Meet Dr. Ali Akhlagh Moayed

Dr. Alireza (Ali) Akhlagh Moayed is a licensed acupuncturist by the Massachusetts Board of Medicine and is board-certified as a Diplomate by the National Commission of Certification for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM). Ali’s unique path into Chinese medicine surprisingly began with scholarly work predominantly in the Western sciences. His fascination and curiosity about nature led him to study of physics, math, bioenergy, and biophysics. He received his Ph.D. in physics from the University of Waterloo in Canada, during which time he published several papers about the functional imaging of the eye and ocular disease. After finishing his PhD, he continued his research at the University of Washington, where he studied the effect of electric and magnetic fields on water, under the supervision of Prof. Gerald Pollock. He taught physics for the following 2 years at the same university.

It was around this time that Ali became interested in understanding the nature of qi- the life force whose existence and properties form the basis of Chinese philosophy and medicine. This led to a three-year teacher training in Yi Ren Qigong under master Dr. Sun at the Qigong institute in Seattle, WA. This training served as an introduction into the Chinese healing arts and ultimately propelled Ali to Bastyr University- where he received his master’s degree in both acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine. After his graduate studies, he remained at Bastyr to attain his Doctorate in Acupuncture with a focus on pain management.

Ali furthered his experience working as a clinician at the Bastyr University clinic, then later as an acupuncturist in Harborview Hospital in Seattle and at Providence Medical center in Everett, WA as part of his doctorate program. These settings provided critical training in the science of pain management. Ali was able to work in collaboration with pain management teams to effectively address inpatient health conditions using acupuncture and herbal medicine. After moving to Boston in 2021, Ali completed several preceptorships at BIDMC in conjunction with allopathic physicians specializing in pain management – including headaches and migraines, back pain, and other forms of musculoskeletal pain. He completed his rounds of preceptorships with Philip Barlow at North End Acupuncture with a focus on gastrointestinal disorders, OBGYN, and musculoskeletal conditions. Ali skillfully combines his analytical skills, his biomedical knowledge, and the holistic view of the body in Chinese medicine to treat each patient. He is also fluent in Farsi, so if this is a patient’s first language, he can help them understand the medical language more directly.

When Ali is away from the clinic, he enjoys spending much of his time in nature hiking while indulging his passion for photography. Ali is delighted to be part of the North End Acupuncture team and to support patients on their journey to optimal health.

His philosophy of treating patients follows directly from a famous saying by the great Daoist physician Sun Simião as below:

Medicine is intention. One who is good in using intention will be a good doctor – Sun Simião (Táng dynasty)