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If you have a friend or a loved one about to turn 40, its likely that theyre currently taking stock of all theyve accomplished so far, while in the back of their mind gearing up for a whole new batch of anxieties. Its a birthday that can feel like a whirlwind, according to Christopher Choa, the director of cities and urban development at engineering firm AECOM. Youve mastered what you need to do for family and work, he told us, but youre anxious about having to deal with so many responsibilities on your own.

It would make sense, then, that such a transitional moment might call for a gift that seems a step up from the types of things you might give on any other birthday. According to Choa and the seven other cool people we spoke to all of whom have either marched over the hill or are about to turn 40 the best 40th-birthday gifts can be things to help one stay calm and relaxed or allow for a bit of self-pampering, items that let the recipient further indulge in a favorite pastime (like a nice cutting board for the home chef), or special pieces that the recipient could have for the next 40 years. (After all, by 40, youve learned to take care of your favorite things, says Scott Schuman, the founder of the Sartorialist.) Below, our eight cool people share 26 ideas from a sleek hairbrush to an anti-aging moisturizer to a statement pair of socks to the aforementioned cutting board that they say will help anyone entering their fifth decade do so in style.

Marie du Petit Thouars, the founder of cult-y candle and fragrance brand Maison Louie Marie, says that at 40, a person might find themselves with the time and space in their home to develop new skills. Thats precisely why she recommends gifting this pasta-making machine (that a professional pasta-maker has also recommended to us). Its something youd never buy yourself, du Petit Thouars says, but thats what makes it a wonderful addition to any foodie friends kitchen.

By the time youre 40, you might want even the most functional objects in your home to reflect your aesthetic and taste, according to du Petit Thouars, who says that this French press which weve also written about before manages to be both functional, unique, and calming. Its simple, the ceramic is unusual, and its elegant, she says all things that make it sound like a pretty great gift.

Fashion blogger and flight attendant Tenille Murphy told us that this Stagg kettle (that weve called the most stylish electric kettle there is) was a spot on gift from her husband. She adds: My first thought was how pretty, dare I say, sexy, it was, before noting that its as functional as it is stylish. As Murphy explains, the Stagg kettle has a digital readout enabling you to heat water to a precise temperature, which is one reason why she says it would make a great gift for any full-time tea drinker. And the kettles sleek, matte-black finish begs to be on prominent display in any kitchen, she says.

Another 40th-worthy kitchen tool, according to Murphy, is a high-end knife, like this Japanese chefs knife that she owns and loves. Japanese knives are lighter, typically hand honed, and, in my opinion, prettier, she told us. Murphy says if you really want to impress your recipient, you could gift the knife with one of Sur La Tables knife-skills classes. She took one and called it a game-changer that taught her how to best use her new knife for chopping, paring, slicing, and cutting like a professional chef. If youre interested in giving a knife but want to shop around, check out our everything guide to knives.

Should your recipient be all set with knives, Murphy says that an equally thoughtful gift would be a high-quality cutting board they can use with them. You cant just cut on any old surface once you have good knives, Murphy explains. According to her, these Epicurean cutting boards dont damage blades, stack nicely in drawers, come in a variety of sizes, and best of all, are very affordable.

And should your recipient be all set with knives and cutting boards, Murphy recommends giving them this tray that she calls a safe place to store their beauties without damaging their sharp edges. Because it can fit inside a drawer, the tray helps to keep countertops clutter free, and unlike wood blocks that sit on counters, it doesnt matter which slot I lay my knives in.

Fancy olive oil is another thing someone rarely buys for themselves, but that most home cooks really appreciate. While weve written about many chef-approved olive oils, this high-quality bottle du Petit Thouars recommends is new to us. She found it at a small store near her home in L.A. that she says only sells the most amazing Italian goods. For more olive oils to choose from, check out our list of the best olive oils, according to chefs.

Du Petit Thouars adds that shed love anyone who gave her this healthy dark chocolate. Its from Belgium, where I grew up, and I always come back to it. If you choose to go the dark-chocolate route, consider gifting this with writer and cook Skye McAlpines treasured dark-chocolate tip that she shared with our friends at Strategist UK: My secret obsession is four chunks of chocolate on hot toast with a sprinkling of salt and a drizzle of olive oil. I cant tell you how unbelievably good it is.

Im turning 40 in April, and with every passing year, my interest in motivating myself to go out at night has dwindled, Brett Heyman, the founder of accessories brands Edie Parker and Flower by Edie Parker, told us. However, my interest in having friends over for a cocktail and a truffle goat cheese or soft ewes milk on a cracker has skyrocketed. Thats why she recommends sending your new 40-year-old a cheese-of-the-monthmembership, like this one from Murrays Cheese, which will ensure them a delivery of the latest and greatest fromages for as many months or years as you choose. In Heymans words, its the most thoughtful way to say I see you, and I love you.

