Dry and chapped lips are common during the winter, but there are a number of things you can do to protect them, an expert says. “Cold, dry weather; sun damage; and frequently licking your lips are just some of the reasons your lips might feel dry and chapped this winter,” dermatologist Dr. Noëlle Sherber said in an American Academy of Dermatology news release. “Understanding these causes and anything else that might trigger your chapped lips goes a long way in preventing and treating them.” Sherber offered the following advice on preventing and treating dry, chapped lips: Use non-irritating lip products. Stick to lip balms, lipsticks and other lip products that contain ingredients like castor seed oil, ceramides, dimethicone or mineral oil. Choose products that are labeled “fragrance-free” and “hypoallergenic.” Avoid harsh ingredients. Camphor, menthol or eucalyptus can irritate your lips. If your lips burn, sting or tingle after using a lip product, stop using it. Refresh often. Apply your lip balm throughout the day and before you go to bed. If your lips are very dry and cracked, use a thick ointment, such as petroleum jelly. Ointment seals in moisture longer than waxes or oils. Protect your lips outdoors. Before going outside, apply a lip balm with an SPF of 30 or higher. Use a lip balm with titanium dioxide and/or zinc oxide and reapply…  read on >  read on >

Why does one person take a lot of risks and another proceed with more caution? Researchers came closer to that answer with a new study that shows risk-taking behavior may be related to characteristics in the brain. The study found there is no one risk area in the brain. Instead, there are many regions where anatomy is altered in people who take risks. Yet there is a connection between genes, lower levels of gray matter and risky behavior, researchers concluded. “People have different tendencies to engage in behavior that risks their health or that involve uncertainties about the future,” senior author Gideon Nave said in a University of Pennsylvania news release. He’s an assistant professor of marketing at the university’s Wharton School. The research team gathered brain scans and genetic data from more than 12,600 people of European ancestry and then from another 13,000 people. All were aged 40 to 69 and enrolled in the UK Biobank. Investigators used self-reported risky behaviors — smoking, drinking, sexual promiscuity and driving above the speed limit — to create an overall indicator of risk tolerance. They estimated the relationship between total gray matter volume across the brain and the risk-tolerance score. Higher risk tolerance was correlated with overall lower gray matter volume, researchers said, though only an association was seen. Gray matter carries out the basic functions of…  read on >  read on >

Why does one person take a lot of risks and another proceed with more caution? Researchers came closer to that answer with a new study that shows risk-taking behavior may be related to characteristics in the brain. The study found there is no one risk area in the brain. Instead, there are many regions where anatomy is altered in people who take risks. Yet there is a connection between genes, lower levels of gray matter and risky behavior, researchers concluded. “People have different tendencies to engage in behavior that risks their health or that involve uncertainties about the future,” senior author Gideon Nave said in a University of Pennsylvania news release. He’s an assistant professor of marketing at the university’s Wharton School. The research team gathered brain scans and genetic data from more than 12,600 people of European ancestry and then from another 13,000 people. All were aged 40 to 69 and enrolled in the UK Biobank. Investigators used self-reported risky behaviors — smoking, drinking, sexual promiscuity and driving above the speed limit — to create an overall indicator of risk tolerance. They estimated the relationship between total gray matter volume across the brain and the risk-tolerance score. Higher risk tolerance was correlated with overall lower gray matter volume, researchers said, though only an association was seen. Gray matter carries out the basic functions of…  read on >  read on >

