Shalome Stine - Licensed Insurance Agent

11/26/2025

11/26/2025

Good tips!

11/25/2025

A 20-second hug isn’t just “nice” — it’s a direct intervention on the gut-brain axis. Skin-to-skin contact triggers a surge of oxytocin (often called the “bonding hormone,” though it’s really a neuropeptide with powerful anti-inflammatory effects). Oxytocin tones the vagus nerve, drops cortisol, and shifts the nervous system into parasympathetic. That single physiological shift lowers systemic inflammation and improves gut barrier integrity within minutes. When the gut lining is less “leaky,” beneficial bacteria thrive, microbial diversity increases, and production of anti-inflammatory short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and serotonin precursors goes up. The microbiome, in turn, signals safety back to the brain via the vagus and immune pathways, creating a positive feedback loop that measurably reduces anxiety and improves mood resilience. Recent 2024–2025 reviews confirm this bidirectional oxytocin–microbiome relationship: more affectionate touch → higher oxytocin → richer, more resilient microbiome → lower markers of inflammation and anxiety. 
  
In my functional medicine telehealth practice, where I’ve run labs on thousands of people telehealth patients worldwide for the last 15+ years, I see the same pattern over and over: chronic anxiety, IBS, autoimmunity, and dysbiosis almost always coexist with low oxytocin tone and reported loneliness or touch deprivation. So I will prescribe “oxytocin homework” — schedule three 20-second hugs a day (partner, kids, friends, even pets count), or self-hug/weighted blanket if touch is hard right now. I pair it with simple somatic tools (physiological sighs, body scans, breathwork) and, when labs show it’s needed, targeted probiotics or SCFAs or magnesium to support the microbiome side of the loop. Telehealth patients who actually do the hug prescription (I check on follow-ups!) consistently show drops in hs-CRP, improvements in stool diversity markers, and — most importantly — they tell me “I just feel safer in my own skin.” It’s free, zero side effects, and often more powerful than another supplement. Sometimes the most advanced medicine is the oldest one: human connection. 
  
  

09/02/2025

Turning 65 or new to Medicare?
Have Medicare questions? A licensed sales agent can explain how it all works. Get answers to questions like:

• How much will my insurance cost each year?
• How much will my prescriptions cost?
• Are my current doctors in Humana’s network?
• Does this plan cover me when I’m traveling?

Humana’s Medicare Advantage plans are designed to go above and beyond, with benefits that do more than you might expect. We call that human care.


Call your licensed sales agent
346-273-9679 (TTY: 711)
[email protected]
humana.com

08/12/2025

Fun!

08/11/2025

Excellent ideas!

Staying socially connected can significantly improve your health and well-being.(1) Spending quality time with friends and family doesn't just make you feel good, it can have a positive impact on your mental health, too.

Having meaningful conversations with the ones you love can promote:
• Sharper memory and quicker thinking
• Healthier eating and sleeping habits
• Reduced risk of mental illness

Reach out and stay connected—your well-being will thank you.



Source:
1. M. Elizabeth Swenor, DO., "The Importance Of Social Connections For Seniors," Henry Ford Health, November 27, 2024, accessed May 21, 2025, https://huma.na/3H8zD9K

07/09/2025

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1Eq68Ks7Q4/

12/17/2018

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