FEB. 23-25: SPA AND RESORT EXPO RETURNS TO LA CONVENTION CENTER

Exciting show floor features include:

New Product Showcases - See the latest products in aromatherapy, clinical skin care, dental care, eye care, laser therapy, mesotherapy, microderm abrasion, robes/bathware accessories, skin care, and spa equipment.

Spa Sanctuary - Brings the spa environment right onto the Show floor, providing a brief respite and the chance to enjoy mini treatments such as facial massage, stone massage, foot exfoliation, teeth whitening freshen up, and much more in 10-15 minute “appointments".

Featured Product Area - The Featured Product Area hosts products and services for massage, skin care and medical aesthetics industries.

Green Room - Visit this oasis, located right on the show floor for daily breaks.

Spa Experience Entryway - Our thanks to spa consultants, Lexi Design, for enhancing the show entrance and appearance.

Sunday hours: 11am to 5pm. Monday: 11am to 4pm. Location: Los Angeles Convention Center, downtown LA. More information at www.spaandresortexpo.com.

LIFE ALERT FEATURED ON THE MARTHA STEWART SHOW IN HEALTH-TECH SEGMENT; MARTHA AND DR. BRENT RIDGE RECOMMEND LIFE ALERT SERVICE TO THEIR VIEWERS

Life Alert, known for protecting the lives of seniors and increasingly younger adults, captures the attention of Martha Stewart and Dr. Brent Ridge, VP of Martha Stewart Healthy Living, who touts Life Alert’s “inexpensive yet vital” service on national TV show

(January 30, 2008 – Encino, CA) Life Alert is widely known for its popular TV commercials, featuring its trademarked slogan “I’ve fallen, and I can’t get up!” Now, Life Alert is being featured on TV shows itself. The service -- which saves a life every 40 minutes, on average -- is essential for maintaining the health of its members, and no TV program embodies healthy living more than “The Martha Stewart Show,” where Life Alert was recently featured. The national TV program, which attracts the highest concentration of women 25-54 with incomes of $75,000-plus among all first-run daytime series, selected Life Alert to be part of its January 23rd segment on tech gadgets for your health.

The Life Alert service received a strong recommendation from Dr. Brent Ridge, who co-hosted the segment and serves as Vice President of Healthy Living at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. When discussing Life Alert, Dr. Ridge told the show’s studio and national audience that “we recommend this to all of the patients at the Martha Stewart Center for Living,” adding that the service is “so inexpensive yet so vital for people.”

Members of Life Alert can get assistance 24/7 in the event of an emergency (medical, fire or intrusion). As Martha and Dr. Ridge explained to their audience, one press of a small pendant quickly puts the wearer in touch with a Life Alert dispatcher, who talks to the member via a base unit (installed in the home) and sends help immediately if the member is injured, unable to speak, or in danger.

“We are pleased that Martha Stewart chose Life Alert for her show about health-related technology, as we know how selective she is on featuring products and services,” says Isaac Shepher, Life Alert’s founder and CEO. “We are extremely proud to serve our members with state-of-the-art equipment and services, as we have done for over 20 years.” The company, which has members nationwide, saved over 15,000 lives from catastrophic outcomes in 2007 alone. As Dr. Ridge pointed out in the TV segment, Life Alert handles over a million calls a year.

While Life Alert has primarily been servicing seniors and the elderly for the past 20 years, their service is becoming increasingly popular among Boomers and younger adults, whose parents may have the service as well. The reality is that adults of any age can benefit from Life Alert protection, especially when living alone.

Other devices featured on Martha's segment about tech gadgets for health: GPS-enabled sneakers (you can look up the wearer's location on a map via computer -- useful, for example, to keep track of someone with Alzheimer's disease), Glow Caps (can "illuminate, play a melody, and even ring a home phone" as a reminder to take medications) and the Ultreo Toothbrush ("the first power toothbrush to combine patented ultrasound wave-guide technology with precisely tuned sonic bristle action").

About Life Alert

Life Alert is a Personal Emergency Response company that saves lives from catastrophic outcomes, using a unique technology to provide superior home monitoring and protection. Life Alert was founded in 1987, provides services nationwide, and is the only company endorsed by former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. C. Everett Koop.

The Life Alert service solves an issue that is especially important for seniors: home-based protection. Life Alert enables seniors, the handicapped and anyone needing protection to keep living at home with independence and comfort, living their lives the way they are used to, without drastic changes. The average senior Life Alert member keeps living in their own home for an extra six years, compared to those of a similar age without Life Alert. In addition, an ACNielsen study showed that 87% of subscribers called Life Alert’s protection a main or important factor in their decision to keep living at home, rather than move to a retirement home. As Dr. Koop says, “Thanks to Life Alert, you can live alone without ever being alone, and that’s why I wear one.”

For more information on Life Alert, call 1-800-360-0329 or visit www.lifealert.com.