For the big 4-0, I dont want to give a practical gift that will be swept up in the tide of daily life and forgotten, says writer Amanda Fortini, but rather a beautiful, not-so-useful object that you will treasure and would probably never buy for yourself. Thats why she chose to give her husband this set of tarot cards from Taschen, which is based on Salvador Dals cards commissioned for the James Bond film Live and Let Die. In addition to being a full deck you can use for a reading, the cards, which Fortini says are equal parts trippy and spooky and come in a purple felt box, would make for an eye-catching coffee-table accessory.

Perhaps your recipient is a sucker for the latest Scandinavian dramas or lives for MSNBCs nightly lineup? If so, you might want to get them something theyll really, really use. Yes, $1,500 can seem like an insane amount of money to spend on a TV, says Strategist senior editor Peter Martin, but OLED, the LED alternative thats been top of the television market in recent years, really does feel like 3-D. Martin says that this LG television specifically is worthy of the big spend you might be planning if this birthday gift is going to a significant other or an old friend, noting that they can enjoy it for decades to come. If youre looking to spend less than $1,000 on a good TV, check out these expert-recommended models.

Entering any new decade brings the stress of change, but your fifth decade can prove to be a particularly unsettling one, according to the folks we spoke to. Du Petit Thouars told us her go-to gift for someone anxious about their birthday is this solid brass incense burner that she calls an elevated way to burn incense (and looks good whether in use or not). The vessel burns the incense horizontally and has a curved catch-all brass tray underneath, minimizing mess and making it easy to clean, too.

According to Athena Hewett, the founder of skin-care studio Monastery, stylish candles that dont look millennial are increasingly hard to find. Thats why, for a 40th birthday, she recommends going for something more unexpected and sophisticated, like one of these sculptural candles from Carl Durkow. The unscented beeswax designs come in fun shapes that Hewett says are perfect for any mantel or shelf, and will draw attention whether lit or not.

If youd rather give a sophisticated candle that also smells nice, Fortini told us these candles from the cult perfumer Regime des Fleurs that she loves to give her friends would make for a great 40th-birthday gift. They come in a lovely porcelain vessel that looks like an antiquity unearthed, she explains, adding that recipients can use the vessel to hold pens or makeup or change after the wax burns down. And they smell divine, she promises.

At 40, life is complicated enough as it is, Choa told us. To simplify it somewhat, he recommends giving several pairs of these Albert Kreuz socks in the striking red color. With matching socks, he says, your recipient will never need to sort after laundering ever again, and their socks also wont look like anyone elses. And once they start wearing them, Choa says from experience that others will notice and, soon enough, the recipient will be set up in perpetuity for recurring supply.

For the well-coiffed woman or man who might want to start their new decade with a quality hairbrush, Hewett says this Yves Durif comb-and-brush set that she keeps spotting feels like the Mason Pearson for our generation. A well-made brush like this one, she says, offers a more luxurious massage for your scalp, is better at detangling, and stimulates the oil in the follicles to smooth and shine your hair. (Hewett notes that this one is the perfect size for throwing in your bag, too.)And like any good quality tool, its excellent craftsmanship is just obvious to an adult, she adds.

Heyman told us that jewelry is one of two gifts (along with that cheese) that would assuage her slight dread, because its personal, meaningful, and, if chosen well, cool as hell. If youre looking for inspiration, she says one of the best pieces of jewelry she ever received is an ID bracelet with I Love You in her daughters handwriting engraved onto it. While Heymans style from the ultra-high-end jeweler Sidney Garber is no longer available, this 14-karat Mejuri bracelet, while still expensive, costs a fraction of Garbers pieces and comes with the option to engrave for no extra cost. Mejuri, we should note, is fast becoming a Strategist favorite for special jewelry, with some of its hoops making an appearance in our list of 130 gifts you can buy for less than $104 (all of which were recommended by people with exacting taste). The brand is also one of nine that our own staffers recently tested jewelry from, with our tester concluding that Merjuri uses quality materials for less [money] than what youd typically pay at a traditional retailer.

According to Hewett, just because youre turning 40 doesnt mean youre unable to keep up with fashion trends you might just want a more elevated way to do so. One such trend she is keeping up with are scrunchies, noting that the 90s hair accessory is having an extended moment and not just among VSCO girls and other teens. For an age-appropriate twist on the scrunchie, she pointed us to this nice and classic satin-silk option from Sophie Buhai a designer whose scrunchies weve written about before with a name that kind of says it all.

