Dr Rosalba Courtney (DO, PhD) is an osteopath, researcher, author and teacher.
Rosalba has a PhD on the topic of dysfunctional breathing and breathing therapy and has published widely in the scientific literature and contributed to textbook chapters. Rosalba is passionate about both the art and science of breathing. She believes that breathing combined with movement, mind-body techniques, other health practices has enormous potential as a tool to heal the mind and body. She is actively involved in ongoing research on broad topics related to breathing and health.
Listen to Love & Guts on iTunes
Or Stitcher (Android)

Rosalba has developed a system called Integrative Breathing Therapy based on the models and tools she developed during her PhD and subsequent research. She has trained health professionals from many disciplines including physiotherapy, psychology, speech and language pathology, osteopathy and integrative medicine in the theory and applications of breathing therapy for their field. She is currently developing her first online certification course in Foundations of Integrative Breathing Therapy for Health Professionals.
Rosalba also runs online and face to face programs for individuals and groups. These programs include Breath Mind Body, Functional Breathing Retraining, Healthy Breathing Healthy Child and Altitude Power Breathing. She sees private patients at the Breath and Body Clinic in Avalon and at Genbiome in Edgecliff, Sydney.
In this episode we cover
- What breathing issues or dysfunctions she commonly sees in children and why some of these occur
- Signs that a child’s breathing may need attention
- The importance of nose breathing and the impact of nitric oxide
- What mouth breathing does to the oral microbiome
- Rosalba’s thoughts on mouth taping for children
- Strategies that help to restore functional breathing and break vicious cycles
- How humming is such a great strategy on so many levels
- And so much more
Listen here
Show notes
Before we dive into this conversation I’m excited to announce that the Love & Guts show sponsor of the month is vital.ly. vital.ly is a digital platform, a professional health resource and a distribution service all in one. Vital.ly specialise in complementary medicines, education and distribute high-quality products. And now, Vital.ly has launched vital.ly Commons. Vital.ly Commons is a curated space where health professionals can learn the latest research and hear from colleagues in the practitioner community.
Some of the amazingly valuable features of Commons are;
- Practitioners can provide Clinical feedback and exchange ideas
- Attend webinars to learn more and earn CPE points
- Share inspiring community projects
- Exchange ideas and connect with your colleagues in a space custom built for practitioners within the complementary health profession
Given that all of my consultations are run online I have been personally using Vital.ly as my go to practitioner only supplement platform for a number of years. Mainly because my patients and I have access to a wide range of quality practitioner only supplementation without the stress of having to carry stock. Not to mention the delivery turnaround time is quick and the experience smooth.
It’s an added bonus that this platform now also supports health practitioners such as myself even further by providing quality education. I can not recommend vital.ly and the people behind its creation enough. To learn more simply go to vital.ly