
- Academics:
The Canadian Academy of Osteopathy – M.OMSc. 2019
McGill University – BSc. Nutrition 2014 - Speciality:
Classical Osteopathic Manipulation
Who is Joshua Blair?
How I got into Osteopathy and why I do what I do
I think our light can only be found in dark places. After earning a BSc in Nutrition at McGill, I had yet to find a path I could really get excited about. I decided to spend the summer working on the family farm and throwing my all into rugby, where I was looking to get back into playing at a high level after some early success. However, I had been having some difficulty after getting a second concussion which ended my University rugby career a couple of games too early. It was during that summer that I discovered osteopathy, helping improve post concussions symptoms I had been having for months, on top of all the other bumps and bruises that had been piling up over the years. Throughout my long athletic career, I have been fortunate to have been followed by excellent therapists, experts in their respective fields, however, none have caused the impact osteopathy has had on my body and overall well being.
After this my search for Osteopathic education began, where I discovered the Canadian Academy of Osteopathy, the school that took up almost all of my time for the next 4 years. It was there I was first shown the impact a treatment can have on any condition. Not only improving outcomes but completely eliminating problems. Even as a student we were treating and seeing vast improvements in people who had been trying to recover for years.
What sells osteopathy for me is when a person walks in with no to little expectation that they can be helped in any way. They’re in dire straits, and somehow, with properly applied treatments, their world changes. They regain motion, regain hope, and regain their chance at doing the little things in life that make it complete. Whether that’s just getting out of bed in the morning, playing with their kids or extending their sporting career. Osteopathy has done much for me in giving my life a purpose, something I can work everyday at, improve and never get tired of it. Seeing the impact it can have in other people’s lives only pushes me onward through increasingly difficult cases.
What makes my approach different?
Some other schools of osteopathy work on 45 min to an hour treatment. This would be unheard of in the early days of osteopathy, where 15 minutes was a long time. The greater the understanding of the body, the less treatment that needs to be applied. On top of that, there is no one-size fits all solution for everyone. There are no techniques in classical osteopathy, only endless ways to manipulate the body to free up the problem. Once the solution is found, the body can begin to work normally again and the problem greatly improves. It may even disappear entirely if given enough time. A much better solution than just managing a problem over time.