If the trend catching your recipients eye is tie-dye, a 40th-birthday-appropriate option that will help them to fit in at Grateful Dead shows and the school playground alike, according to Hewett, is this refined spin on the tie-dye tee from designer John Elliot.

A person approaching 40 will be interested in preserving their best stuff for the next 40 years, says Schuman, who recommends giving both men and women a fashion essential that many overlook: A pair (or two or three) of shoe trees. Shoe trees are super important to maintain good shape and order for both dress shoes and expensive sneakers, he told us, adding that theyre a great way to maintain what we already own. Schuman doesnt have a favorite style: Buy the best you can afford, he told us. While there are less expensive plastic options, these shoe trees made of 100 percent cedar have a handcrafted look that makes them a bit more giftable, and are also quite functional (in addition to helping shoes keep their shape, the cedars moisture-absorbing ability will help dry them out between wears).

In kind of the same vein, du Petit Thouars says these made-in-Italy scented tablets from Santa Maria Novella are a great gift for the clotheshorse about to turn 40. My husband first gifted me these, and I now cannot live without them in my closet, she says. Rest them on any free space in your closet, and the rose-infused wax will have your clothes smelling like a summer garden (just note that the brand says not to let them touch any fabric directly).

For a practical but still luxurious gift, Murphy recommends giving this anti-aging cleanser and moisturizing face oil from True Botanicals, a brand that she describes as a beautiful, all-natural skin-care company with products that are good for the body and for the planet. According to Murphy, the moisturizing face oil fights the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles (True Botanicals calls it our best-selling moisturizer), and the cleanser purifies while gently cleansing, without stripping skin. She adds that they come in amber glass bottles that would look very nice on the shelves of a medicine cabinet.

For the new 40-year-old who is also a passionate gardener (indoors or out), du Petit Thouars recommends this book on foraging and arranging. I like their approach to flower arranging with wild plants, she told us, adding that it reminds her of her summers spent flower-picking and arranging at her childhood home outside Paris.

Fortini also says the right book can make for a great 40th-birthday gift, noting that the best book to give would be one that has meant something to you personally, with a note explaining why. Didion, the collected 1960s and 1970s work of author Joan Didion, is the one shed give to anyone she knows turning 40, she says.

If the 40-year-old in your life is always jotting things down, du Petit Thouars says they might appreciate a more elevated notebook in which to do so. Everyone needs a classy notebook at 40, she says, recommending this illustrated option from Herms. It may not be cheap for a notebook, but it is cheap for Herms, and would allow you to surprise someone with something from the luxury brand without breaking the bank.

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The Best 40th Birthday Gifts, According to People Whove Reached (or Are About to Reach) 40 - New York Magazine

Last year, the rise of cannabidiol (CBD), intermittent fasting, meditation, and many other health and wellness trends dominated the $4 trillion global wellness industry. As this segment of the market continues to grow rapidly, technologic advances, emerging clinical findings, and shifting priorities are likely to influence burgeoning wellness trends for the coming year. Recently, experts from across the world gathered to forecast the biggest health trends that will take over the global wellness industry in 2020 as part of the Global Wellness Summit (GWS).

Alongside a focus on fixing disrupted circadian rhythms and mental health-promoting devices, the most significant projected trends for the forthcoming year are outlined below:

Circadian Health Optimization

According to one of the worlds leading experts on circadian health and associate professor of medicine at Harvard University Dr. Steven Lockley: The absolute key to healthy sleep and circadian rhythms is stable, regularly-timed daily light and dark exposureour natural daily time cues.

Today, humans have incredibly disrupted circadian rhythms as a result of increased screen time and travel, rising stress levels, and a 24/7 culture. Current research suggests that circadian rhythms influence a variety of bodily functions ranging from hormonal fluctuations to body temperature regulation. Most importantly, they can significantly influence sleep patterns, impacting productivity and health.

As part of the solution, the concept of circadian rhythm optimization centers around adjusting the daily schedule, dietary patterns, and environmental cues to sync up with the bodys internal clock. Experts at the Global Wellness Summit predict an increased amount of people shifting their work schedules in accordance with their chronotypes, which The Sleep Foundation describes as the natural pattern by which people sleep and wake best, in an effort to optimize performance and productivity.

Given that most of our body systems express circadian rhythms, ensuring proper alignment of our internal circadian clocks, Dr. Lockley further explains, starting with the management of lighting, will have major impacts on human health.

Mental Health Technology

The National Institute of Mental Health estimates that over 42% of 46.6 million adults with mental illness in the United States received mental health treatment in 2017. In addition, the growing patient base of Millennials is more likely to address mental health concerns than previous generations, with about 70% saying they feel comfortable seeking help. Wellness technology companies have begun to capitalize on this increased acceptance and technological advancements by developing digital therapeutic products and services.

