Minding Your Body Embracing Life New dance explores the process of surviving breast cancer. Story by Aria Seligmann It's one of those damp, misty winter days where light and shadows play across the sky and over the hills facing LCC's main campus, teasing, taunting that sun might break through at any moment. School's closed for MLK, Jr. Day and no one's around. Parking lots are empty. At the PE building, one outside door is slightly ajar. It opens into the dance studio, where two women stand facing each other in the semi-lit space, talking quietly, so in tune to each other they ignore their own images projected back to them by the wall-length mirror. One of the women, Barbara Myrick, begins to dance. She gets down on the floor and pretends to write as if she's writing in sand. As she turns, first crouching, then standing, her writing gets bigger, bolder, freer. She spins and twirls as she writes, now in the air, now all around. LCC dance instructor Bonnie Simoa sits on the floor against the mirrored wall and begins to read. The words she's reading were written by Myrick as journal entries to her son, Brian, who was just four years old when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. "June 16, 1994," reads Simoa, "What you didn't know today, dear son, is how scared I am. Today I learned that I have a lump in my breast that is possibly cancer. It scares me, even though I know we were lucky to find it ¿ because I fear for you. I want to live a long time for you. I will know next week what it is. In the meantime, I will probably smother you with I love yous." The next entries chronicle the process of mastectomy, chemotherapy, radiation as Simoa continues reading. "Sept. 25, 1994: I'm very tired and unable to be active with you." Soon, Myrick's dance is finished. And breathtaking. Brian is now 10. Myrick will continue to write in that journal until he is 21. Then she'll give it to him. Meanwhile, part of surviving breast cancer means sharing that experience with others. And that's why Myrick's here, dancing her first-ever dance solo in Amazing Grace, a work choreographed by Simoa that will be performed at LCC in mid-February. Simoa, who began teaching at Lane in Fall of '99, conceived of this dance ¿ a frank exploration of the process of breast cancer diagnosis, treatment and healing ¿ when fellow dance instructor and friend Mary Seereiter fell prey to the disease. "She's such a beautiful, open, healthy person," says Simoa, "the last person you'd think would get breast cancer." Indeed, Seereiter was shocked, too. "It was just an annual exam. I had no symptoms, was feeling really healthy, was completely low risk," she says. She had avoided having mammograms for four years, not wanting to inundate her body with radiation. Her doctor had pushed her to have mammograms every year after age 40, then definitely after 50. "I figured I would after 50," she says. On Aug. 23, 1999, at age 51, after having had a mammogram that showed an abnormality, Seereiter was diagnosed with breast cancer. On Sept. 23, exactly one month later, she had a mastectomy ¿ surgery to remove a breast. Then one month after surgery, she started working on the dance. "Through the whole process, Bonnie and I talked. She really was there as a confidante for me. The dance was a way for both of us to go deeper into processing what had actually happened," she says. What had "happened" to Seereiter and to Myrick has happened to many other women. Help and Hope Local organizations match volunteer breast cancer survivors with current patients. * Reach to Recover is through the American Cancer Society. It is a buddy program connecting survivors with patients. Women and men are matched up according to age and particular concerns and issues. Because there are so many stages, options and treatments available, information is plentiful and each woman is encouraged to make her own decisions about treatment. Call the American Cancer Society at 484-2281 for referral number. * Women's Cancer Hopeline and Resource Center provides information, support and advocacy for women and their families and friends affected by a diagnosis of cancer. Hopeline also emphasizes the right of every woman to choose her own treatment options. It is located in the new Cascades Wellness Center. 681-9272. Breast cancer is a malignant tumor that has developed from cells of the breast. The disease occurs mostly in women, but does occur rarely in men. It is the most common cancer among women, excluding nonmelanoma skin cancers. The American Cancer Society (ACS) estimates that in 2001 about 193,700 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed among women in the U.S. An estimated 1,500 cases will be diagnosed among men. The breast cancer incidence rate, a measure of the number of new breast cancers per 100,000 women, increased by about 4 percent per year during the 1980s. During the 1990s, the incidence leveled off to 110.6 cases per 100,000 women. In 2001, the ACS estimates there will be about 40,600 deaths from breast cancer in the U.S. (40,200 among women, and 400 among men). Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in women, exceeded only by lung cancer. Death rates from breast cancer declined significantly during 1992 to 1996, with the largest decreases in younger women ¿ both white and black. These decreases are probably the result of earlier detection and improved treatment. About 77 percent of women with newly diagnosed breast cancer are over the age of 50. Words. Numbers. Facts. Increasing trends. Yet no matter how common the diagnosis, the deeply wrenching, personal trauma of breast cancer is something each patient must go through herself. Yet Simoa says it's amazing how women know what they need to do to nurture, nourish and take care of each other. Myrick, who was just entering her fifth year of surviving breast cancer, helped Simoa through her grief over Seereiter's illness. "It was meaningful and poignant hearing Barb telling her story openly and sharing what she learned with me," says Simoa. Simoa had her own issues to deal with, having not been with her mother during her mother's fight with breast cancer. "Radiation, chemotherapy, I had no idea she was going through such intense treatment," says Simoa. Her mother survived, but so did Simoa's guilt. "I wanted to heal that part for myself," she says. As she spoke with Myrick, strong images began appearing to Simoa. She saw dance scenes between lovers, of women dancing in nature, of triumph and loss. "I wanted to give shape and form to the process women go through," she says. During her research for the dance, she found that women going through breast cancer long to talk about it and write about it. "It is freeing for them," she says. Amazing Grace is a highly emotional work, running from the lows of diagnosis to suffering from painful procedures to ultimately, transformation and the embracing of life triumphant. There are moments of comic relief, poignant connections, original music and multi-media effects. Included are a video of a mammogram and a dance work using Seereiter's journal with a fierce and gritty description of a wiremarker procedure (where for an unending amount of time a breast is squished while a wire pushes into it at the exact place where the tissue must be cut). Seereiter read and recorded that journal entry. Simoa approached composer Jeff Defty to write some original music for that segment and others. "That segment is emotionally intense," says Defty. "I read the piece, saw Mary dance it (it's a four-minute solo), and I heard a soundscape of really industrial high-tech things. The music takes the role of a sterile clinical environment. Where it's painful and brutal, I felt a sort of sucking sound as if I were being pulled into something I couldn't control. Background sounds, the whir of technology, irregular pulse that you can't get comfortable with, were all things I heard." Defty has also composed some other segments of the work, such as a love dance between Seereiter and male dancer Wind Kim. For that segment, where two beings are enwrapped in a state of primordial union, before masculine and feminine has been distinguished, Defty plays solo cello, which enters first as part of the harmonic texture then thickens with tremolo (a rapid repeated note) then switches to recorder where a drone emerges, followed by a flute playing a snake theme. The dance is an improvisation, which means Defty will have to watch closely and follow their movements to match. In the final scene, Seereiter is transformed into a powerful woman, elevated to the status of goddess ¿ in this case, Artemis, one-breasted goddess of the hunt and fertility. Defty has written world music for its universal theme, bringing in "all sorts of drums and other percussion" to illustrate it. As for the dance itself, Defty believes people will have a cathartic experience watching it. "Anyone who's a survivor or who has lost someone will see reflected in the dance movement an incredible spirit. It's an honor to be part of this project," he says. To this dance, there's more, much more. Just as there is in the process of healing from breast cancer. "Mary and Barbara are so courageous to reveal so much of themselves through this work," says Simoa. "It's emotional; so many times we'd lie down and start laughing, just to deal with it." But the process, which began last fall, has been healing and is now to the point where during rehearsals, the dancers are improving the quality and it's not a psychological exercise every time. "I never felt like I couldn't do the dance," says Seereiter. "I needed to go to those places and really feel it. It's authentic movement ¿ I've gone to those places before." And the audience can take away lessons learned from those who've survived. From Myrick's journal to her son: Feb. 6, 1995: In many ways, cancer has been a blessing. It reminds me to slow down and enjoy you and Dad, since it's true I have no idea how long I may be able to do that. Really, this is true for everyone ƒ but most of us don't understand this. Amazing Grace will be performed at 8 pm Feb. 15-17 at LCC's main campus. Tix: 726-2202. Minding Your Body Mental Tune-Ups CCC volunteers provide affordable, professional counseling. By Aria Seligmann Among some people, the idea of going for professional counseling might be too embarrassing to talk about; they might fear some sort of "crazy" label tacked onto them if they dare admit they've got a problem. So many stay away, living in denial that their problems aren't really that bad and they can cruise through this life solo, never needing any help along the way. Others would love the chance to get some mental guidance -- if only they could afford it. Well, they can. At the Center for Community Counseling, formerly the ASLIN house, the sliding scale fee is $2-$33 per hour, based on income and other factors. The CCC building is located in the parking lot of St. Thomas Episcopal Church on Coburg Road. The low fees are due to the fact that all 70 counselors are volunteers. Clients' fees are used for operating costs of the building, costs which are also offset by grants and individual contributions. The CCC was founded by a former parishioner of St. Thomas's, but is not affiliated with the church in any way and the counseling is not Christian-based, although if Christian clients want to speak with someone who's like-minded, they will be matched up with appropriate volunteers. And that's true for all clients. Nancy Weisel, the clinical director, matches up the 200-plus clients the clinic sees per year with an appropriate counselor. After a brief telephone intake, the client comes in and does a two to three hour interview with one of the counselors. Weisel then matches up each client based on issues