October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
 
It’s also the month that I have my 6-month check-up with my oncologist.  I saw her regularly for many years after my first diagnosis and treatment in 2000.  I was well beyond the end of my 10 years of hormonal  treatments (first Tamoxifen and then Femara) when she finally said, “You don’t need to see me anymore.”   
 
In 2022,  I was back in her exam room with a new breast cancer diagnosis.  I do like her a lot, and one might suspect that I just wanted to be back under her care.  Of course, one never wishes to be under the care of an oncologist.  But I was glad she was still seeing patients. We have a long history together!
 
So….in a few weeks, I’ll be back for an office visit.  She’ll ask how I’m doing, and if I’m feeling any side effects of the letrozole, which I’m back on for another 5 years.  (The answer is fine, great, or maybe my joint pain is from the letrozole…or is it something else?…..we’ll explore….).  And we’ll schedule my mammogram for December. 
 
…..Which leads me to the notion of “scanxiety.”  Most people who have experienced cancer are familiar with this feeling.  You’ve gotten through some, or all, of your treatment, and you’re going in for a new scan – to check on whether the treatment has been effective, or (in my case) to make sure there is still “no evidence of disease.”  It can be a time of high anxiety.  It brings you back to the first time, when the scan led to further scans, tests, biopsies, …and ultimately a diagnosis. 
 
Perhaps you no longer think, “Why me?” and now you think, “Why not me?”
 
I’ll go in for the mammogram, and I’ll wait for the results.  And deal with whatever scanxiety comes up.
 
And while I wait, I’ll breathe…..
 
The breath is the gateway into the nervous system.  By breathing, we can calm our anxiety, moving out of “fight or flight,” toward “rest and digest,”  and ultimately toward balance.  It is very powerful, and available to each of us.
 
Here’s a simple breathing technique that can shift your nervous system toward calm. It’s called Humming Breath or Bee Breath.
 
Sit comfortably with your spine long.
Now gently close your lips so that, if possible, you can both inhale and exhale through your nose. 
Take a slow breath in.  As you exhale, hummmm…….
Do this several times. Make it a nice, long hum on the exhale. Feel the vibration in your throat and beyond. 
 
After a few breaths, let go of the humming and just breathe normally.  Notice the sensations you feel.
 
You can do this any time – well, you might want to check on your surroundings and note whether you’ll be disturbing folks around you if you hum out loud!  If so, just imagine the humming, and keep your exhale long.
 
This is a simple but powerful way to shift your nervous system away from anxiety and toward calm.
 
I’m going to use Humming Breath for my scanxiety before and after my next mammogram.  In fact, I’ll do it any time I need greater calm.
 
Give it a try!
 
And if you are due for a mammogram, make sure to get it scheduled.  And consider humming while you wait.
 
 
 
 

Yesterday, October 1, was the International Day of Older Persons.  This was a surprise to me, and perhaps it is a surprise to you as well.  This designation was given to October 1 by the United Nations in December of 1990 and first celebrated in 1991.  That year, the UN General Assembly also adopted the United Nations Principles for Older Persons.  (“Older person” is defined here as 65 and above….please read on even if you are not yet 65!)
 
The International Day of Older Persons certainly wasn’t on my radar, nor would it have caught my attention, in October of 1991.  My second daughter had been born two months before, and as a 37-year-old with two young daughters, I certainly didn’t look ahead to when I would be 65 and designated as an “older person.”
 
But here I am, now 68, and grateful to be here. And the truth is that we are all aging. Maybe you haven’t yet reached that golden age of 65, but you have been aging since the moment of birth. 
 
The UN website notes:  “Rapid growth in the number of people reaching older ages underscores the significance of promoting health, preventing, and treating illnesses throughout the entire course of life.”
 
Maybe you’re interested in national and international policy around supporting people as they age. Or perhaps you’re trying to figure out how best to support yourself as you age.
 
In my opinion, it is in our best interests, individually and collectively, to develop actions and attitudes that foster the healthiest versions of ourselves.  There are so many reasons to do this, including:  reducing our own health care costs, relying less on the over-stressed medical professionals in our communities (whenever we can), maintaining our independence,  finding our purpose and passions, and increasing our health span – the amount of time in our lives that we spend good health.
 
I’ll be writing more on these issues soon, but for now let me just say …..yoga…..slow, mindful yoga…..is one way.