Tech-savvy individuals are increasingly using virtual therapy apps such as TalkSpace and BetterHelp and digital support groups to combat modern-day issues including burnout, loneliness, depression, and anxiety. The behavioral health software market is now projected to reach $2.31 billion by 2022 and as we shift toward a more holistic approach to wellbeing, will likely continue growing.

As part of this rising trend, mental wellness wearables are growing in popularity with the introduction of meditation headsets that measure heart and breathing rates and wearable biosensors that monitor physiological signals throughout the day. These devices aim to improve stress levels, sleep patterns, and daily habits based on biologic metrics directly obtained throughout the day. For example, Sentio Solutions recently announced a new product, Feel, which is an emotion-sensing wristband with integrated biosensors which measure users physiological signals. Paired with an accompanying cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) app, it aims to help those suffering from anxiety and depression by offering on-demand support.

However, many of these technologies are still in the early stages of clinical trials and require further investigation before they can be released.

Japanese Wellness

In 2017, Japan had the largest per capita ratio of centenarians in the world with 67,824 people aged 100 and above. The country is known for the longevity of its population, with up to 50% of Japanese citizens born in 2007 expected to reach the age of 107. Japanese culture promotes ways to ensure long, fulfilled lives with a growing emphasis on a sense of community and work-life balance. As a result, the world is turning to Japan for longevity tips leading to the popularization of J-wellness, or Japanese-inspired wellness.

The practice prioritizes connecting to nature, including forest bathing which can have a beneficial effect on both mental and physical health by reducing blood pressure, stress hormones, anxiety, and depression levels. In addition, Japanese government officials emphasize social community wellness through policy measures and innovations tailored to aging societies. This includes neighborhood facilities designed for generational mingling and stress assessment programs conducted to improve work-life balance and emotional wellbeing.

Fertility Healthcare

The growing de-stigmatization of infertility and reproductive health has opened the dialogue and increased awareness of these prevalent issues, encouraging more companies to offer fertility treatments such as in-vitro fertilization and egg freezing- as benefits to their employees. Fertility healthcare is projected to rise to the top of wellness trends to support the 12 out of 100 couples in the United State struggling to become pregnant, per data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Current fertility benefits do not cover all procedures and reproductive assistance technologies tend to be expensive with a single round of IVF averaging above $20,000. According to the GWS report, fertility clinics are forecasted to democratize and simplify access to care, alongside innovative fertility-focused wearable technology and smartphone apps that help educate individuals and monitor important fertility metrics. Furthermore, a growing number of fertility start-ups such as KindBody, which received $10 million in investor funding last year, are beginning to infiltrate the space. Current data indicate that the femtech sector could reach a market size of $50 billion within the next five years.

Continuous research initiatives and emerging technological advancements are spurring the global wellness industry at a 12.8% compound annual growth rate. In 2020, the wellness economy will be more accessible to the average consumer than ever before, making the above trends increasingly relevant in the practice setting. Physicians should be equipped with the latest clinical knowledge to better educate patients on the potential risks and benefits of these emerging solutions and ensure their health and safety.

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The Biggest Wellness Trends of 2020 - Anti Aging News

The hunt for the elixir of life is such a universal mythological trope that to talk about it in the context of science seems almost ridiculous. But breakthroughs in the last decade have made the impossible seem possible, and researchers are quickly converging on the consensus that aging may well be a disease that we can treat just as easily as any other.

Impressive results in animals that have had their lifespans boosted by up to 40 percenthave started making their way into humans. Some trials are more questionable than others, but most promisingly there seem to be multiple potential avenues, from cocktails of common drugs to gene therapies and stem cell treatments.

Stem cells are particularly promising, because they can be coaxed into becoming any kind of cell before being transplanted to treat damaged tissue. These therapies often fail to work well in older tissue, though, limiting their future use in older patients who could need them most. This appears to be because these tissues have significantly higher levels of inflammation that prevent stem cells from properly integrating.

Now Portuguese researcher Joana Neves has won the 2019 Sartorius & Science Prize for Regenerating Medicine & Cell Therapy for her discovery of a way to sidestep this roadblock and significantly increase the success of stem cell treatments.

Because of the central importance of tissue repair to all organisms, Neves assumed that many of the mechanisms behind it would be shared among all animals. So she started looking at proteins produced by immune cells in the well-known animal model of the fruit fly.

She discovered that a poorly-understood protein known as MANF (mesencephalic astrocyte-derived neurotrophic factor) plays a crucial role in reducing inflammation in fruit flies. More importantly, she found that mice and humans also produce it, and its prevalence reduces in all the species as they age, suggesting it plays a key role in limiting age-related inflammation.

