Loading...

PODCAST

Orthodox Health

Dr. Michael Kuhn

How do we care for body, mind, & soul in Christ? Orthodox Health explores the patristic wisdom of the Eastern Orthodox Church for holistic well-being. Dive into Orthodox Christian theology & alternative health. We explore the biological & spiritual power of liturgical fasting, traditional nutrition, functional medicine, hesychastic prayer, & longevity, while exposing wellness counterfeits, New Age deceptions, & spiritual warfare. Break free from a consumer industry &

health & fitness alternative health

All Episodes

01:24:07

You Need a Bunker: Church, Family, Movement & the...

Orthodox Health ·

2026/10/05

When Carollynn Xavier reached one of the lowest points of her life, she went to Fr. Ted Paraskevopoulos with a simple request:“I need a bunker. Just tell me what to do.”His answer was equally simple:Go to church. Take care of your son. Move your body.On this episode of the Orthodox Health Podcast, Fr. Ted joins Dr. Michael Christian & John to explain why those three things mattered, how his own experience with burnout shaped that advice, & why the Orthodox life so often comes back to doing a

en-us

02:12:34

You Need to Be Bad at Something | Humility, Ego &...

Orthodox Health ·

2026/09/28

Adults get very good at staying inside the rooms where they already know what they’re doing.But what happens when competence becomes armor?In this episode of the Orthodox Health Podcast, Dr. Mike & John make the case for keeping at least one place in your life where you are still genuinely a student... where somebody else knows more than you, correction is unavoidable, failure is possible, and you occasionally have to say:“I don’t know. Show me.”Using Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu as the obvious

en-us

01:16:19

Why Do We Laugh When Life Hurts? | Carollynn Xavier

Orthodox Health ·

2026/09/21

Why do human beings laugh in the middle of pain, embarrassment, grief, or fear?In this episode of the Orthodox Health Podcast, comedian Carollynn Xavier joins Dr. Michael Christian & John for a conversation about laughter, suffering, dark humor, humility, combat sports, & the Orthodox Christian life.Carollynn traces her journey from atheism and professional comedy into Orthodoxy, including what happened when public success and private misery collided. She talks about rethinking the

en-us

01:29:58

Why Your Child Needs Movement to Learn | Angelique...

Orthodox Health ·

2026/09/14

Why does a reading teacher require a pull-up bar?In this episode of the Orthodox Health Podcast, Angelique Chaverri, M.S.Ed. joins Dr. Michael Christian & John to explore a question modern education often misses: What is the rest of the child doing while we’re asking the brain to learn?Angelique works with students through Scholé Academy & the Center for Students for Learning Differences. Her approach brings together reading instruction, movement, posture, proprioception, vestibular

en-us

00:58:51

What Is Exercise Actually For? | Presbytera Marina...

Orthodox Health ·

2026/09/07

What is exercise actually for?In this episode, Presbytera Marina Thornburg returns to the Orthodox Health Podcast for a conversation with Dr. Michael Christian & John about what happens when something genuinely good (exercise, discipline, taking care of the body) begins demanding more than it should.Can physical discipline make us more virtuous? Is something ascetical simply because it's difficult? What happens when the “optimal” training plan conflicts with prayer, marriage, children, work, or

en-us

01:21:59

Why The Athos Diet Changes How We Think About Food |...

Orthodox Health ·

2026/08/31

What can modern medicine learn from Orthodox fasting without reducing an ancient ascetical practice to another health intervention?In this episode of the Orthodox Health Podcast, Dr. Pete Patitsas, emergency physician & author of The Athos Diet, joins Dr. Michael Christian & John to explore what the fasting traditions associated with Mt. Athos can teach us about food, health, discipline & the formation of the human person.They discuss intermittent fasting, metabolic health, protein

en-us

01:32:36

Is Stress Always Bad? The Lost Case for Voluntary...