Why does one person take a lot of risks and another proceed with more caution? Researchers came closer to that answer with a new study that shows risk-taking behavior may be related to characteristics in the brain. The study found there is no one risk area in the brain. Instead, there are many regions where anatomy is altered in people who take risks. Yet there is a connection between genes, lower levels of gray matter and risky behavior, researchers concluded. “People have different tendencies to engage in behavior that risks their health or that involve uncertainties about the future,” senior author Gideon Nave said in a University of Pennsylvania news release. He’s an assistant professor of marketing at the university’s Wharton School. The research team gathered brain scans and genetic data from more than 12,600 people of European ancestry and then from another 13,000 people. All were aged 40 to 69 and enrolled in the UK Biobank. Investigators used self-reported risky behaviors — smoking, drinking, sexual promiscuity and driving above the speed limit — to create an overall indicator of risk tolerance. They estimated the relationship between total gray matter volume across the brain and the risk-tolerance score. Higher risk tolerance was correlated with overall lower gray matter volume, researchers said, though only an association was seen. Gray matter carries out the basic functions of…  read on >  read on >

Why does one person take a lot of risks and another proceed with more caution? Researchers came closer to that answer with a new study that shows risk-taking behavior may be related to characteristics in the brain. The study found there is no one risk area in the brain. Instead, there are many regions where anatomy is altered in people who take risks. Yet there is a connection between genes, lower levels of gray matter and risky behavior, researchers concluded. “People have different tendencies to engage in behavior that risks their health or that involve uncertainties about the future,” senior author Gideon Nave said in a University of Pennsylvania news release. He’s an assistant professor of marketing at the university’s Wharton School. The research team gathered brain scans and genetic data from more than 12,600 people of European ancestry and then from another 13,000 people. All were aged 40 to 69 and enrolled in the UK Biobank. Investigators used self-reported risky behaviors — smoking, drinking, sexual promiscuity and driving above the speed limit — to create an overall indicator of risk tolerance. They estimated the relationship between total gray matter volume across the brain and the risk-tolerance score. Higher risk tolerance was correlated with overall lower gray matter volume, researchers said, though only an association was seen. Gray matter carries out the basic functions of…  read on >  read on >

There have long been theories that women’s menstrual cycles align with the moon, and now a new study suggests there’s some truth to that. Using years of records kept by 22 women, researchers found that for many, menstrual cycles “intermittently” synced up with the phases of the moon. The link happened only about one-quarter of the time for women aged 35 or younger, and just 9% of the time for older women. There was a great deal of variance, though, among individuals. And for a few women, there were hints that excessive exposure to artificial light at night could have thrown off any moon-menstruation synchrony. One expert called the findings “interesting,” and said they might reflect remnants of a lunar influence that benefited humans’ ancient ancestors. Early primates were nocturnal creatures, so a degree of moon-influenced behavior would make sense for them, according to Deena Emera. Emera, who was not involved in the study, is an evolutionary geneticist based at the Buck Institute’s Center for Reproductive Longevity and Equality, in California. Mating is risky business, Emera noted, as it makes animals vulnerable to predators. So mating during the new moon, under cover of more darkness, would be a “reasonable strategy,” she said. That also means there would be an advantage to ovulation being timed to the new moon. “I think any [moon-menstruation] synchronization seen today…  read on >  read on >

There have long been theories that women’s menstrual cycles align with the moon, and now a new study suggests there’s some truth to that. Using years of records kept by 22 women, researchers found that for many, menstrual cycles “intermittently” synced up with the phases of the moon. The link happened only about one-quarter of the time for women aged 35 or younger, and just 9% of the time for older women. There was a great deal of variance, though, among individuals. And for a few women, there were hints that excessive exposure to artificial light at night could have thrown off any moon-menstruation synchrony. One expert called the findings “interesting,” and said they might reflect remnants of a lunar influence that benefited humans’ ancient ancestors. Early primates were nocturnal creatures, so a degree of moon-influenced behavior would make sense for them, according to Deena Emera. Emera, who was not involved in the study, is an evolutionary geneticist based at the Buck Institute’s Center for Reproductive Longevity and Equality, in California. Mating is risky business, Emera noted, as it makes animals vulnerable to predators. So mating during the new moon, under cover of more darkness, would be a “reasonable strategy,” she said. That also means there would be an advantage to ovulation being timed to the new moon. “I think any [moon-menstruation] synchronization seen today…  read on >  read on >