Horizon Behavioral Health, PLLC

02/20/2026

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Your body doesn’t heal in urgency.
It heals when it feels safe.

Stillness isn’t doing nothing... it’s giving your nervous system the conditions it needs to repair, rebalance, and restore.

02/20/2026

02/19/2026

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What if one of the most powerful brain health interventions isn’t a supplement, a drug, or a biohack, but a 30-minute walk?

A randomized clinical trial in the Journal of Sport and Health Science assigned adults ages 26 to 58 to follow an aerobic exercise program targeting 150 minutes per week for 12 months. On MRI, their brains shifted to look about 0.95 years “younger” than the control group on a brain-age algorithm.

That might not sound dramatic, but brain aging is cumulative, and small shifts add up.

What I love about this study is the age range. These benefits showed up in early and midlife, not just later decades.

Exercise likely supports brain health through multiple pathways, including improved cerebral blood flow and neuroplasticity, although the exact mechanisms behind the brain-age shift are still being worked out.

Thirty minutes, five days a week. Move at a pace where you notice your breathing change.

Your future cognitive health is being shaped by what you do today. 🧠

Wan L, Molina-Hidalgo C, Crisafio ME, Grove G, Leckie RL, Kamarck TW, et al. Fitness and exercise effects on brain age: A randomized clinical trial. J Sport Health Sci. 2025 Aug 13;15(101079):101079

02/14/2026

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Happy Valentine’s Day ♥️ let this be your reminder that love is not limited to romance.

Whether you are married, single, dating, widowed, or somewhere in between, what matters biologically is meaningful connection.

Time with close friends.
A deep conversation.
A hug from someone you trust.
Feeling part of a community.

Research in the field of social genomics shows that chronic stress and loneliness are linked to increased activity of genes that promote inflammation within the immune system.

In contrast, people who feel supported, connected, and emotionally safe tend to show lower activation of these same inflammatory pathways. Scientists describe this pattern as the Conserved Transcriptional Response to Adversity, a gene expression profile shaped in part by how safe or threatened we feel in our social world.

Feeling seen and supported is associated with measurable shifts in immune regulation, including reduced activation of inflammatory gene pathways linked to long-term chronic disease risk.

Connection is a fundamental human nutrient. And your body responds to it at the level of your genes.

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Sources:
Cole SW. Human Social Genomics. PLoS Genetics. 2014;10(8):e1004601. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1004601
Fredrickson BL et al. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2013;110(33):13684–13689

02/12/2026

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BEDFORD, Pa. (WTAJ) — The Bedford County Board of Commissioners is adding more organization and efficiency to its Treatment Court. In a presentation to the board, President Judge Travis Livengood o…

02/10/2026

02/08/2026

🍋‍🟩🍊🍋 = 💪🧠

A new study of 32,000+ women found citrus helps support mood through the gut-brain connection. 🍊🍋

Women with the highest citrus intake had a 22% lower risk of depression compared to those who ate the least. But the researchers didn’t stop there, they also discovered how this works.

Citrus fruits (like oranges and grapefruit) increase the abundance of a key gut microbe called Faecalibacterium prausnitzii. This microbe produces compounds that enhance serotonin and dopamine availability in the gut: two neurotransmitters essential for emotional well-being.

In fact, F. prausnitzii was consistently lower in people with depression, across two independent cohorts. And the more citrus people consumed, the more this microbe thrived.

What you eat feeds the bacteria that shape your thoughts, feelings, and resilience.

DOI: 10.1186/s40168-024-01961-3

02/07/2026

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02/06/2026

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One of the most effective ways to support your immune system is regular movement.

Moderate exercise improves blood flow so immune cells can circulate and do their job, stimulates lymphatic drainage to help clear waste and pathogens, lowers chronically elevated stress hormones like cortisol, and reduces low-grade inflammation that interferes with immune function.

Exercise helps your immune system respond more effectively when you’re exposed to viruses and other stressors, supporting faster, more coordinated immune responses without overstimulation.

Movement is medicine.

02/06/2026

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