After becoming the first doctor to offer acupuncture at University of Washington Neighborhood Clinics, Iman Majd, MD, MS (’05), LAc, has been named by his peers as one of Seattle Magazine’s “Top Doctors” for his work in Integrative Medicine.
“I take it as a step for recognition for incorporating integrative medicine in the mainstream,” says Dr. Majd, a 2005 graduate of Bastyr University’s Master of Science in Acupuncture program. “There’s further value in this award because the nomination comes from other physicians.”
Although the award recognizes his work at the University of Washington, Dr. Majd also takes an integrative approach to treatment at Bastyr Center for Natural Health, where he is a faculty member supervising Immune Wellness appointments.
“It’s a fully integrated shift, so students get the flavor of both traditional Chinese medicine and naturopathic medicine,” he says in the Bastyr University article Alumnus Becomes UW’s First Acupuncturist. “I can give them the perspective of conventional medicine as well.”
Dr. Majd, a board-certified physician in Family Medicine and Integrative Medicine, earned a Doctor of Medicine degree in Tehran, Iran, before he decided to learn a more natural approach to medicine and enrolled at Bastyr University in 2002.
“You prescribe one pharmaceutical, and they have side effects, then you have to prescribe something else for those side effects and it creates a vicious cycle,” he says. “I started thinking there must be alternatives out there that we can offer to our patients, something more holistic and efficient. That’s when I started looking into alternative medicine.”
Although he originally enrolled in the Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine program, Dr. Majd switched to acupuncture 2003 after experiencing a successful treatment for back pain.
“Being trained in western medicine, I had a healthy skepticism of alternative medicine when I first started at Bastyr,” he says. “Acupuncture was a completely different ‘language’ and system of diagnosis and treatment for me. So experiencing an acupuncture treatment first-hand was really a turning point for me, and ignited my passion for the field.”
Before joining the faculty at Bastyr Center, Dr. Majd worked for two years as a resident, then took on a family medicine residency at the UW, where he continues to work. In 2013 he proposed adding acupuncture to his practice.
“Nationwide there are more conventional medicine facilities, including hospitals, that are incorporating integrative medicine and acupuncture into their services,” he says. “I think a lot of popularity of acupuncture stems from its efficiency and lack of side effects and the fact that it complements many specialties.”
“These trends are promising for the practitioners in the field of acupuncture and integrative medicine.”
To make an appointment with Dr. Majd in Bastyr Center's Immune Wellness shift, go to our make an appointment page or call 206-834-4100.
