Luke 8:54

"And he put them all out, and took her by the hand, and called, saying, Maid arise." Luke 8:54

Friday, July 31, 2015

Free Ways to Health

Health/Beauty 

Free Ways to Health 

Image result for healthy living


Most everyone who knows me, knows that I enjoy studying, pursuing, researching, practicing, and even lecturing on the subject of health.  In the past year I've talked to many people who desire to maintain a healthy lifestyle, but bemoan the fact that being healthy is not only hard, but expensive.

I thought I would share a few inexpensive (not-so-tedious) ways toward a healthier lifestyle.  These are things I implement in my habits and find them helpful, if not essential.

Exercise

Habitual exercise is not only helpful with maintaining a healthy weight, but it is an overall boost to your day.  Walking, stretching, sit ups are all free ways to health!

Drinking more water

How much water do we really need?  Water is an essential compoent to our makeup.  It makes up approximatly 60 % of our body weight. The Institute of Medicine dtermined an adaquate intake for men is roughly 13 cups.  For woman about 9 cups daily.  With additional exercise you will want to drink more water.  Twelve oz. for every thirty minutes according to some.  Some excellent ways to drink enough water for those of us who find it challenging are:

-- Drink two cups of water with every meal
-- Keeping a water container with you when you're in town
-- Adding essential oils or drinking sparkling water with meals  

Substituting White Sugar

White processed sugar is not only "not good for you", but it's also really bad for you.  For a more detailed post please read Sugar. Some natural substitutes for sugar would be:  Raw honey, maple syrup, Rapadura, Stevia, date sugar, blackstrap molasses, malted grain syrups, sorghum syrups, and naturally sweetened jam.


Eliminating Refined Starches 

I couldn't stress enough how essential this is to one's overall health. 
Refined carbohydrates in the gut can stimulate an overgrowth of candida albicans. Candida is a natural fungi that breaks down “dead” foods. With a diet that includes an over-consumption of dead foods, (like sugar and refined carbohydrates), candida multiply uncontrollably. Heavily yeasted foods can also encourage an unhealthy multiplication of candida. The yeasts will actually change form, attach and grow into the intestine, causing holes where undigested foods and toxins can enter the bloodstream. These toxins also produce candida and trigger allergic reactions.  For more on this topic please read my post: Is a Gluten-Free Diet Healthy?


Eliminating Bad Oils

Today, many health experts say that reducing fats in the diet is essential for losing weight. It is true that fats have more than twice as many calories as carbohydrates.
But it is carbohydrates such as sugar and starches that create the most weight gain. Though Fats have more calories than starches, fats satisfy hunger four to five times as much as carbohydrates. Fats are essential to our health. Fats are our storage of energy. They help protein do it's job and also start chemical reactions that contribute to our immunity, reproduction and our metabolism.  Interestingly, fats help the body to absorb fat soluble vitamins such as vitamin A, D, E and K. Our brains cannot work without fat. Obesity could be curbed easily by cutting back on grains, pastries, starches and sugar which, if not burned right away, store up as weight. Good Fats are not the culprit.  For more on fats and oils please read my post:  Healthy Fats?


Writing

Express your way to health! I've realized this fact in my own health journey -- my mental state actually does play a huge part in the success (or lack thereof) in my health.  How I view myself or my family-life status, or circumstances, really is important.  When I am able to sit and "observe" these things through writing, I find a peace and security.  An actual therapy.  Once while experiencing awful pain I wrote a poem.  I found real physical relief while writing.  My emotions, once analyzed and expressed, made my pain easier to endure and from then on I began the habit of expression.  It has benefited me throughout my entire health journey.

Good Sleep

Going to bed at a decent hour and getting up early has been a life saver for me at times.  Sleep needs vary with age and health, but the recommended average is 7 hours a night.  For more info you can go to the Sleep Foundation's website.  Yep, there's such a thing!  sleepfoundation.org


Ideas 


DIY Body Wash Recipe 
Make Your Own Herbal Body Wash!


















Visit Simply Real & Raw!