About The Martha Stewart Show

“The Martha Stewart Show,” also known as “Martha,” is a U.S. daytime television syndicated talk show that began airing in September 2005. Hosted by Martha Stewart, each episode includes segments on cooking, interior design, gardening, crafts, health and other topics. “Martha” attracts the highest concentration of women 25-54 with incomes of $75,000-plus among all first-run daytime series, according to Nielsen Media Research. It ranks second to only “The Oprah Winfrey Show” among women 25-54 in households that earn $100,000-plus annually. The Martha Stewart Show is produced by Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Productions in association with Mark Burnett Productions.

The show, which also features celebrity guests, is taped live in New York City at 10 a.m. and airs at various times in several markets. “Martha” also airs nightly on the digital cable network Fine Living. The show is distributed by NBC Universal Domestic Television Distribution, in a partnership with Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. In November 2007, “Martha” was renewed for a fourth season. NBC Universal renewed in over 60% of the U.S. Station groups picking up the how-to program include the NBC-owned stations, Fox, Belo, Fisher Communications, Scripps, Hearst-Argyle Television, Allbritton Communications and Clear Channel Communications.

Media Contact: Dr. Don Rose, Head of Public Relations, Life Alert Emergency Response. 1-818-700-7000 x103 or drose@lifealert.com .

WE LOVE LUCY: FORWARD EMAIL TO FIGHT HEART DISEASE

MBTs ROCK (SNEAKERS? SHOES? FITNESS/EXERCISE EQUIPMENT? ALL OF THE ABOVE!)

Product Review by Don Rose

You know you have something special when your new sneakers/shoes come with their own instructional/informational DVD, and even a mini-guide booklet tethered to a lace hole! As the booklet says, "Strictly speaking, MBTs are not shoes at all." Whoa. What a statement! They sure look like shoes! But read on: "MBTs are highly effective pieces of fitness and exercise equipment. And this is also their main benefit." In other words, they may appear to be just a pair of sneakers/shoes, and they do achieve that basic function (getting you around while encasing your feet in cushy comfort), but they also achieve other useful functions, namely helping your posture and (according to others' testimonials) alleviating back/leg/foot problems.



When I say MBTs rock, I don't just mean I like them a lot and think they "really rock, dude!" -- I also mean it literally. The curved sole is reminiscent of the curved bottom of a rocking chair; as with a rocking chair, you can balance easily atop your MBTs, or you can rock back and forth a little. Wearing the MBTs on the first day also reminded me of my first day trying another piece of cool technology -- the Segway; it too takes a little getting used to, but in a very short time you find yourself balancing easily, and enjoying it immensely, and it's very easy to use.

My first reaction when I opened the MBT box: cool look, great smell. (Ah, that new shoe aroma!) I chose black, size 11 (a half size bigger than my usual 10.5, but I was advised to go a bit big, and they were right; the fit felt perfect). I was so pleased at the great fit right out of the box, something that rarely happens for me. It may be the best feeling of immediate comfort I have ever experienced in a new shoe or sneaker. It just felt right away like a favorite snug glove you love, even though it's new. I also noticed the thick soles; I felt like I was taller, and standing straighter.

I wore my MBTs all day today, even ran a little with them, and I never really felt any loss of balance, even though I was wearing a new piece of technology and never spent a day wearing curved soles before. I did, however, feel like the shoes were a tad heavy when running; my guess is that it just takes getting used to, since MBTs do after all feature thicker soles than most shoes I have seen. Also, keep in mind that I spent my Day One going on intuition, without reading the manual (something I don't recommend you do, since the manual does have useful instructions and information); I wanted to see how intuitive the MBTs were to use. I am sure reading the manual will make future days with the MBTs even more fun and rewarding, as I will better understand how to "operate" them for maximum benefits.

To summarize my Day One experience: I like them, I really like them! More specifically, I believe MBT's makers (Swiss Masai, www.swissmasai.com) are on to something unique, and potentially groundbreaking, in the fitness footwear industry. MBTs strike me as a unique piece of technology that, at the very least, combines great comfort, support, sleek style, and improvement in posture. Other MBT owners also report experiencing health benefits that include pain relief, stronger muscles, etc. The MBT shoes may cost a bit more than some other shoes, but for all the benefits and quality you get, it sure seems worth it. It's also nice to know that MBT unconditionally guarantees their footwear against defects for six months (although, judging by how solid these shoes feel, I highly doubt that will ever be an issue).

Special kudos to Melanie Segal of Platinum Publicity, who featured MBTs this year at her always-excellent Platinum Pre-Emmy Suites, held at the Luxe Hotel on Rodeo Drive; many celebrities and VIPs attending the rooftop penthouse event stopped by MBT's packed booth to try them on. The LA Report has heard that several celebs wear MBTs regularly, which is not surprising, since they are often the first to hear about and investigate cutting-edge trends in health and fitness. Our advice to you, dear reader: read more about MBTs, visit their website, try a pair on, and I bet you'll soon be saying, "I want my MBT."