That prompted her to see if introducing MANF would boost the effectiveness of stem cell treatments in older animals. She used the protein in combination with a procedure that uses stem cells to replace degenerating photoreceptors in the retina of older mice and found it greatly improved the restoration of vision.

Going further, her research team then investigated whether MANFs anti-inflammatory effects could have more general age-defying benefits. Previous research had already demonstrated that infusing old mice with blood from younger ones could reduce various signs of aging, and by carrying out similar experiments the team showed that MANF is one of the factors responsible for that outcome. They even showed that directly injecting mice with MANF could have similar effects.

Translating these ideas to treat other diseases and for use in humans will take some time, but the research chimes with work on an emerging class of drugs known as senolytics. These are drugs that kill senescent cells, which are zombie cells that become more prevalent as we age and spew out harmful chemicals that result in chronic inflammation.

Senolytics are generally seen as a broad-spectrum treatment that could help stave off multiple conditions at once, but they could also be used to create a more hospitable environment for stem cell treatments just like MANF.

There are still plenty of barriers to bringing any of these treatments to the clinic, from the difficulty of producing stem cells to the challenges of regulating treatments for aging (a condition we still dont formally class as a disease), or fighting back against the huge number of bogus treatments that threaten to undermine trust in the field. But given the huge potential for near-term impact, theres growing momentum.

Weve moved from being able to extend health and lifespan of simple organisms like yeast and worms and flies to being able to do this quite easily in animals, in mice and monkeys, David Sinclair, director of the Center for the Biology of Aging at Harvard Medical School, told the Harvard Gazette.

He added that instead of trying to treat one disease at a time, he believes we can develop medicines that will treat aging at its source, therefore having a much greater impact on health and lifespan than drugs that target single diseases.

The wheels are in motion for us to find out.

Image Credit: Monika Robak from Pixabay

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To Turbocharge Anti-Aging Treatment, Just Add... a Protein Found in Fruit Flies? - Singularity Hub

Edyta Zbroch, 1 Angelika Bazyluk, 1 Jolanta Malyszko, 2 Ewa Koc-Zorawska, 1 Alicja Rydzewska-Rosolowska, 1 Katarzyna Kakareko, 1 Tomasz Hryszko 1

1 2-nd Department of Nephrology and Hypertension with Dialysis Centre, Medical University, Bialystok, Poland; 2Department of Nephrology, Dialysis and Internal Medicine, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland

Correspondence: Edyta Zbroch2-nd Department of Nephrology and Hypertension with Dialysis Unit, Medical University, Sklodowskiej Curie 24a, Bialystok 15-276, PolandTel +48 85 8317872 Email edzbroch@poczta.onet.pl

Introduction: Sirtuin1 (SIRT1) acts as an anti-aging protein due to anti-apoptotic, anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory effect and is implicated in several diseases including diabetes or cardiovascular problems. SIRT1 renal overexpression indicates oxidative stress. Similarly, Klotho was primarily exposed as anti-aging factor. It is primary produced in kidney. Its deficiency is associated with progression of chronic kidney disease and heart disorders.Purpose: The aim of the study was to assess the serum concentration of sirtuin1 and Klotho in hemodialysis (HD) patients compared to healthy volunteers in regard to age, blood pressure control, residual kidney function (RKF), diabetes, cardiovascular disease, dialysis vintage and type of dialyzer.Patients and Methods: The serum level of SIRT1 and Klotho was evaluated using ELISA tests in 103 HD patients, median age 67 years and in 21 volunteers. Blood pressure, RRF, echocardiography and dialysis parameters were assessed. HD group was divided according to the presence/absence of RKF.Results: The serum SIRT1 level was higher (28.4 vs 2.71ng/mL, p< 0.0001) and Klotho was lower (433.9 vs 756.6pg/mL, p< 0.0001) in HD then in control group. Klotho was lower in those without RKF (387.2 vs 486.2pg/mL, p=0.028). SIRT1 positively correlated with hemodialysis vintage. Klotho negatively correlated with left ventricular posterior wall thickness. There was no significant relationship between SIRT1 and Klotho level and age, blood pressure control, type of dialyzer, Kt/V and diabetes. Multivariate analysis revealed association of SIRT1 with ejection fraction (B 0.72; p=0.32).Conclusion: Elevated SIRT1 and lower Klotho concentration are associated with impaired kidney function. The decrease in levels of Klotho may also indicate heart hypertrophy in hemodialysis patients. The role of anti-aging proteins, particularly SIRT1 as biomarkers/predictors of oxidative stress, inflammation and cardiovascular diseases need further examination.