Whole New Mom's Healthy Hairspray



Happy Food Healthy Life




DoTerra's Healthy Spritzer
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Wednesday, July 29, 2015

Quote of the Day

"Interpose no barrier to His mighty life-giving power, working in you all the good pleasure of His will. Yield yourself up utterly to His sweet control. Put your growing into His hands as completely as you have put all your other affairs. Suffer Him to manage it as He will. Do not concern yourself about it, nor even think of it. Trust Him absolutely and always. Accept each moment's dispensation as it comes to you from His dear hands, as being the needed sunshine or dew for that moment's growth. Say a continual 'yes' to your Father's will."

Hannah Whitall Smith (Daily Strength for Daily Needs p. 169)

Monday, July 27, 2015

Worn Out Love

Spiritual Lessons/ Political & World Issues  

Guest writer Chris Hutto from Voices of Dissidence shares an amazing thought on "worn out love".  Hope it is as big of a blessing to you as it was to me.

Worn Out Love 

Image result for thread bare cloth heart

Love is a worn out word.

Everyone, sinner and saint, knows that we are supposed to love one another. Everyone desires to be loved and everyone attempts to express their love to others, no matter how warped or flawed their presentation. The world teaches an ideology of lust, tolerance and irresponsibility and masks it with words like love, understanding and freedom. God is love but lust is a corruption of love. God understands every trial and temptation we endure but He has no tolerance for sin and wickedness. 

God is a God of freewill but He must hold us accountable to the wrongs we have done.
Love and peace have been hijacked by our society and lauded as the standard of liberalism. Our culture teaches a love without God. But a love without God is no love at all. It becomes man’s own self-righteousness. This love is as filthy rags in the sight of God.

We have let the world define love for us. Their perversion of this godly attribute has become main stream by the media we allow into our homes. Hollywood films are saturated with this sugar coated lust. The book stores and libraries are overflowing with books that glorify what God detests. And the Christian mind is meditating on this perversion until he begins to interpret the Scriptures the same way. The Christian’s mind must be renewed and transformed.
Many children’s books teach that you are only accepted and loved if you are able to out perform others. Secret love affairs are presented as romantic and exciting. The main characters in films capture their audience’s admiration by their appearance. Love is only given when something else can be gotten in return. Is this the love of the Bible?

Love has become cheap and overused. 
The world has stolen and warped who our God is and we just stand by and let them. We let them every time we welcome a filthy movie into our home. Every time we apologize for the wrath and judgment of God. Every time we refuse to show our neighbor real love. Every time we become ashamed at sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with a sinner. Every time we dwell on an evil thought. Every time we refuse to tear down an idol in our heart.

When we are public witnesses for Him we are accused of being hateful. That is because they don’t understand true love. How could they? They have never accepted the one and only love, Jesus. They call us hateful because they don’t understand that hate isn’t the opposite of love. Jesus said that we are to love God and love our neighbor as our-self. When He was challenged at who that neighbor was, He responded with the parable of the Good Samaritan. Anyone we pass by with a need is our neighbor. The Samaritan that helped the Jew about to die was the perfect example of love. His love was proven by action. That is why hate isn’t the opposite of love but apathy is. Apathy is the priest and Levite that saw the need and passed by. That is our world today. A world of self-love. The priest and Levite no doubt thought that they were doing the right thing in passing by. They probably thought, “I don’t know that man. He’s no concern of mine.” Maybe they thought, “That man isn’t MY ministry.” or “I won’t be able to perform my duties if I stop and help.”

Real love actively searches for those in need. It doesn’t wait for a need to arise because it already knows that there are needs on every side. Love came into this earth in human form to SEEK and save the lost.

The world says that we are hateful for having a righteous standard and for following the moral standard set in place by the Creator of the universe. They tell us that we must be tolerant of sin and accept it as who they are. But this isn’t love at all. Love warns of coming judgment. Every sin WILL be judged one day and for us not to tell the lost of this fact is a sin; the sin of apathy. People may become defensive when faced with their sin but we must be loving and obey God anyway. He does the work of drawing and saving. All we do is present the unadulterated truth of God in love.

So what does love look like?

All we have to do is look at His Word. We don’t have to learn what love really is by the culture around us. We have the answer already. Stop borrowing the definition from the heathens.
1 Corinthians 13 tell us what love really is. I know that it is long but it is worth reading.
Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.
And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.
And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.
Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.
For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.
But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.
When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.
And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.”