and requests with a counselor who specializes in that field. If the match doesn't work, another counselor will be provided. Clients are not labelled according to the clinical DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) but rather treated as individuals with specific needs. CCC does not provide drugs or hospital backup; but does offer help to otherwise functioning clients who simply need some help getting through life. They may have relationship issues, losses, parenting concerns, spousal problems, or just be struggling and want to get back into school or get a job. CCC offers individual and couple counseling as well as classes: Nurturing Parent, Advanced Nurturing Parent, Anger Management, and Couple's Enrichment. Onsite childcare is provided with all of the classes. The classes "all come out of a strong commitment to help prevent child abuse and neglect," says Weisel. "It's not therapy but it's therapeutic." All of the volunteer counselors are professionals with at least a master's degree in social work or psychology. Because counselors are volunteers, they can let clients go when clients are ready; not keep them on because they need the income. And clients who need longterm care are net let go before they're ready because their insurance has run out. Some clients have been seen for five years, because that's what they needed. For their efforts, counselors who see at least four clients per week (either onsite or in their own office), receive free training and supervision over cases. "Everyone is treated equally, everyone is important, whether they pay $2 or $33," says Cori Taggart, a volunteer counselor who has been with the center since 1985. Taggart volunteers because she sees "the system" as unfair. She's committed to serving low income people. "It makes me feel better to help acknowledge other's worth. To be part of something that's helping rather than ignoring needs. I was low income and helped by those who made a difference," she says. CCC operates on a low budget and exists solely on grants and contributions and the fee it charges clients. Four part-time paid staff run the place; the rest are volunteers. More money and more counselors are always needed. "For every $1 donated, we provide $2.70 back to the community in services," says Weisel. For more information, contact her at 344-0620. Minding Your Body High on Chocolate The brown stuff has flavonoids, phenols and can give you a buzz. By Mad Dog, AlterNet   The Kronos Quartet performs groundbreaking music Jan. 26 in Portland. .   It's unsettling to discover that something as delightfully sinful as chocolate may actually be good for you. It's not just that we're being robbed of one of life's little pleasures -- gorging on something we know is absolutely, positively, without a shadow of a doubt horrible for us yet makes us feel so good -- but once again, they told us something that turned out to be wrong. When I was growing up, they said the harder I worked the more money I'd make. They said everything happens for a reason. And They said it was only a phase. Well, They were wrong all the way down the line. Now it turns out they were wrong about chocolate, too. After years of being warned not to eat it lest our faces break out in acne, we become hyperactive balls of unbridled energy, and our appetites go the way of the dial phone, it turns out the only thing chocolate used to do that it still does is make the Hershey family richer. Chocolate, you see, may actually be a health food. No lesser source than The Journal of Nutrition (motto: "You are what we say you should eat") recently published a series of studies showing that chocolate contains flavonoids. Not to pull a Stephen Hawking on you, but flavonoids are those little teeny tiny chemical thingies that live in red wine, green tea, and certain fruits and vegetables that makes them expensive. Not only that, they help decrease the risk of heart disease and stroke. So it's good that they're in chocolate. But wait, there's more! A couple of years ago researchers at the University of California at Davis -- undoubtedly while on a snack break -- discovered chemicals in chocolate called phenols which stop the bad fat component of cholesterol (Bad fat component! Bad fat component!) from oxidizing into plaque, the stuff that clogs your arteries. So while eating M&Ms may help plaque form on your teeth, at the same time it will help keep your aorta as clear as a storm drain in the Sahara. Since dark chocolate has more of these phenols than light chocolate, it's only a matter of time before aging Baby Boomers start sidling up to the bar and ordering a Cabernet with a Tobler Dark twist. Hold the almonds. Medical researchers aren't the only ones getting their inspiration from snack machines. The fine folks in Detroit who brought us the Edsel, windshield wipers on headlights, and cars that talk ("Your door is a jar." "No it isn't, it's a door.") are looking into making shock absorbers out of chocolate. And you thought chocolate's most important use was as an I.V. drip during PMS. It started a couple of years ago when a graduate student at Michigan State University and his trusty professor discovered that when they jolted melted Hershey bars with a moderately high-voltage electric shock, the creamy, smooth, I-wish-I-had-some-right-now-mmmmmm-wouldn't-that-taste-good liquid chocolate instantly turned into a stiff gel. And reverted back into a liquid as soon as the power was turned off. I'm not sure what ever made them think this was something grown adults should be doing, but I wish I'd been around when they worked their way through the kitchen cabinets, shocking Twinkies, Jell-o, and Tuna Helper before they got around to the Snickers bars. So how do we get from giving electroshock therapy to a Nestlé's Crunch bar to cruising down the highway on fudge-filled shock absorbers? Easy. Electrified chocolate