Keywords: sirtuin1, Klotho, chronic kidney disease, hemodialysis

This work is published and licensed by Dove Medical Press Limited. The full terms of this license are available at https://www.dovepress.com/terms.php and incorporate the Creative Commons Attribution - Non Commercial (unported, v3.0) License.By accessing the work you hereby accept the Terms. Non-commercial uses of the work are permitted without any further permission from Dove Medical Press Limited, provided the work is properly attributed. For permission for commercial use of this work, please see paragraphs 4.2 and 5 of our Terms.

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The Serum Concentration of Anti-Aging Proteins, Sirtuin1 and Kl | CIA - Dove Medical Press

Roslyn, NY, March 18, 2020 --(PR.com)-- Katherine Sempecos of Roslyn, New York has been recognized as a Woman of Empowerment for 2020 by P.O.W.E.R. (Professional Organization of Woman of Excellence Recognized) for her outstanding contributions and achievements in the fields of clinical aesthetics, anti-aging and medical laser technology.

About Katherine SempecosKatherine Sempecos is a licensed European aesthetician, anti-aging specialist, medical laser technician and official laser HR/SR trainer with over 20 years experience. She has concentrated her entire career on bringing the newest, most innovative and effective aging well treatments and products from Europe to the U.S. Currently, Katherine is the co-owner and operator of PRISM Med Spa in Roslyn, New York, and previous owner of Posche Prism Med Spa in New Jersey. PRISM has been voted Best Spa on the North Shore 2015 2019. Prism Med Spas motto is Reveal your Inner Light.

Katherine has formed companies that specialized in the exclusive representations of proprietary anti-aging services, products, medical devices and technologies. Exclusive to PRISM Med Spa, clients can experience Plasmalite "FPL" skin rejuvenation and skin tightening technology, as well as Prism's exclusive line of specialized European anti-aging treatments called "Skin Boosters" and "Elements" by Juliette Armand. These products offer a long list of specialized facial and body treatments, as well as professional products for home use. Katherine has treated the cast of the Bravo T.V.s RHONJ for the past three years, as well as various other celebrity clients.

Additionally, PRISM Med Spa has the latest in laser SR, HR and RF skin resurfacing, skin tightening, body sculpting and fat melting technologies. They also offer the latest in concierge Aging Well medicine through the IGS (Integrative Genetic Solutions) DNA and blood chemistry analysis program.

Having acquired her B.A. at the University of Southern Florida, Katherine has owned and operated over ten distribution companies, specializing in the latest anti-aging technologies. Previously, she owned two anti-aging clinics in Europe.

A large part of Katherines career has also been focused on empowering women, both personally and professionally. Women are the backbone of our society, often called to wear many hats and become magician multi-taskers, always taking care of everyones needs. This inevitably puts pressure on most women to also be the breadwinners for their families. But in todays complex corporate, big business world, women often find themselves struggling to find the right job and make ends meet or find a satisfying career that gives them true growth potential.

As a pioneering entrepreneur, Katherine became involved in a new, innovative endeavor -- Health Six Fit, the first ever, online preventive care, health and wellness medical spa marketplace portal.

Katherine, seeing an opportunity, realized Health Six Fit would be perfect for women entrepreneurs. She then spearheaded the development of a unique entrepreneurial business model. Katherine stated, This formula is very simple and will empower women with access to the latest in a growing field of health, wellness, and preventive care treatments, while providing women a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to become entrepreneurs, and shareholders.

Health Six Fit, (to be launched later this month) will offer women extensive training to become community and online influencers in the most advanced preventive health services, skincare regimens and homecare devices.

For a nominal fee, in addition to training and ongoing support, women will receive company shares with the opportunity to earn more. Katherines goal is to help women make the living of their dreams, arrange their own schedules, become financially independent, and be given the opportunity of a lifetime. When they join, women will become part of the first ever Social Entrepreneurship Collective.

For those interested, please contact http://www.joinhealthsixfit.com.

For further information, please contact http://www.prismmedspa.com or call (516) 277-2293.

Time Tested Beauty TipsFor attractive lips, speak words of kindness.For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people.For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry.For beautiful hair, let a child run his fingers through it once a day.For poise, walk with the knowledge that you will never walk alone.- Sam Levenson

About P.O.W.E.R. Magazine (Professional Organization of Women of Excellence Recognized) and Powerwoe.comP.O.W.E.R is an online community as well as a digital and exclusive print magazine featuring celebrities and everyday hardworking professional women. Our mission is to provide a powerful network of empowering women who will mentor and inspire each other to be the best they can be. Through our valuable services, our members can network, collaborate with like-minded professionals, gain recognition and obtain knowledge from those who have already achieved success.