I have a question for you Christian. Is this the love that you have for others? Is this what you gained at the moment of salvation? If not, why not? A way to see if this is the love you have is to take a closer look at verses 4-7. But instead of reading charity, substitute your name in there instead. So for me I would read, “Chris suffereth long, and is kind; Chris envieth not, ect…”  Now you do it.

_______ suffereth long, and is kind; _______ envieth not; _______ vaunteth not him/herself, _______ is not puffed up,
_______ doth not behave him/herself unseemly, _______ seeketh not his/her own, _______ is not easily provoked, _______ thinketh no evil;
_______ rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
_______ beareth all things, _______ believeth all things, _______ hopeth all things, _______ endureth all things.”

So is that true of you? Is that true of me? Did is sound laughable to you? Does it sound like a lie or over-exaggeration? If so, why? If God is love and if we have God dwelling in us as Believers, than why don’t we have His love flowing out of us? Why have we covered up the beauty of God’s character and smothered it with a faulty imitation. That’s what the lost do because they are separated from our Father. Why should we act and live like that world, denying the very person that gave us life?

Love has been robbed of it’s beauty.
It is about time that we show the world God’s love. This starts at home with your closest neighbor and extends to the uttermost parts of the world. Lets focus on the ones that God has already brought into our lives. If you can’t love God, who has given us love and grace and mercy beyond our comprehension, than you won’t be able to love your family. And if you can’t love your family, who you have grown up with, you won’t be able to love the stranger that reviles you because of Christ.
We need to be honest with God about the human love we try and manufacture in our lives. Ask Him to love others through you. It is possible. We can do ALL things THROUGH Christ. Claim the love that He has bestowed upon you and throw off the bands of the perverted, worn out love of the world.







Saturday, July 25, 2015

Quote of the Day

“Beware of letting your care degenerate into anxiety and unrest; tossed as you are amid the winds and waves of sundry troubles, keep your eyes fixed on the Lord, and say, ‘Oh, my God, I look to Thee alone; be Thou my guide, my pilot’; and then be comforted. When the shore is gained, who will heed the toil and the storm? And we shall steer safely through every storm, so long as our heart is right, our intention fervent, our courage steadfast, and our trust fixed on God. If at times we are somewhat stunned by the tempest, never fear; let us take breath, and go on afresh. Do not be disconcerted by the fits of vexation and uneasiness which are sometimes produced by the multiplicity of your domestic worries. No indeed, dearest child, all these are but opportunities of strengthening yourself in the loving, forbearing graces which our dear Lord sets before us.”



(St. Francis De Sales, Daily Strength for Daily Needs p. 175)

Thursday, July 23, 2015

A Desert Place

Spiritual Lessons 
A Desert Place 

Image result for A desert place

Open doors have thrilled my heart
Yet familiar are the closed ones
Lonely paths my chosen lot
With weary steps unwelcomed

And yet here in this desert place
Upheld by His scarred hands
I've learned some lessons dear to me
That came by trudging sand 

And in shadow, as in sunshine
He's been a friend to me
Somehow in my small weaknesses
I'm able to praise and sing

But only if I remember 
To stop my lips and heart
From speaking out and murmuring
The thoughts of grief that form

Is it unfair for our Potentate
to ask for hopes and dreams?
Or take from us our very life
the treasure we esteem?

He's asked of me some precious things
My health, my love, my hopes
Without a promised guarantee 
of restoration shown 

To be broken, sick and hurting
is something hard to bear
But to stand out ill and ugly
is a harder mark to wear

To love someone in silence
is grief unknown by some
and for someone not to love you back
is day without the sun

And yet these are the things He's asked
The doors He meant to close
Things He knew would draw me near 
A desert that He chose

And if my Savior asks of me
Know gladly I can give
For it prepares my timid heart
For Him through me to live

I must give it all to Jesus
My hurt, my tears, my shame
He's the only one to bear them
Lord, I'm waiting on Your name

