Would give ZERO stars if possible. I wanted to switch to a holistic doctor, and I thought Dr. Ali would be a good match. First of all, the office looks NOTHING like their photos, which didn't matter to me but this is very misleading for anyone who thinks it looks like that. Second of all, I had my physical in December, and it was all of five minutes long. I had a follow up appointment in February, and got billed for two copays. (My physical is preventative and should be covered 100 percent). I complained to the receptionist and she told me it was because I had talked about a problem outside the realm of a physical (which the only thing I mentioned was my weight which is DEFINITELY part of a physical). The receptionist said she would "write it off", so I was satisfied. Eight months later I get a bill saying my copay will be going to collections, so I call back and a different receptionist tells me the extra copay is because I had asked for a refill of my albuterol inhaler at my Follow up in February and that was a "new problem". I have had exercised endured asthma MY ENTIRE LIFE, and I had mentioned that at my physical! I have never gotten charged for going into another PCPs office and asking for a refill on my prescription. Imagine if you called for a refill and every time you got a copay in the mail? STEER CLEAR of this place unless you like tons of copays !!! read more

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. read more

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 Yelper 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. read more

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! http://www.facebook.com/pages/Woburn-MA/Zanjabee-Integrative-Medicine-Primary-Care/143282345683651?v=wall read more

Dr. Ali is amazing. She actually remembers the things we talked about at previous appointments, asks how I am doing with those things, and knows exactly what to say to help me. She goes out of her way to give me useful information to help with my problems BEFORE suggesting any kind of medications. I would recommend Zanjabee to anyone looking to actually improve their health naturally, and not just "fix" things with medications. read more

Dr. Ali truly cares and takes the time to figure out what's going on with me. She's different from other doctors because many of them dismiss you if your blood work and everything looks normal but she knows other things like your diet or stress can be causing issues and need to be addressed. She always makes sure to follow-up with me unlike my past experience when I saw my PCP only for a physical or if I was sick. The staff is also great, the guy at the front desk has great energy and I never have an issue with scheduling. read more

So happy I found Dr. Ali. I was looking for a primary care physician who also had a holistic perspective. So for me, it's the best of both worlds. I've gone to 2 appointments in the last couple months because I have some specific issues I'm working on (nagging little issues I want to resolve). She had me do basic blood work and also has me keeping a health journal and then gave me feedback on it. She is good if you are looking for someone to not necessarily tell you what you want to her, but what you need to here. She didn't want to look into more complex diagnosis until we resolve some basic lifestyle changes. I like that her advice is practical and not sugarcoated. read more

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! read more

Dr. Ali is an extremely smart woman. I recently selected her as my PCP and feel very comfortable with her office and her. I always admire doctors but especially the brilliant ones; she knows what she is talking about. read more

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. read more

Dr. Ali has been terrific. We discuss everything from my physical to mental state. She has been like a therapist to me. I highly recommend her and this office. read more

I'm torn on this review, like others. When I first found Dr. Ali, I was happy to go to a holistic doctor who wanted me to use food and herbs rather than medication to manage my colitis. This regimen plus the medication I was getting through my gastroenterologist finally seemed to do the trick. However, recently I've gained a lot of weight from a variety of factors, not least of which was a new colitis medication and a myriad of hormones to support IVF. On a follow up appointment with Dr. Ali, I was informed that that the appointment I had to take hours out of the work day to go to was so she could check up on my weight gain, which was a surprise since I hadn't made any weight loss goals/promises from the last visit. I first advised to see a nutritionist, and when I didn't seem that keen on that, to cut my food consumption in 1/2. I read and listen to a lot of nutrition advice, and I don't really trust nutritionists to be up on more than the old food pyramid. Any attempt at conversation with Dr. Ali about my concerns, such as if I'm not measuring my food how am I supposed to cut it in 1/2, led Dr. Ali to label me as self-sabotaging. My frustration with the conversation apparently got me diagnosed with anxiety, so I was told to talk to my therapist about medication for anxiety and to make a follow-up appointment with Dr. Ali I wouldn't back out of. So I'm backing out of my next appointment and won't be back. I went to Dr. Ali for holistic medicine, not condescending nonsense and pills. read more

I have gone to Integrative practices in other states. This practice is not integrative or comprehensive. Website says you will get an hour with a caring doctor. I got 10 minutes....it was not worth the time or the outrageous amount of money charged ($400.00). She was not thorough or helpful or holistic or caring. If this is what you are looking for then go somewhere else. Very discouraging that website was so dishonest. read more

