Alison Reid - Canadian scholarship winner

“There’s physio for lungs?”

This is the most common remark I get from people when I tell them that I work with patients who suffer from chronic lung disease, such as COPD, asthma and pulmonary fibrosis.

Four years ago, when I started my MSc in Physiotherapy, I would have said the exact same thing. It’s funny really; breathing is a thing we do every day of our lives (I hope!) and yet for most of us it’s something we rarely have to think about, let alone think of changing. That’s part of its beauty. 

As a physiotherapist and Certified Respiratory Educator working for the Ottawa Community Lung Health Pulmonary Rehab Program, I work with patients who do just the opposite – spend a good portion of their time thinking about just how difficult it is to breathe! Something so “simple”, something that most of us are fortunate enough to take for granted, is made to feel almost impossible to these patients. It is incredibly rewarding to be a part of the process in helping them self-manage their chronic conditions, and once again see the beauty in breathing.

For this reason, I am beyond grateful for receiving the scholarship and participating in the Bradcliff Breathing Method Level 1 Course coming to Ottawa at the end of April. I strongly believe that the skills I learn from this course will enhance my practice, and thus enrich the lives of my patients.