TLH

Monday, July 20, 2015

Quote of the Day

“Can you find rest apart from Christ Jesus? Then be assured that your religion is vain. Are you satisfied with anything less than the knowledge of your union and interest in Christ? Then your faith is worthless. If you profess to be a Christian, yet find full satisfaction in worldly pleasures and pursuits, your profession is false. If your soul can feel comfortable in the chambers of sin, then you are a hypocrite. But if you feel that indulging in sin without punishment would be a severe punishment in itself; if you could have the whole world and abide here forever, yet you would be miserable without God for He is what your soul craves after; then be of good courage, for you are a child of God. Despite all of your sins and imperfections, be comforted in this: If your soul has no rest in sin, you are not as the sinner is! If you are still crying and craving after something better, Christ has not forgotten you, for you have not forgotten Him. The believer cannot live without his Lord. We cannot live on the sand of the wilderness; we want the manna which drops from on high. Our bottles of self-confidence cannot yield us a drop of moisture. We drink from the Rock which follows us, and that Rock is Christ. (see I Corinthians 10:4) When you feed on Him, your soul can sing, ‘He satisfied my mouth with good things, so that my youth is renewed like the eagle’s.’ (See Psalms 103:5) But if you are not His own, your riches and success can give you no satisfaction. You will one day lament over them in the words of wisdom, ‘Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.’ (Ecclesiastes 1:2)”


Charles Spurgeon Evening by Evening p.179

Saturday, July 18, 2015

How to Brew the Perfect Cup of Tea

Practical Homemaking/ Recipes
How to brew the perfect cup of tea
If you like tea, and especially loose leaf tea, I think you'll enjoy this. I just read this short article recently from Doctor Mercola's website:  www.mercola.com I found it interesting, and somewhat amusing, and so I thought I'd share it with our blog readers as well.
"There is an art to brewing tea using loose tea leaves, but once you find your 'sweet spot' you may never go back to bagged tea again. Here are a few simple guidelines for making the 'perfect' cup of tea:
1.    Bring water to a boil in a tea kettle
2.    Preheat your tea pot or cup to prevent the water from cooling too quickly when transferred. Simply add a small amount of boiling water to the pot or tea cup that you’re going to steep the tea in. Ceramic and porcelain retain heat well. Then cover the pot or cup with a lid. Add a tea cozy if you have one, or drape with a towel. Let stand until warm, then pour out the water.


    3. Put the tea into an infuser, strainer, or add loose into the tea pot. Steeping without an infuser or strainer will produce a more flavorful tea. Start with one heaped teaspoon per cup of tea, or follow the instructions on the tea package. The robustness of the flavor can be tweaked by using more or less tea.
    4. Add boiling water. Use the correct amount for the amount of tea you added (i.e. for four teaspoons of tea, add four cups of water). The ideal water temperature varies based on the type of tea being steeped:
a.    White or green teas (full leaf): Well below boiling (170-185 F or 76-85 C). Once the water has been brought to a boil, remove from heat and let the water cool for about 30 seconds for white tea and 60 seconds for green tea before pouring it over the leaves
b.    Oolongs (full leaf): 185-210 F or 85-98 C
c.    Black teas (full leaf): Full rolling boil (212 F or 100 C)


5.    Cover the pot with a cozy and let steep. Follow steeping instructions on the package. If there are none, here are some general steeping guidelines. Taste frequently as you want it to be flavorful but not bitter:
a.    Oolong teas: 4-7 minutes
b.    Black teas: 3-5 minutes
c.    Green teas: 2-3 minutes


    6. Once desired flavor has been achieved you need to remove the strainer or infuser. If using loose leaves, pour the tea through a strainer into your cup and any leftover into another vessel (cover with a cozy to retain heat)."

Wednesday, July 15, 2015

Quote of the Day

 “We mustn’t be in a hurry to fix and choose our own lot; we must wait to be guided. We are led on, like the little children, by a way that we know not. It is a vain thought to flee from the work that God appoints us, for the sake of finding a greater blessing to our own souls; as if we could choose for ourselves where we shall find the fullness of the Divine Presence, instead of seeking it where alone it is to be found, in loving obedience.”


