Most of us in the U.S. are relatively unfamiliar with preventive and developmental care because these are typically not part of the repertoire of allopathic medicine.  When allopathic medicine uses the word "prevention," it is usually referring to early detection of pathology.  Blood pressure and cholesterol screenings, mammograms and Pap smears do nothing to prevent cardiovascular disease, breast or cervical cancer; rather they detect these diseases once they already exist.  Holistic medicine, by contrast, has always recognized that it is easier to "prevent trouble before it arises," and has cultivated a variety of ways of doing so.

The Feldenkrais Method is one of my primary preventive and developmental care tools.  Practiced regularly, the Feldenkrais Method makes everyday movements more graceful and efficient and develops physical intelligence and resiliency.   Thus it helps reduce the risk of injury and prevents small acute strains from becoming large or chronic problems.  The enhanced awareness the Method promotes makes it easier to feel what choices are likely to lead to vitality rather than depletion in all areas of life, assisting in reducing risk of illness as well as injury.

Because the Feldenkrais Method emphasizes "learning how to learn," it is also a method of developmental care.  The Method can assist people of all ages, from infants and toddlers through elders, in manifesting their full potential.  For more about care for kids, click here.

Nutritional and herbal counseling are also part of my tool kit for preventing illness and injury.