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. read more

Dr.Ali is a caring and considerate physician. She takes time to speak with you and most importantly hear your concerns. Professional,Responsive and Positive in all interactions I've had as a patient read more

I have been looking for a doctor who will tell me which prescriptions are no longer necessary and/or have bad side effects. Dr Ali did this for me: she explained why some of my prescriptions were no longer necessary, and even went on to talk about my vitamin supplements as well. I have been taking many pills a day, now I don't have to pay for all these because Dr. Ali told me how to give myself the benefits of some of my pills through natural means. Some simple additions to my diet and a renewed commitment to exercise does make a lot more sense to me now at 63 for the best health I can have. read more

I don't even know where to begin. Everything about my visit with Dr. Ali was disappointing and it was an experience that I feel compelled to warn others about. Let me be clear, this is my first Yelp review ever. I have seen my fair share of bad service/bad business practice but this is the only one that forced me to write about it. That is saying something. I recently moved to the area and needed to set up a routine annual physical. I called and made an appointment which was more difficult than I imagined due to Dr. Ali's limited schedule. However, they fit me in within about 2 weeks, no problem. I showed up, filled out new patient paperwork, and they took me on time. Service was friendly and accommodating. I met with Dr Ali and she was nice. However, it was very obvious that she has a robot-like routine for every appointment. Eat better, exercise more. Yadda yadda yadda. That is pretty generic and expected. When I raised some general concerns about my health she was very dismissive and unwilling to listen or investigate further. Instead of asking more questions or encouraging blood work she forced yoga and Brahmi (an herbal drink that she charged $30). Weird. Whatever, I was open to the idea but was not convinced. I felt rushed to discuss any concerns that I had and she acted like she couldn't wait to get out of the room as soon as possible. That rubbed me the wrong way. Generally speaking she is very reluctant to prescribe medicines or take blood test. Dr. Ali went on to ramble off a list of about 10-15 things she wanted me to do as homework. I left the doctors office feeling like I just visited a voodoo doctor who cared very little about modern medicine. Here's where things went really wrong... About a week later I received a billed from Zanjabee for $262 after insurance. I thought, this is odd. I was very confused so I called Blue Cross Blue Shield. This visit should have been 100% covered under my annual physical. The representative explained that this was not coded as a physical but instead coded as a new patient medical visit. She said to call Zanjabee, re-code it, and resubmit it and they would take care of it. I call the Medical Assistant at Zanjabee and explain the issue. She said that she cannot re-code the appointment because it would be insurance fraud. What? She further explained that this was not a routine physical. I pushed back and explained that I had made it clear from the minute I made the appointment that I was seeking a physical, that's it. She said that she would talk to Dr. Ali, see what they could do, and would call me back. She never called me back, so I called. She was not available. The next day, she emails me, not calls. Annoying. She explains, "We either have to bill it has a new patient appointment or as a new patient physical with an additional code since there were things talked about that were not preventative. There were 4 focused problems during your visit. Let us know what you would like it billed as." I WANT IT CODED AS WHATEVER INSURANCE WILL COVER. Don't ask me how to code it- that's not my job nor do I know how bills are coded. C'mon. Besides the coding scheme, something else bothered me. So let me get this right... because I asked Dr. Ali about general health concerns that I had during my physical, it would be considered as focused problems and that I would be charged for it?!?! I have never been charged by a doctor for asking questions during a physical. Isn't that the point, to ask questions? We went back and forth, arguing that this was unacceptable and that I felt taken advantage of. They were unwilling to budge. She closes by saying "We have reviewed the encounter and it is not appropriate to bill as a physical. For a male, during a physical exam, private parts are suppose to be examined for testicular cancer. This was a problem focused new patient visit, which is what is done for every one of our new patients. We do have our patients expectations document posted on our website. We encourage you to find a new doctor and please make sure to have a thorough conversation with them about billing and your concerns." Awesome.... so because Dr. Ali failed to do her job and examine my testicles, I have to pay my deductible. Congratulations Zanjabee Integrated Medicine, you have successfully earned this bad review. To anyone looking for a new doctor (PCP), my advice is keep looking. Find a doctor that is open to exploring your health concerns instead of immediately dismissing them and forcing herbal medicines as a placebo effect. Find a doctor who is honest, upfront and clear with what you are about to be potentially on the hook for. Find a doctor who will examine your testicles (women, get your lady-bits examined). Find a doctor who sees you as a patient and not as a monetary transaction. Find another doctor, anyone other than Dr. Ali. read more