is the latest discovery in the field of electrorheology, or the science of using government grant money to buy candy bars. Actually, scientists are looking into using these "smart fluids" in automatic transmissions and hydraulic valves. The Monroe Auto Equipment Co. has already used a "smart fluid" in experimental shock absorbers for a Ford Thunderbird. The car not only raced around the track in record time -- proving that chocolate not only causes hyperactivity in humans but also automobiles -- but it turned out to be 100 percent acne-free. Of course it was a new car so it had quite a ways to go before reaching puberty. But there's a fly in the chocolate shock absorber ointment. Like all electrorheologic fluids, chocolate stops doing its electroshock gel thing when it reaches high temperatures. This is where chocolate has a marked advantage over the other "smart fluids" -- if you were stranded on a dark, lonely highway and your cholesterol level was shooting up like a rocket all you'd have to do is pull off one of your rear shocks and suck the chocolate right out of that baby. Unfortunately none of this may ever come to fruition because chocolate may soon be illegal. A report in Nature magazine (motto: "The most quoted periodical no one ever reads") disclosed that eating chocolate can make you high. Apparently there are chemicals in chocolate which target the same brain receptors as marijuana. The bad news is you'd have to eat about 25 lbs. of Godivas to get a good buzz. The good news is, that's nothing you haven't done before. Thus, chocolate turns out to be nothing less than a miracle: It's good for you, it can make your car ride smoother, and you can get a good high without having to inhale. Stock up now before it becomes prescription only. Minding Your Body MYB Shorts Celebrating Menopause You can almost hear the collective moan of sympathy among women every time the word "menopause" is mentioned. Hot flashes, insomnia, headaches and mood swings immediately come to mind. In the medical world, menopause is most often treated as a disease or sickness. But naturopath Dr. Susanna Reid feels that menopause is a celebration, a passage in which a woman finally has biological control over her body. "From the time a woman starts to bleed, her main concerns are pregnancy and avoidance of sexual intercourse. From that perspective, menopause is a time of great freedom," she says. Along with Dr. John Ashton, Reid opened Soterion, a clinic at 1661 High St., in November, which specializes in natural menopause and breast cancer treatment. Currently, mainstream medicine "treats" menopause with hormones, but Reid sites new evidence showing hormones may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. Reid says that women often turn to her when they're not satisfied with "the seven minutes they're allocated with a traditional practitioner." She insists on an hour-long initial consultation in order to better know how to help the person. Normally, she starts by prescribing changes in diet and movement. If a patient needs further assistance, there are herbal "natural hormones" available. Reid often suggests eating soy and flax seeds and taking the herb cimicifuga racemosa to help decrease symptoms. As a last resort, she will sometimes prescribe conventional hormones. Reid frequently holds seminars dealing with menopause and breast cancer. She's currently planning a weekend retreat at Breitenbush in celebration of menopause. "We have to change the way women look at natural events in our lives. We have to reclaim them as a natural part of ourselves rather than as medical problems to be treated." -- Jennifer Snelling Cascades Wellness Center A variety of services, educational opportunities and resources for holistic health are now available under one roof at the Cascades Wellness Center. Classes taught by licensed professionals include Stress/Symptom Reduction Meditation, Menopause -- What are My Options?, Energetic Therapies, Weight Loss, Meditation and Imagery for Cancer Patients, and Cancer-Now What? The Center also houses Hopeline, a service for cancer patients and their families. The center's medical director is Joseph P. Arpaia, MD. It is located at 90 E. 27th Ave., Suite B, Eugene. Stop by or call 683-0644 for more information. -- AS Cheap Medical Care A new booklet published by the Financial Assistance Network in Washington, D.C., provides information on healthcare accessibility. The booklet, Free and Low Cost Medical Care, includes information on care provided under the federal Hill-Burton program. The program has been in effect for more than 50 years, providing more than $35 billion to qualified participants. Currently, 687 facilities across the nation provide low cost or free medical care to patients in their locale, but very few know about their existence. Information on free or low cost prescription drugs and help paying energy bills is also available. In Eugene, free or low cost healthcare is available through Lane County Public Health, 135 E. 6th Ave., 682-4013. To get more information on other facilities, send $5 for the booklet to: Financial Assistance Network, Free and Low Cost Medical Care Booklet, Dept. MCB-0109, PO Box 60848, Washington, D.C., 20039, or call (202) 595-1039 or check out the website at www.FinancialAssistanceNetwork.org -- AS Wash Your Paws And this just in from Martin Wasserman, MD, administrator of the Health Division in the Oregon Department of Human Services. "With the cold and flu season upon us, the best advice an epidemiologist can give you was shared in 1847 by Ignaz Semmelweiss: Wash your hands regularly and well." Semmelweiss was ridiculed by his peers for suggesting that doctors should wash their hands often to prevent spreading germs, but we can take his advice seriously today. -- AS Table of Contents | News & Views | Arts & Entertainment Classifieds | Personals | EW Archive