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Katherine Sempecos Recognized as a Woman of Empowerment for 2020 by P.O.W.E.R. (Professional Organization of Women of Excellence Recognized) - PR.com

In late May of 2019, Maine Governor Janet Mills signed into law LD798, otherwise known as An Act to Protect Maine Children and Students from Preventable Disease by Repealing Certain Exemptions from the Laws Governing Immunization Requirements. The law, quite simply, removed religious and personal exemptions from the reasons that parents could avoid getting their children the required vaccinations. It also stated that, should they not get those vaccines, parents would be barred from entry from public and private schools across the state of Maine.

For Laura Blaisdell, a pediatric doctor who is trained in public health and who started the Maine Families for Vaccines coalition with her cofounder, Caitlin Gilmet, the passage of the law represented a huge win for community immunity and public health. It was a win, too, for Gilmet, whose fight became personal after her 5-month-old son had contracted chickenpox at a daycare center when he was too young to receive the vaccine yet. But almost as soon as the law was passed, an anti-vaxx activist group fought to get a peoples referendum on the 2020 primary ballot to repeal the rule. So Lomay and Blaisdell had to fight again.

On Super Tuesday of 2020, Maine voters overwhelmingly rejected the peoples referendum and voted to keep the more stringent vaccine laws. In a time when many states cant even get a law on vaccines passed in their state Arizona and New Jersey, for example Maine is a rare beacon of hope against the fight of medical disinformation and faulty information that harms Americas kids.

Fatherly spoke to Blaisdell about how she and her grass-top coalition combatted the anti-vaxxers and what others can take from their fight to protect vaccines and community immunity.

What is your biggest fear related to the coronavirus pandemic?

Given mortality rates, I'm scared my parents will die.

Given what we don't know, I'm scared my kids will get sick.

Given the economic situation, I'm scared of the financial damage.

Given the news, I'm scared I'll continue to be cooped up with family.

Thanks for the feedback!

How quickly after the law was passed did you get a sense that there would be backlash in the form of a referendum?

Certainly, the threat of a referendum was there nearly immediately. We were watching signature gathering happen over the course last summer, in July, August and September. Our opposition had collected enough money to pay for signatures. Some less-than-clear tactics about what people were signing were used, but ultimately, they were successful in obtaining the number of signatures to put this on as a peoples referendum. We learned that in October. We began organizing to defeat the referendum shortly thereafter.

What did that organizing look like?

We were a loosely organized, grassroots movement. We clearly did not have the infrastructure. We had no budget. It was all volunteer. So, we clearly needed to ramp up political campaigns very quickly.

We formed a political action committee so we could do fundraising. We hired a campaign manager to assist us someone with experience with campaigns in Maine and with referendums and we very quickly organized ourselves into a new structure, that was an executive committee. From there, we worked very quickly to grow our coalition, which ended up being an unprecedented coalition of over 60 Maine organizations, that represented nearly every hospital in Maine, nearly every major medical group and health care organization. Even the dentists, the pharmacists, school nurses, the Maine Council of Churches, and the Maine Council on Aging. Very quickly, we were able to build a coalition that demonstrated to Maine voters that we, as a leading community, felt very strongly that we needed to oppose the repeal of this vaccine law.

How did you reach the Maine voters?

I think our two campaigns were grass-top campaigns, as we called it. So, thats a coalition of our supporters and their constituents. So when MaineHealth joined our coalitions, they had 23,000 employees to reach out to about the referendum. So thats one way to run a grass-tops campaign: getting out the information. We had a good sense that Mainers would support the vaccine law, but they needed to know to vote no in order to do that. So we were really focusing more on a public education campaign than a campaign to turn the hearts and minds of people.

The vast majority of Maine voters, A) vaccinate their kids, and B) are supportive of vaccination as a condition of school entry.

So, we were also able to do some get out the vote work, closer to the vote date. We did an aggressive social media and broadcast and cable tv advertising campaign. S

We were able to do phone banks, and received assistance from some of the other folks in our coalition, like the Planned Parenthood Maine Action Fund, to piggyback on some of the get out the vote work that they were doing, as well.

The vast majority of Mainers already support vaccines. Did you feel like you were fighting against medical disinformation? Do you think you did have to change peoples minds people who would have voted yes or was it really mostly making sure people knew what they were voting for?

We tried to stay focused on helping Mainers understand what they were voting for. And of course, our opposition takes the tactic of many anti-vaccine activist groups, in creating and sowing mis- and disinformation. For instance, the oppositions tagline was Reject Big Pharma. They changed that to Restore Medical Freedom.

They were spreading information about vaccines that were not required for schools, that they were saying were required for school. Their text messages said How can you support a bill that would kick kids out of school for missing one shot? So, its that sort of hyperbole, and dis- and misinformation, that, yes, of course we were fighting. But its not helpful to chase your opponents down every rabbit hole they throw up.

