Spoiled.

I feel very spoiled this week at CCNM.

First, we had a supplier show on Wednesday. A supplier show is when the entire school is filled to the brim with companies that supply Naturopathic Doctors with supplements, vitamins, botanicals, medicines, health foods, natural creams, and various clinic services. The goal of the show is for students to wander from booth to booth to learn about the different companies and what they have to offer. However, every year the show turns into a giant freebie fair! Students essentially go from booth to booth picking up all the free samples they can get along the way. I don't blame us from being so cheap (this program is mighty expensive!) and I must say that I certainly took advantage of the goodies. Nevertheless, I made the point of talking to the company reps one-on-one before taking their samples. I also did not visit the booths of companies that I was not interested in or whose products I could never see myself using. I ended up spending well over an hour talking to reps. In the end, I had a lot interesting conversations, formed some opinions about some of the attending companies, tested my ability to question claims made by health product suppliers, and walked away with a TON of free stuff. I spent the most time at the Ascenta Professional booth and ended up receiving a free bottle of vegan DHA oil (which is an omega-3 supplement with a retail value of $45!). Other goodies I got: digestive enzyme samples, tumeric capsules, ColdFx samples, herbal tea, vitamin B12 tablets, vitamin D drops (a full bottle, retail value $20), concentrated garlic tablets, three vegan protein powder packs, a protein bar, chia seeds, cocoa powder, two reusable bags, two botanical cream samples... and more! I can't wait to try out these products; if they're great, then I'm sure I'll be personally using them and recommending them to future patients.

The second reason why I feel spoiled: today's 50 minute back massage. As mentioned before, I am taking an intro to relaxing Massage class this semester. This week, the class focused on how to give a proper back massage. The class started with a 30-minute presentation on the principles of massage, then was followed by a 30-minute relaxing back massage demonstration, preformed by a Registered Massage Therapist. Then the class was grouped into partners, with one partner lying on the massage table for almost an hour while their partner gave him or her a massage. Then, the favor was reciprocated. My partner did an excellent job: the massage felt great; however I also found that giving the massage was also very soothing. By the way, these weren't just simple back massages, but full professional ones, including massage tables, massage oils, and we learned how to properly drape our partner with sheets.

One tip before signing-off for the night: after receiving a massage, make sure to drink lots of water. Massages tend to release a lot of stored toxins, therefore adequate water is required to flush them out.