(George Eliot, Daily Strength for Daily Needs p. 177)

Monday, July 13, 2015

Femininity


  Spiritual Lessons

Femininity 

Image result for biblical femininity

She wasn't wearing any makeup, her hair was pulled in a wispy bun on top of her head, and there was nothing remarkable about her outfit.  But her eyes glowed, her speech was filled with conviction and her smile was contagious.  This is the description of a young woman I recently met.  My brother had met her the day before at a Christian meeting and encouraged me to get to know her.  "She's neat...you'll like her".  And I did!  A passionate Christian, a lovely personality, and a godly, modest young woman.  A perfect example of femininity.


I've talked to more than one young woman on the subject of femininity, and have been surprised at the disdain these ladies have held for the biblical trait.  Unfortunately, the world has labeled "femininity" to either be an archaic weak woman from the Victorian era, or a flirtatious stereotypical "pink and lace" kind of girl.

I wanted to encourage you by defying the world's definition and giving you a healthy biblical view on femininity.

Firstly, let's look at --

 False femininity


Image result for delilah bible

There's the slutty "Delilah" type, where women seduce men as prey and dress as objects instead of treasures.  They dress to reveal instead of cover.  They tear down instead of build up homes. This is the extreme.  You can see this spirit played out more subtly, with young Christian women, who are addicted to romance novels, who dress border-line, who flirt and flaunt, and dwell in their imaginations.

The other is the feminist mindset, where men and "maleness" are disdained and held in contempt.  The mentality that we are not only opposite, but superior, or at least "just as good" as men are.  They are ashamed of any feminine "weakness".  

True femininity 
Image result for modest femininity
There is absolutely nothing to be ashamed of in femininity.  Practically speaking, feminine simply means "that which pertains to females".  It can also mean soft, tender and delicate.  But with these womanly character traits come many other virtues

In the bible we see that true feminine women are:

 courageous (Jael)
 helpmeets (Eve)
 industrious (Provers 31 woman)
 intercessors (Abigail)
 strong (Ruth)
 brave (Rebecka)
dignified (Esther)


I have seen many young woman embrace tom boyish behavior because they are disgusted by "cutsie" silly girls.  I want to encourage you that we don't need to become un-balanced and boyish as possible to escape this false femininity.  In fact, we should be defying this ungodly notion and modeling true femininity to the world.  We can educate, encourage and inspire other young women and prove we can choose more than worldly "femininity".

What does this look like practically?

Well, I want to assure you that there is nothing wrong with enjoying things like hiking, skiing, horse back riding, volley-ball, shooting and playing with your brothers.  In fact, I believe it's healthy and godly to be well balanced.  I do all these things! Girls were made to run and play just as boys were.


Image result for women in dresses on horseback
That being said, there is a beautiful role that young women are given.  We are made to be nurturers.  Keepers of our home.  Queens. Helpers of men.  God has equipped us -- our part is to practice using these tools.  Not only are we to strive after strength physically, but emotionally and spiritually we must be strong, for as a woman you most likely will one day be given the task to meet your husband's needs, your childrens, and possibly your community or church family's.  It requires godly strength to be selfless.

Our future is uncertain.  We live in uncertain, precarious times.  The world our men face is the same world we are placed in.  We don't need to be soft-minded and leave the battle field to the men only.  America was founded by godly strong men along with their godly strong wives beside them.  Modern day woman dims in comparison to these women who gave up comfort to help conquer and nurture a new nation.

We are not opposite of men, we are definitely different, but not opposite.  We are complimentary to men.  We were made for them, because it was not good that they be alone.  We are suited for man.  We are to fill the earth and subdue it with our men.  We aren't in a competition.  We are not dominating men.  We are not floozy.  We are not Delilahs.

I'll never forget when my family visited a Mennonite community for a few Sunday's in a row.  I was about 9 years old and made friends quickly with the other boys and girls.  It was during that time I was introduced to the mindset that male and female are at war.  We girls held the male species at arms length.  It was then I learned the saying "Girls are from mars, to get more candy bars.  Boys go to Jupiter, to get more stupider."  (Brilliant, I know).  We aren't from different worlds.  Our differences are on purpose.  What would the world be like if both men and woman shared the same strengths and weaknesses?

