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Researching Mexico's Traditional Medicines & Foods

a profile of Dr. Leslie Korn

Dr. Leslie KornDr. Leslie Korn is a researcher, educator and clinician-healer specializing in complementary/alternative medicine (CAM) and indigenous healing methods, who has been conducting research in the Bahía de Banderas and Cabo Corrientes regions since 1973.

Having practiced Nutritional Therapy, Polarity Therapy, and Massage and Bodywork for 10 years before she returned to graduate studies in conventional methods, Leslie now integrates the best of both worlds.

Dr. Korn has a PhD in Behavioral Medicine from the Union Institute, a Masters degree in Public Health from Harvard, where she specialized in tropical medicine, a Masters degree in Health Psychology, and was a Clinical Fellow and Faculty in Psychology and Religion at Harvard Medical School where she taught CAM for the treatment of PTSD.

As director of research at the Center for World Indigenous Studies, a non-profit American Indian organization, Leslie focuses on the intersection of indigenous science and biomedical science and the revitalization of traditional foods and healing methods of west Mexico and the Pacific Northwest and leads cooking, health and healing seminars.

As a 2009-2010 Fulbright scholar in Mexico, Dr. Korn is exploring the effects of tourism and development on indigenous women’s medical practices. The co-author (with Dr. Rudolph Ryser) of Preventing and Treating Diabetes, Naturally: The Native Way (DayKeeper Press, 2009) and Medicinal Plants of the Jungle/Plantas Medicinales de la Selva (DayKeeper Press, 2010) Leslie is married to a gentle spirit, and has three fabulous stepsons and two magical canine retrievers.

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Award-winning Documentary, ‘Searching for Capomo’ at Los Mangos

As part of the Festival del Arbol, set to take place at Biblioteca Los Mangos on February 24, the award-winning documentary, 'Searching for Capomo', will be presented at 10:00 am. At the end of the presentation, the filmmakers will discuss the uses and customs of Capomo and other Native Trees of Puerto Vallarta and Cabo Corrientes.

The Maven of Mole: Make a Traditional Mexican Chocolate Mole

Dr. Leslie Korn shares her recipe for traditional Mexican chocolate mole, one of Mexico’s nutritional gifts to the world. Every ingredient is medicine for the mind and salve for the spirit. Combining chocolate, allspice, chiles, and much more, this divine sauce will awaken anything it touches.

Exploring Integrative Medicine and Nutrition for PTSD

Dr. Leslie Korn, who has lived and worked in Banderas Bay since 1973, is pleased to announce that Psychiatric Times has published her new peer-reviewed article, 'Exploring Integrative Medicine and Nutrition for PTSD,' in its special report on Complementary, Alternative, & Integrative Approaches in Mental Health Care.

Improving Diabetes Care in Underserved Communities in Mexico

Therapeutic or medical massage for diabetes in the rural Municipality of Cabo Corrientes, where two-thirds of adults suffer from diabetes, is non-existent. The one exception to this is the work of Dr. Leslie Korn and the therapists of the Center for Traditional Medicine (CTM).

Dr. Leslie Korn: Incorporating Herbs into Everyday Life

Our first medicines were herbs. They are gifts from nature that grow out of the earth, nourished by the sun and the moon, the rain and the snow, to feed and heal us by nurturing our body, mind, and spirit. Dr. Leslie Korn shares some of her favorite ways to benefit from herbs.

Journey to Better Health: The Healing Power of Dogs

There is a long cross-cultural history of dogs as agents of healing. Much has been said about the loyalty, affection, intelligence, optimism, and unconditional love shown by dogs. Discover how dogs are helpers and healers in our journey to better health, and learn how dogs’ “jobs” are differentiated in integrative medicine.

The Solstice is a Sacred Day to Explore Deep Feelings

Tuesday, December 21, 2021 marks the day when the sun will reach its southernmost point in the sky, also known as the Winter Solstice. The Solstice is a sacred day when nature asks us to turn inward, reflect, and explore deep feelings. It's also a time to prepare our moods with good foods and absorb the light generated by chlorophyll-rich foods.

Learn How to Make Healthy Holiday Comfort Food Choices

Comfort foods can help relieve stress, especially during the holidays. We can use food as part of a self-comforting strategy if we do it with awareness and make choices that will enhance our health rather than work against it. Harvard Medical School-trained researcher, educator, and clinician-healer Dr. Leslie Korn explains.

Try These Self-Care Methods to Reduce Holiday Stress

The winter holiday season can be stressful. Prolonged higher levels of stress cause inflammation, aggravating existing illnesses and conditions and compromising the immune system. This is why we need to double our efforts for self-care at this time. These three simple techniques will help you manage stress at home and while traveling.

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