Research Library

The Latest Research

The Korn Kurated Research Library for Integrative Medicine and Nutrition for Mental Health

Welcome to the Korn Kurated Research Library! I created the research library to highlight the best (and the worst) research in Integrative Medicine and Nutrition for Mental Health. I will also share culturally savvy trauma research and indigenous science, known as traditional medicine.

As a voracious, though skeptical, research reader, I was surprised to find no compilations or analyses of our field that made research quickly accessible and actionable. Here, I will highlight what you must know to benefit your work and personal well-being and what you might do best to ignore. Research is as much about the questions as it is about the answers, so we will also explore the questions worth asking.

I find a lot of research boring to read and often wonder, “Why did someone spend money on this?” However, sometimes, the critical nugget remains hidden or takes time to tease out, and that’s what I want to do for you.

Good Research Can Drive Our Clinical Decisions

For example, when working with a 17-year-old with anxiety, panic attacks, and digestive distress, do we use Kava or Lactium? Glycine or Magnolia extract? Or should we start with 4-7-8 breathing? Then, what is the dose, and for what duration? What is our measure of success? Research helps to set boundaries around our clinical decisions and provide information on which our clients and patients can rely.

I want the research I review to give us talking points to explain innovative methods to our clients, parents, and colleagues, who may have a limited background with these therapies. These colleagues may also be skeptical and ask, “What’s the research on this method?” Having a brief response establishes our credibility.

The Questions We Should Be Asking

In this compilation, in addition to exploring research deeply, we will also ask how we know, what questions we should be asking, why we care, and whether what we are doing enhances the meaning of our work and benefits our clients.

If you are familiar with my work, you know that I am a sharp critic of the (often indiscriminate) use of pharmaceuticals, especially psychotropics. I have often suggested that prescribers take psychotropics (Benzo’s, SSRI’s antipsychotics, or others) before they prescribe. Then, they might think twice about prescribing such drugs or, at the least, would understand their side effects.

The brilliant researcher at U.C. San Diego, Beatrice Golomb, MD, PhD, a critic of statins due to their common serious side effects, had a similar thought when she decided to study a small group of physicians who prescribe statins and learn about their personal experience with these drugs. Results found that their experience of adverse effects broadly affected their attitudes toward prescribing. Look at this fascinating research here: Physicians’ Experiences as Patients with Statin Side Effects: A Case Series

Should Research Have an Expiration Date?

As we explore diverse research, this categorized database will grow, and you can refer back to it as needed or even send your clients and students to read a particular summary. One of my pet peeves (I wonder if you agree) is the “expiration date” on research. Academia demands that only research completed in the last five years is worth reviewing and citing. This idea, which is almost universally accepted, is absurd and should be rejected. There is original, innovative, illuminating research that extends back thousands of years, let alone the last 10, 20, and 100 years, so the research covered in these pages may also include quality research that has no “expiration.” Stay tuned to learn more about my other pet peeves, like “evidence-based!”

As always, I aim to communicate with you, serve you, and enhance your practice. Let me know your questions and concerns. You can contact me here.

About Dr. Leslie Korn

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