interested in holistic and Ayurvedic medicine. The office was very clean and modern, and the staff were friendly and efficient.
I originally decided to visit her because of her holistic approach to medicine; I have had unexplained chronic health issues for several years that traditional doctors were unresponsive to (recently diagnosed as Chronic Lyme by another doctor), and was hoping she could help me figure out the root cause. Dr. Ali prescribed some herbal medicines and recommended some dietary changes based on Ayurvedic medicine, which I liked. However, after seeing her several times, she would not carry out tests that I felt were important, and it became clear that she was not the right doctor for me; to be fair, she had an honest conversation about this with me, and we mutually decided that it would be best if I switched to a new PCP that would undertake the testing that I requested.
If you are like me and have chronic unexplained health issues, I would caution you that Dr. Ali may not be the right doctor to help you uncover the underlying issues, based on the reasons below:
I had a lot of debilitating health problems when I initially saw Dr. Ali, and asked her to do some specific tests to rule out some of my symptoms. Dr. Ali wouldn’t do the tests, and told me that she does not believe in unnecessary testing because it is wasteful. I agree with this principle, however, I don’t think it is wasteful to do a test if someone has specific symptoms! Since moving to Visions Healthcare, which practices Functional Medicine, I have been diagnosed with Lyme Disease, SIBO, multiple food allergies and severe B12 deficiency, which were all completely missed while I was at Zanjabee, due to lack of testing.
I was concerned that I had Celiac Disease. Rather than testing me for Celiacs, Dr. Ali recommended that eat a gluten free diet, and after a couple weeks of the new diet, I was feeling better. However, I again expressed my concern that I should get tested for Celiacs, as it is an autoimmune disease which can lead to a host of other health issues. Dr. Ali wouldn’t do the test and said I should just eat GF for the rest of my life. After doing research on Celiacs and Gluten Sensitivity, I learned that it is essential to test for Celiacs BEFORE going on a gluten free diet, because once you stop eating gluten, you will get false negative test results. If I had symptoms of Celiacs, I should have been tested for it prior to being prescribed a GF diet.
I also have chronic fatigue and a family history of hypothyroidism, and because of this, I asked Dr. Ali to do a full thyroid panel. She told me that TSH was the only important item to test and wouldn’t do any other thyroid testing. I believe it is incredibly important to find a doctor that will do a full Thyroid panel and fully understands the relationship between all the thyroid hormones, especially in order to diagnose hyper/​othyroidism and Hashimotos — so that was a red flag for me. If you share my opinion on this, I would recommend finding another doctor.

I first saw Dr Ali during a somewhat stressful time in my life. I found her approach to be calming and practical and her advise to be effective. I appreciate that her first recommendations involved diet and exercise and an herbal supplement, which is working well. I finally feel that I have found a PCP that helps me care for my health in a holistic and logical way and doesn’t immediately prescribe pharmaceuticals.

I haven been looking for a Dr. who has a positive and holistic approach on medicine. Dr. Basmaa Ali is truly a sincere and caring being who cares for her patients. I feel confident in her care. She is a great listener and is very sensitive to your needs.
The office is very calming and feels like I’m on a different universe when visiting. Staff is incredibly helpful and nice.

I’ve been to see Dr. Ali twice now and already it’s been the best experience with a doctor I’ve had. She asked me lots of questions, listened attentively and provided a detailed treatment plan focused on nutrition. I am excited to hopefully stop taking my prescription medications that were only masking my symptoms. Already I am starting to feel better and am so grateful.

I was recently traveling in Boston when I had a massive back problem that even affects my breathing and heart. I turned to Unilocal which led me to Zanjabee and Natalia for some wonderful Accupuncture treatments. It helped get me out of critical pain, finish my work and make it safely home to Los Angeles. I’m very grateful for the care I received.

I really liked Dr. Ali. However, her office hours are not very impressive. Nor is the way the office handles cancellations. I set up an appointment in August for a physical scheduled in November. The day before my appointment, I was called and told the appointment was cancelled because Dr. Ali was writing a book and was taking a class. So I rescheduled. However, I could not get an appointment until February. And then again the day before my appointment, the office called to cancel on me again stating that the office hours have changed and they would be closing at 2pm on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. I find it hard to believe that these scheduling conflicts just happened to occur 1 days before both appointments. It was really inconsiderate to not call me with more advance notice. I’m now going to go elsewhere. Great doctor, but not so great when you can’t even see your doctor.

The healthcare provided at Zanjabee is top notch. The staff is very kind and attentive; the office is clean and calming.
Dr. Ali is very knowledgable and easy to talk to. She listens very carefully and knows the right questions to ask. I am so happy that I found Zanjabee!
Highly recommended!

This place is a hollistic haven for the alternative medicine and rejuvenation! Everyone should try this retreat and Dr. Basamma Ali is amazing! meditation, yoga, acupuncture, its like being in a new Mexico vacation, but you’re right in woburn!