Orthodox Health ·

2026/08/24

What if the goal of health isn’t to eliminate stress... but to become capable of responding to the right kinds of stress well?Modern wellness culture is intensely focused on lowering cortisol, regulating the nervous system, maximizing recovery, & avoiding added strain. Sometimes that is exactly what health requires.But somewhere along the way, “chronic stress can make us sick” became “stress itself is bad.”Exercise is stress. Fasting is stress. Heat & cold are stress. Hunger is

en-us

01:31:43

Our Thoughts Determine Our Health? Nocebo, Fear & the...

Orthodox Health ·

2026/08/17

Can fear, expectation, & the stories we tell about our bodies actually change what we experience physically?Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica famously taught that “our thoughts determine our lives.” Modern research into the nocebo effect, pain, conditioning, stress, & health anxiety gives us a fascinating (though much narrower) window into the relationship between thought & bodily experience.In this episode of the Orthodox Health Podcast, Dr. Mike & John explore what our thoughts can and

en-us

01:48:22

The Dormition: What the Death of the Theotokos...

Orthodox Health ·

2026/08/10

You will die. So what exactly are you preparing your body for?After exploring how Orthodox Christians should feed the body during fasting & how to train without making the gym an idol, in this episode of the Orthodox Health Podcast, Dr. Michael Christian & John confront the question that neither nutrition nor physical discipline can answer:What are health, strength, suffering, & ultimately the body itself actually for?The Dormition gives the Church’s answer.The Theotokos, the holiest

en-us

01:09:42

Making the Gym an Idol? Training & Orthodox Fasting |...

Orthodox Health ·

2026/08/03

Is your training serving your vocation... or has your life quietly begun serving your training?Physical training can teach discipline, patience, consistency & the ability to endure discomfort. But difficulty alone does not make something Orthodox asceticism.In this episode of The Orthodox Health Podcast, Dr. Michael Christian & John are joined by Subdeacon Michael Cassell: a certified strength & conditioning coach, an active-duty serviceman, Catechumen/New Member Coordinator at All

en-us

01:12:19

The Ultimate Orthodox Fasting Protein Tier List

Orthodox Health ·

2026/07/27

Peanut butter contains protein... but does that make it a protein source?In this episode of The Orthodox Health Podcast, Dr. Michael Christian & John build the ultimate Orthodox fasting protein tier list for the Dormition Fast. They rank shellfish, lentils, split peas, lupini beans, bean pasta, pea & rice protein, black beans, chickpeas, nutritional yeast, peanut butter, quinoa, oats, tahini, sourdough, vegan burgers, protein bars, seitan, tofu, tempeh & soy-based imitation meats.This is

en-us

01:11:51

Regenerating the Land, Forming the Man: Farming, BJJ...

Orthodox Health ·

2026/07/20

What connects regenerative agriculture, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Orthodox community, & the formation of the human person?In this episode of the Orthodox Health Podcast, Nick Hillman rejoins Dr. Michael Christian & John to explain what regenerative agriculture is actually trying to restore... from soil biology, nutrient density & plant health to the relationship between farmers, food & the people they nourish.Nick walks through regenerative viticulture, soil & plant testing, Korean

en-us

01:32:45

You Don't Need Spiritual Techniques... You Need...

Orthodox Health ·

2026/07/13

Modern spirituality promises healing.St. Paisios points to something much deeper.In the conclusion of our trilogy on yoga, the New Age, & Orthodox Christianity, Dr. Michael Christian & John examine the teachings of St. Paisios the Athonite on repentance, discernment, the passions, logismoi, prayer, & communion with Christ.Rather than becoming fascinated by counterfeit spirituality, St. Paisios calls us to become transformed through humility, confession, repentance, & the healing of

en-us

01:18:52

False Healing Exposed: New Age, Trauma & Christ with...

Orthodox Health ·

2026/07/06

Not everything called healing actually heals.In this episode of The Orthodox Health Podcast, Dr. Michael Christian & John are joined by Christian trauma therapist, Anastasia Gerali, The Reborn Anastasia, to discuss her journey from cultural Orthodoxy into New Age spirituality... & back to Christ.Anastasia shares how trauma, divorce, manifestation, hypnotherapy, yoga, meditation, psychic practices, Buddhism, & ayahuasca all became part of her search for peace. What first felt empowering

en-us

01:26:42

False Peace: Yoga, the New Age, & the Gospel Without...