I'm writing this review as a patient of Dr. Pratibha Sha's for almost a year. I came to her after being discouraged by a diagnosis from a doctor from my former family practice. The doctor had informed me that I had a rather early and severe onset of psoriasis, as well as a surprisingly bad case of seborrheic dermatitis. Aside from this, I also had a stomach bug. For those of you who don't entirely understand what my doctor said, I basically had dandruff in my eyebrows and rashes all over my body. These symptoms, he said, would only get worse as I grew older. I was seventeen at the time, so I felt as if my chances of looking like an extra crispy human shaped fried calamari by my early twenties were pretty decent. I go to see Dr. Sha. She tells me the stomach issue can be solved within a week or so. It is. She then attacks the skin problems. She prescribes me some herbs and an entirely new dietary regimen. I will admit, the herbs didn't exactly taste the best, but it became clear that they were doing the trick. As of right now, my seborrheic dermatitis (eyebrow dandruff) is non existent and has been for the past six months. The psoriasis has improved greatly, and my health is in phenomenal shape. I will say that patience is key with this form of treatment. Chronic problems don't disappear in a heartbeat. But, if you stick to your prescribed regimen, as I did, results will show. I highly recommend Dr. Sha to anyone who may be suffering from a similar ailment. read more

Zanjabee provides professional care in a personalized, caring manner. Dr. Ali listens carefully to medical details and uses her knowledge of both Western and Eastern medicine to provide the best possible solution to health issues. She provides instruction on daily practices you can use to improve and maintain your health naturally with the least amount of prescription medicine necessary. read more

This is an honest reflection of the disappointing care that I received as a patient of Dr. Ali at Zanjabee Integrative. I am a passionate holistic health practitioner and did extensive research prior to determining my primary care physician--I specifically went to Dr. Ali as I felt her business practices would be align with the level of care that her website claims. I was extremely misled. To Begin: My first in-take appointment was scheduled in early spring. I waited over 50 minutes in the exam room before Dr. Ali entered. Just as Dr. Ali's time is valuable, as is mine. It did not seem overly busy while I was there and there was no apology nor mention of having me wait almost an hour. I paid my co-pay and left. One month later, I received a bill asking me to pay my co-pay again. Verifying through my bank that this was paid at my initial appointment, I called Zanjabee and they admitted their mistake. Glad I checked. I work with the public and I can understand how schedules run late and there may be a bookkeeping oversight. However--the level of treatment and what I experienced today is BEYOND unacceptable. I called Dr. Ali's office at 8am after waking up to excruciating pain. I'm attending a conference that is a distance away and it's essentially impossible for me to leave and drive 35 minutes to see her. I knew what the problem was so I called and asked for Dr. Ali to call me back. SIX HOURS later, her medical assistant/secretary calls me and tells me that the only way they will help me is if I go to a lab. If I call my doctor, I expect the courtesy of a phone call from her in return within a reasonable amount of time. Feeling more comfortable speaking to the doctor, I asked to speak with Dr. Ali. Dr. Ali was clearly annoyed to be asked to come to the phone and told me there is nothing she can do, indicated to me several times she's in a rush (really!?), and that I'm basically on my own to find a lab and only then will she consider possibly writing me a prescription of antibiotics. She then says "Take care" and the phone goes silent. Did I just get hung up on? Five minutes later, I get an email from the general Zanjabee email address--no greeting, no note, no clue who this is from--just the name of the lab to go to. After being in pain all day, it's beyond fathomable that I just waited 6 hours for this unbelievably rude medical professional to essentially blow me off and have her assistant follow up with an email that I'm left to decipher. I call the lab that her email included to explain my situation and they tell me that they have no idea what Zanjabee is talking about and that they cannot accept any lab-work on their behalf. Zanjabee literally has no idea what they are talking about. Now it's 7 hours later, and I'm essentially figuring this out on my own and on my way to urgent care because my doctor couldn't be bothered to do her job and provide the quality care that she so-call claims. To really add icing to the cake, Dr. Ali just called and left me a voicemail saying the office is closing for the day and that they are not a good fit as a doctor for me, as they are unable to respond in less than 6 hours and that she is a very busy woman. What a manipulative way to take no accountability and turn against your patient. Wow. This is NOT the level of care that I expected and I'm giving a fair warning to others who might one day find themselves in serious pain, only to be ignored and disregarded by the doctor they once put their trust in. Beyond unprofessional and there are far better health care practitioners out there who provide quality care and compassion for their patients. read more