We are to be strong, polished beautiful cornerstones.  (Psalm 144).  Not just physically but in our heart as well.  We are not only beneficiary to our home, but necessary...an essential part.  We are to be actively engaged in our home.  Where are our energies centered?  Where are our strengths invested?  Are we corner stones?

The Proverbs 31 woman did not learn virtuous womanhood the night before marriage.  This was something she learned and practiced.  We must also.

We already know what worldly girls look like.  They are sassy.  Brash, loud, wild.  They are often immodest and either flirts or on the other extreme (haters of men).But Godly, feminine woman are sweet, yet strong.  Meek, but confident.  Modest, but adventurous. Christ in us will shine forth true femininity, and it will not diminish any adventure.  There is nothing more adventurous than being a godly young woman in the 21st century.  

We can either be selfish stereotypical modern day women, or we can be useful women equipped for the battle for His glory.  Are we ready?  Christ might ask us to go to a foreign country to serve Him.  Or to be a Governor's wife. A farmer's daughter.  Or scarier yet -- to radically serve Him in the "normal" home we are already in.  Can we render ourselves useful?  Can we learn, can we teach?  We are one day going to be training up the next generation.  Are we prepared?  Are we educated?  Can we formulate our own opinions?  Do we read good books?  Do we write good books?  Are we studying? Are we ingenious, creative, entrepreneurial, selfless?  Do we look for the needs of those around us?   A godly feminine woman would.

We hold our future dream of our man to such a high standard.  We want a godly masculine man.  What standard do we hold ourselves?  Are we a godly, feminine woman?  The men God will require for this wicked day and age will require amazing, virtuous, feminine, woman.  Are we willing?



Saturday, July 11, 2015

Quote of the Day

He has an especial tenderness of love towards thee for that thou art in the dark and hast no light, and His heart is glad when thou dost arise and say, ‘I will go to my Father.’ For He sees thee through all the gloom through which thou canst not see Him. Say to Him, ‘My God, I am very dull and low and hard; but Thou art wise and high and tender, and Thou art my God. I am thy child. Forsake me not.’ Then fold the arms of thy faith, and wait in quietness until light goes up in the darkness. Fold the arms of thy faith, I say, but not of thy action: bethink thee of something that thou oughtest to do, and go and do it, if it be but the sweeping of a room, or the preparing of a meal, or a visit to a friend; heed not thy feelings: do thy work.”

(George Macdonald, Daily Strength for Daily Needs p. 162)

Thursday, July 9, 2015

A Toxic Cup of Tea

Health and Beauty
A Toxic Cup of Tea

To me, a cup of tea is like a cup of comfort. I love tea. Come rain or shine, I'm always up for a hot cup of tea. Tea has also been known to have several good health benefits as well. I recently read a very interesting article on the subject of tea, and more specifically, how deceitfully toxic your cup may be without your even knowing it.

For instance, look at that cup of tea. Inviting isn’t it? It just looks so delicious and perfectly harmless. But is it? Looks can be deceiving. Please read on and you’ll see what I mean. 


Plastic and Cancerous Compounds in Tea Bags—A Surprising Source of Potential Toxins (By Dr. Mercola)

“I’ve long advocated drinking tea in lieu of coffee, but the downside of modern food technology is again rearing its ugly head and causing brand new health concerns over this otherwise healthful brew.
A recent article in The Atlantic raises questions about the safety of plastic tea bags, some of which have fancy pyramid shapes, designed to allow the tea leaves to unfurl during infusion.
Chances are you’ve never even given the tea bag a second thought. But indeed, some of the newer tea bags are made with a variety of plastics; some are nylon, some are made of viscose rayon, and others are made of thermoplastic, PVC or polypropylene.
Anyone aware of the dangers of plastic chemicals leaching out of plastic containers and bottles is likely to be concerned about drinking tea steeped through heated plastic.
The other bad news is that paper tea bags may be just as bad, or worse, than the plastic ones because many of them are treated with epichlorohydrin, a compound mainly used in the production of epoxy resins.
Considered a potential carcinogen by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), epichlorohydrin is also used as a pesticide. Besides making its way into tea bags, it can also be found in coffee filters, water filters, and sausage casings.