Orthodox Health ·

2026/06/29

What if the greatest spiritual deception doesn't look darkWhat if it looks peaceful?In this episode of the Orthodox Health Podcast, Dr. Michael Christian & John are rejoined by our good friend Robert Sirico, who is a cantor, choir director, & doctoral seminarian. In the conversation, we move beyond the question of whether yoga is religious & examine the larger worldview surrounding the New Age movement.Together we explore yoga, chakras, kundalini, mantras, breathwork, Reiki, energy

en-us

01:28:44

Nourished Asceticism: Fasting Without Crashing | Dr....

Orthodox Health ·

2026/06/22

Is the Fast making you weak… or is it revealing what modern life already depleted?In this episode of the Orthodox Health Podcast, Dr. Michael Christian & John continue the Apostle’s Fast arc with Dr. Michael Moeller, NMD, for a conversation on nourished asceticism, testosterone, men’s health, blood sugar, digestion, protein, metabolic resilience, peptides, berberine, & how to fast seriously without wrecking the body.This is not an anti-fasting episode.It is also not a “ignore your body &

en-us

01:02:20

The Fast & the Gut: Asceticism Without Self-Destruction

Orthodox Health ·

2026/06/15

Orthodox fasting is not self-destruction.In this episode of The Orthodox Health Podcast, Dr. Michael Christian & John build on two previous Orthodox Health conversations: the recent episode on nutrient pairings, & Episode 12, The Microcosm Within: Orthodoxy & the Microbiome.The core idea is simple: intake is not the same thing as reception. You can eat fasting foods and still feel bloated, constipated, refluxy, anxious, or exhausted, not because the Fast is bad, but because the context

en-us

00:54:01

You’re Not Absorbing It: Nutrient Pairings & Orthodox...

Orthodox Health ·

2026/06/08

During the Apostles’ Fast, many Orthodox Christians focus almost entirely on what they are removing: meat, dairy, eggs, oil, wine.But what if the deeper question is not simply, “What am I avoiding?” but, “What am I actually receiving?”In this episode, Dr. Michael Christian & John use nutrient pairings as a practical case study in one of the deepest patterns woven into creation: things are received in relationship.We discuss why intake does not always equal utilization, how nutrient pairings like

en-us

01:22:20

Sin Is Sickness: Trauma, Compulsion & Orthodox...

Orthodox Health ·

2026/06/01

What if sin is not merely a legal violation, or "rule-breaking," but a sickness of the whole person?In this episode of the Orthodox Health Podcast, Dr. Michael Christian & John are joined by Fr. Hans Jacobse for a deeply pastoral conversation on trauma, compulsion, embodied memory, prayer, & Orthodox healing.Dropping the day after Pentecost, this conversation asks what true healing looks like when the Holy Spirit descends not simply to give spiritual experiences, but to restore the whole

en-us

01:18:10

False Ascension: From Occult Power to Orthodox...

Orthodox Health ·

2026/05/25

Before Erika found Orthodoxy, she had spent years in theistic satanism, occult practice, ritual magic, & demonic spirituality... until the New Testament, the Jesus Prayer, & the life of the Church revealed that the “power” she had been promised was bondage.In this episode of the Orthodox Health Podcast, Dr. Michael Christian & John speak with Erika of Shire Skincare about her journey from satanism & occult practice into Orthodox Christianity.Released between Ascension &

en-us

81 results

Similar Podcasts

Доктор Тройняшкин

Доктор Тройняшкин

Healthy Chat

DR ALI BANIHAMOUR

Dingue ‐ RTS

RTS - Radio Télévision Suisse

Words of Wellness with Shelly

Shelly Jefferis

Linchpin Conversations

Pat Sherwood