Seven years ago, we were at a tire shop waiting for a flat to be changed when we inexplicably broke out into a sweat, felt our extremities go numb, struggled to breathe and felt like our brain was somehow trying to leave our body. It was like simultaneously dying and losing one’s mind. That turned out to be a panic attack, the first of many in our two-year battle with recurring episodes. So we were personally interested in reading Learning to Breathe: My Yearlong Quest to Bring Calm to My Life (Free Press, 2011), about New York Times best-selling author Priscilla Warner’s journey to overcome her 40-year struggle with panic disorder and achieve the inner peace common to Tibetan monks.

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Sin By Silence, a powerful film about women who are incarcerated — some with life sentences — for killing their abusive partners debuts tonight at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Investigation Discovery. The documentary’s title comes from an observation by Abraham Lincoln, “to sin by silence when we should protest makes cowards of men,” which we think is particularly appropriate, since October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

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We’ve all heard about mindless eating, the distracted munching in front of the TV or while multitasking that leads to weight gain. So it makes sense that its opposite — mindful eating — has been shown to reduce binging and improve eating habits in numerous studies.

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We love to unwind with some soothing music after a long day, and numerous medical studies show that a musical interlude can induce the relaxation response, the body’s counter-command to the stress response. Other research demonstrates music can temporarily relieve symptoms of depression and anxiety, and even suppress pain. But we had the chance to literally feel the power of music when we checked out the TAIZ Sensorium treatment recently at Miraval Resort & Spa in Tucson, AZ.

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If you’ve been procrastinating about getting a mammogram you’ll be motivated to make an appointment after seeing Five, Lifetime’s quintet of short films that debuts tonight at 9 p.m. We can’t think of a better way to mark Breast Cancer Awareness Month than with these emotionally resonant stories about women dealing with the disease.

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We recently had the opportunity to hear the inspirational Nancy Brinker, founder of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, speak at the American Dietetic Association’s Food & Nutrition Conference & Expo in San Diego. “I know the month of October comes and a lot of you think, ‘Oh, a lot of pink,’” Brinker said, drawing laughs from the mostly female audience. But as long as 456,000 women die from breast cancer every year, “There will be more pink,” she promised. Enter Breast Cancer Awareness Month, which means October is the best month of the year for win-win shopping, in our opinion.

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Though many remain in the dark about the specifics of lupus, an estimated 1.5 million people — 90 percent of them women — suffer from this chronic, incurable autoimmune disease. We know several people affected by lupus, so we were happy to support Lupus LA, which raises awareness and money for research, prevention and treatment of the disease, by attending its annual Get Lucky For Lupus LA poker tournament at Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles. This year’s event raised more than $70,000, the highest total in three years, through entry fees, donations and auctions of Hollywood and sports memorabilia, trips, luxury gift baskets and VIP experiences like set visits to CSI: NY and The Office.

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On the heels of a rocky financial ride last month, this we know for sure: we can block off the week of Oct. 10 to 16 for bliss. This fall marks the 15th biannual return of Spa Week, an event during which hundreds of spas, yoga and Pilates studios, and wellness facilities across North America offer some of their signature services, which typically cost between $100 and $400, for just $50. Booking begins Sept. 12 for the 2011 spa week, which features contemporary and cutting-edge spa services available, such as laser facials, trigger-point massage, nutritional counseling sessions and meditation and yoga classes.

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In the July/August issue of VIVmag, we shared “The Right Spa for a Big Moment” for five of life’s biggest ups and downs, from celebrating a big anniversary to regrouping after a personal tragedy. Now through Sept. 11, Spa Week Daily, the official blog of Spa Week, and Joy Bauer, M.S., R.D., nutrition expert for the Today show, are offering the chance to win a six-night lifestyle makeover package for a winner and guest at the Biggest Loser Resort at Fitness Ridge in Malibu, CA, with the Fast Track to Health Giveaway. Geared towards healthier living, those who stay at the resort get a head start on weight-loss goals.

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We joined ubiquitous celeb trainer Bob Harper, who can be seen on Season 12 of NBC’s The Biggest Loser when it premieres Sept. 20, for a seaside workout recently outside the swanky Casa del Mar hotel in Santa Monica. The Los Angeles-based Harper led the strenuous partner fitness demo for female bloggesses to call attention to health insurer Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield’s new Health Footprint campaign — a RealAge-style health assessment that weights your social-media clout heavily in its scoring. (We, for example, beat our workout buddy by 5,000 points, due no doubt to our multitudinous Facebook friends. You don’t have to be an Anthem member to use the calculator: You can see how you score on the company’s website.

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