When epichlorohydrin comes in contact with water, it hydrolyzes to 3-MCPD, which has been shown to cause cancer in animals. It’s also been implicated in infertility (it has a spermatoxic effect in male rats) and suppressed immune function.
This chemical is already a well-known “process contaminant” associated with modern food production.
Do Plastic Tea Bags Pose a Health Concern?
As you probably know, chemicals in plastic containers and bottles have been found to leach into food and drink, thereby posing a number of health hazards.

According to the featured article:
“Could plastic tea bags also be bad for our health? They are most commonly made from food grade nylon or polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which are two of the safest plastics on the scale of harmful leaching potential. Both have very high melting points, which offer some assurance to consumers, as one would think the melting point of plastic is the temperature at which one would need to worry about accidentally eating it. There is another temperature point for plastics, though, that we may need to worry about, called the 'glass transition' temperature (Tg). That is the temperature at which the molecule in certain materials such as polymers begin to break down. As a rule, the Tg of a material is always lower than the melting point.”
Water boils at 212 degrees Fahrenheit (100 degrees Celsius). In the case of PET the glass transition point (Tg) is about 169 degrees, and the breakdown point of nylon is even lower than PET.

“If the question is, 'As the polymer goes through that transition state, is it easier for something to leach out?' 'the answer is yes,' said Dr. Ray Fernando, professor and director of polymers and coatings at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo,”  The Atlantic states.

So while these plastics are generally considered among the safest in terms of leaching potential, the molecules in these plastic tea bags may still in fact break down and leach out when steeped in boiling water—which is the recommended way to brew a good cup of tea.
Paper Tea Bags May Be Just as Bad, or Worse….
The now defunct Dexter Corporation was the initial owner on the patent of a method for treating both tea bags and coffee filters with latex (plastic), to aid in preventing tears that allow the tea leaves/coffee grounds to leak. This invention “saturates and completely impregnates” the entire web material. Therein lies one of the problems with paper tea bags as they are frequently treated with epichlorohydrin, which hydrolyzes to the carcinogen 3-MCPD when contact with water occurs.

Dow Chemical Co is one of the largest producers of epichlorohydrin. According to safety literature from Dow, it's a very dangerous chemical that requires using extra precautions when handling. Granted, that doesn’t automatically render it dangerous in the final product, but it can still be a cause for concern, particularly as it can turn into a carcinogen when water is added. There are many unanswered questions with respect to the potential hazards of using this chemical in products specifically designed to be used with boiling water…

A good way to protect yourself and your family in this area is to purchase your tea from manufacturers who can certify that their tea bags do not contain this compound. In a 2009 article, Kristie Leong, MD also claims to have done her own inquiries and that Bigelow Tea Company does not use the chemical in their bags.

Your best option would be to opt for loose tea. This does take longer, but it can be well worth the wait.
Of Your Healthiest Beverage Choices
While some tea bags—whether plastic or paper processed with epichlorohydrin—may pose a potential hazard, please don’t let that deter you from drinking tea altogether. Although I still believe pure water should make up the majority of your daily fluid intake, high-quality tea has numerous health benefits to offer. Among them is growing evidence that the polyphenols in tea, which include EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate) and many others, can be protective against cancer. Beyond this, the beneficial properties in tea have been known to:
·        Neutralize the effects to your body of harmful fats and oils
·        Inhibit bacteria and viruses
·        Improve digestion
·        Protect against oxidation in your brain and liver
·        Help promote healthy gums



Drinking tea has also been linked to:

·        Improved mental alertness and slowing of brain-cell degeneration
·        Reduced blood pressure
·        Protection again type 2 diabetes
·        Lower blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels
·        Lower risk of breast, colon, lung, ovarian and prostate cancers
·        Reduced risk of heart attack and stroke

Of course, there are some general ground rules to follow when selecting tea of any kind, and those are that it should preferably be:
·        Organic (otherwise tea may be heavily sprayed with pesticides)
·        Grown in a pristine environment (tea is known to accumulate fluoride, heavy metals and other toxins from soil and water, so a clean growing environment is essential to producing a pure, high-quality tea)"