Right.

We tried to stay on message. That there are dangerous diseases. That our community immunity has waned, and we know that, because these outbreaks are happening in our schools, and its too dangerous to repeal our new vaccine law.

And then, finally, all of Maines hospitals, including Intermed, LLC, the Barbara Bush Childrens Hospital and the Maine Medical Association, agreed with us. So we stuck to those messages.

Was there ever a point where you felt like you werent going to win?

My general approach to things that are so important, and as critical as our community immunity, is that I worry every day. I worried every day that we were going to lose. And as a pediatrician, who treats kids with these diseases in my practice, as a pediatrician who has intubated babies, and watched these diseases and what they do to children and the medically vulnerable, I think that I never let myself feel like it was going to be okay until the vote finally was called.

That makes sense. You never want to take it for granted.

No, no, no. In retrospect, 73 percent of Mainers voted to keep our vaccine law. Thats the widest peoples veto margin in Maine since 1957. Every county in Maine voted no. And our win transcended party lines. So, you know, at this point, now, I feel what I thought to be true about Mainers, which is that they resoundingly support children and public health. So, Im taking a deep breath this week.

What can other groups who might be trying to pass more stringent vaccine learn from your campaign?

I think its important that parents and medical professionals know that their voice matters in public health. I think its important for us to realize that there is no place for politics when it comes to public health. If Maine is a beacon of anything, it should be that the vast majority of voters in Maine supported our vaccine law and that when you look at passing legislation, the margins of passing legislation to correct community immunity rates may not reflect the true will of the voters. Thats a lesson that we learned.

Right. More people want these laws than dont it just doesnt seem that way.

The opposition is much louder than they are in numbers. And I think thats important for many to remember when they stick their neck out on this issue. The opposition tends to take a very loud, and vitriolic approach, to shutting down those voices. And, if one expects that to happen, it makes it much easier to tolerate, and just keep moving forward and do whats right for childrens health.

The price of liberty is eternal vigilance. We have to continue to monitor community immunity. We have to continue to monitor legislation thats being put forward, and make sure we put forth these laws and protect our communities with our vaccine rates.

I feel like thats interesting, to your point too, about not chasing misinformation down every rabbit hole. I feel like people dont really know how to fight medical disinformation.

I think were living in a day and age where we can get any information we want at any time. So, fighting medical disinformation is not going to be possible on the internet. Its not going to be possible on Facebook, and it wont be possible on any social media platform unless those platforms are willing to put serious boundaries on the information theyre promoting.

So, when it comes down to it, I believe our coalition, which was over 60 organizations strong, demonstrated to voters through all of these organizations, good names, and trusted reputations, that despite whatever information one might be able to find n the internet, it kept coming back to: Oh, intermed, the Barbara Bush Childrens Hospital, the Maine Medical association. They were all in opposition to the repeal of this law. So, Id believe that one of the if not the foundation for our success was bringing together all of these trusted organizations in the common voice, and saying, No. Were not going to withdraw this law.

Chiropractors and naturopaths in Maine were fighting to repeal the vaccine mandate. Did that make your fight more difficult, considering these pseudo-medical sources were on the side of the opposition?

I do think that the pseudo-medical groups of chiropractors and naturopaths contribute to the mis- and disinformation. When I was in one of my television debates with the opposition leader, she said, We have doctors. I asked for specific names. The term doctor has started to be used widely both in the chiropractic and naturopathic communities, but that title of doctor means something different. It is different from a physician. Our training is different.

Chiropractors and naturopaths do not administer vaccines, which is another critical difference between the two of us. So, I wasnt surprised to see support for the Yes on 1 campaign from chiropractors and naturopaths. But its another mode of misinformation, and its them misrepresenting themselves as being on equal weight as the medical communities and hospitals.

Its like this veneer of being official, that lends the argument credence which shouldnt otherwise be lent to it.

Yeah. And I always came back to asking people: you maybe should trust those who actually give vaccines, and maybe its the person you call in the middle of the night, and it might be the person who admits you to the hospital. Those are, perhaps, the people you should trust on the issues of preventable diseases and vaccine safety.

I didnt realize you did TV debates. What was that like?

Well, you know, it was straight out of the medical school debates course I took. Just kidding! Yeah, I didnt have that course in public health school or medical school. But its difficult, you know? Its difficult to maintain composure and stay focused on what is at stake these are dangerous diseases that hurt kids and we cant repeal our vaccine laws and at the same time, debate individuals who are not held to the same standards of information. I, as a physician, adhere to evidence based medicine and stats and data that are valid. So, it made for some heated moments. But theyre online if you want to look at them.

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How Maine Fought the Anti-Vaxxer Movement (And Won) - Fatherly