Fit For Life Health Services

09/20/2025

A topic I rarely speak on, but have known about for many years-plastic in your teabags and the cause for concern. 😡🤨

“It all started with a 2019 Canadian study at McGill University (1) published in the Environmental Science & Technology Journal, which stated that steeping a plastic tea bag at a brewing temperature of 95°C releases around 11.6 billion microplastics and 3.1 billion nanoplastics into a single cup. Microplastics are tiny pieces of plastic between 100 nanometres and 5 millimeters in size. Compared to salt, for example, which has been also found to contain plastic, each cup contains thousands of times the greater mass of plastic, at 16 micrograms per cup.”

“Another study published in March 2023 in the International Journey of Surgery (3) cites a wide variety of health conditions, including endocrine disruption, reproductive toxicity, cancer risk, problems with metabolism and nutrition, and interference with neurodevelopment, as concerns related to microplastic exposure, particularly to those heated during processing, like tea bags used in million cups of tea over a lifetime.”

One should always consider using looseleaf tea as much as possible. However, that is not always a viable option.
This is a great article on why you should choose plastic free teabags and which bags are free of ick.

Short list:

Bromley
Hampstead Tea
Higher Living
Nature’s Cuppa
Pukka Herbs
Stash Tea
The Republic of Tea
Traditional Medicinals
Yogi Tea

Your cup of tea might contain 11 billion nanoparticles of plastics. Find out which tea bags are plastic free (2025 update).

06/27/2024

In this breath of putrid air news today… rinse aid for dishwashers is toxic to our gut lining.

I rarely use it and prefer to use vinegar instead if my dishwasher is looking grungy. I will now ONLY use vinegar and ditch even the “clean” versions of rinse aids. I am tired of reading labels on every dang product I bring into my home. However, it seems the “green” or “eco” rinse aids are not using the alcohol ethyloxalates that are the problematic gut disruptors in this study. Cascade and Finish brands both contain this ingredient. EWG gives them a D grade anyway so avoid using them.

This study is referencing the residue left on dishes washed in commercial dishwashers, but I’m not taking any chances with household dishwashers either.

The expression of genes involved in cell survival, epithelial barrier, cytokine signaling, and metabolism was altered by rinse aid in concentrations used in professional dishwashers. The alcohol ethoxylates present in the rinse aid were identified as the culprit component causing the epithelial infl...

05/30/2024

In the planning stages of our medical mission trip to Tanzania for mid-to-late February of 2025. Message if interested. No training necessary.

05/07/2024

I AM SO EXCITED to offer this product in our (Fit for Life Health Services) office soon! I have been stalking Arthrex for YEARS to see if we can order this for our patients and we finally made contact with a representative, thanks to a patient with the inside track. 😉
I have seen it used on a few facial incisions with miraculous results. No infection and NO scarring! The technology is fascinating.

“JumpStart antimicrobial wound dressing is an advanced microcurrent-generating dressing used for the management of surgical incision sites. Microcell batteries made of elemental silver and zinc generate an electrical current when activated by conductive fluids, such as wound exudate, water-based wound hydrogels, saline, or water. These microcell batteries create microcurrents to support the body's natural electrical healing process and to provide antimicrobial protection to assist with wound healing. JumpStart antimicrobial wound dressing has demonstrated broad-spectrum bactericidal activity against antibiotic-resistant strains of wound isolates within 24 hours.
“
Examples of use (when I wish I had this product available):

Facial dog bites
Glass cuts
Recent surgical incisions
Any wound that you think will leave a scar or at high risk for infection
Mole or other skin lesion removal
Vet incisions/wounds on pets

04/27/2024

Anyone who went through c*¥id treatment with me knows I leaned heavily into essential oils for lung therapy to enhance oxygenation and to decrease the viral load. The science continues to support the use of essential oils for their therapeutic effects and especially as antivirals.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9159739/

“This review article mainly focuses on the antiviral potential of essential oils and their chemical constituents especially against influenza and coronaviruses. Essential oils have been screened against several pathogenic viruses, including influenza and other respiratory viral infections. The essential oils of cinnamon, bergamot, lemongrass, thyme, lavender have been reported to exert potent antiviral effects against influenza type A virus. The essential oil of Citrus reshni leaves has been shown to be effective against H5N1 virus. The essential oil of Lippia species at a concentration of 11.1 μg/mL has been shown to induce 100% inhibition of yellow fever virus in Vero cells. Essential oils and oleoresins have been shown through in vitro and in vivo experiments to induce antiviral effects against Coronavirus infectious bronchitis virus. A study reported 221 phytochemical compounds and essential oils to be effective against severe acute respiratory syndrome associated coronavirus (SARS-CoV) using a cell-based assay measuring SARS-CoV-induced cytopathogenic effect on Vero E6 cells. The main mechanism of antiviral effects of essential oils has been found to cause capsid disintegration and viral expansion which prevents the virus to infect host cells by adsorption via the capsid. Essential oils also inhibit hemagglutinin (an important membrane protein of various viruses) of certain viruses; this membrane protein allows the virus to enter the host cell. Many essential oils and their components could inhibit the late stages of viral life cycle by targeting the redox signalling pathway. Essential oils of Thymus vulgaris, cymbopogon citratus and Rosmarinus officinalis have been found to destabilize the Tat/TAR-RNA complex of HIV-1 virus, this complex being essential for HIV-1 replication. Being lipophilic in nature, essential oils can pe*****te viral membranes easily leading to membrane disintegration. The current comprehensive review will facilitate researchers to find chemical entities from plant sources as possible inhibitory agents against various viruses.”

Essential oils and their chemical constituents have been reported with well documented antimicrobial effects against a range of bacterial, fungal and viral pathogens. By definition, essential oils are a complex mixture of volatile organic compounds which ...

04/22/2024

In an attempt to practice what I preach, Taryn and I made a divine gluten-free, dairy-free zucchini, lemon poppyseed bread for a healthy dessert yesterday. It was for a neighbors dinner and was my dessert contribution. To this recipe, I added 3tbsp of poppyseed, increased the lemon zest and juice to two lemons for more taste and increased the zucchini to 1 1/2 cups for more nutritional value.
I served the warm bread with options to top with freshly whipped cream (added Madagascar vanilla extract), fresh red raspberries or a homemade blueberry compote I made with honey instead of processed sugar.
This bread is moist, delicious and was a definite hit with the neighbors.

Healthy eating doesn’t have to be “nasty” or boring.

This delicious, moist Lemon Zucchini Bread is healthier than your typical recipe. It's made with nutrient-rich almond flour and no refined sugar.

01/25/2024

Dear Fit forLife patients,

After years of loyal service and and beyond dedication to our office, staff and patients, Cheryl is going to take a well deserved month-long vacation. We are hoping not to disturb her during this time and so if you have any pressing matters that need Cheryl’s specific attention, please message our office in the next few days. Otherwise, you can direct any other concerns to Megan and Jena.

Happy vacation, Cheryl. You are well loved and valued by all who have come through the door of our office.  ( We wanted to make this announcement so people did not freak out and think that Cheryl was no longer with us. )

💜💜💜