Orthodox Health Podcast

Ep. 38 · An Orthodox View of Thanksgiving: Puritans, Pilgrims, & the Price of Forgetting the Eucharist

In episode 38 of the Orthodox Health Podcast, Dr. Michael Christian & John trace how the Thanksgiving Myth, Puritan productivity culture, & wellness legalism turned “Turkey Day” into a kind of substitute sacrament... & how the Eucharist, the true Thanksgiving, reclaims our tables, our bodies, & our nervous systems.DISCLAIMER:The information presented in this content is for informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Viewers should consult a qualified healthcare professional before making any health-related decisions.

Ep. 39 · Santa Vs. St. Nicholas & the Medicine of Almsgiving - Fr. Jonathan Ivanoff

What if St. Nicholas wasn’t a jolly mascot for consumer Christmas… but a bishop whose hidden generosity literally healed people and communities?In this episode of the Orthodox Health Podcast, Dr. Michael Christian & co-host John sit down with Fr. Jonathan Ivanoff rescue St. Nicholas from the Santa-Industrial-Complex & recover him as a true Orthodox saint, wonderworker, & icon of merciful giving.DISCLAIMER:The information presented in this content is for informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Viewers should consult a qualified healthcare professional before making any health-related decisions.

Ep. 40 · Beyond ‘Vegan’: Fake Meats, Food 2.0 & Technocratic Fasting - Nick Hillman

Lab-grown “meat.” Cricket protein bars. Impossible burgers at the grocery store.The world is loudly preaching a new gospel of “ethical,” “sustainable,” plant-based everything... while the same foundations & corporations that built chemical agriculture now tell us the “Future of Food” is bugs, bioreactors, & patented pea protein.DISCLAIMER:The information presented in this content is for informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Viewers should consult a qualified healthcare professional before making any health-related decisions.

Ep. 41 · Christ is Born: The Nativity Meal That Fixes Your Relationship with Food

In this episode, Dr. Mike & John take you on a tour of global Orthodox (& other) Nativity traditions & then land it with three simple, kid-friendly menus you can actually pull off this year... without a babushka living in your pantry.DISCLAIMER:The information presented in this content is for informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Viewers should consult a qualified healthcare professional before making any health-related decisions.

Ep. 42 · Feasting Without Falling Apart | 12 Days, Not 12 Pounds

The Church does not give us the feast so that we can fall apart... & then punish ourselves in January.In this episode of The Orthodox Health Podcast, Dr. Michael Christian & John walk through the often-ignored stretch from Nativity to Theophany & ask a different question than the culture does: How do we feast like Christians... without burning out our bodies, numbing our souls, or turning January into a war on ourselves?DISCLAIMER:The information presented in this content is for informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Viewers should consult a qualified healthcare professional before making any health-related decisions.

Ep. 43 · From Willpower to Worship, Building Habits that Heal

January is when modern culture tries to “punish itself into purity.” On this episode of the Orthodox Health Podcast, Dr. Mike & John dismantle the New Year, New Me courtroom & replace it with something actually Orthodox: repentance, rhythm, & repair. This is not a hype plan. It’s a Rule of Life approach to health: habits that support prayer, stabilize the nervous system, & make you more capable of love instead of more rigid, reactive, & self-absorbed.DISCLAIMER:The information presented in this content is for informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Viewers should consult a qualified healthcare professional before making any health-related decisions.

Ep. 44 · Sanctified Matter: Living After Theophany

In this episode, Dr. Michael Christian & co-host John unpack how Orthodox Christianity rejects both “flat secular materialism” & escapist spirituality, & why that matters for your body, nervous system, sleep, food, home, & daily rhythms.DISCLAIMER:The information presented in this content is for informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Viewers should consult a qualified healthcare professional before making any health-related decisions.

Ep. 45 · The Spiritual Root of Winter Immunity: Order, Fear, & Faith

In this episode of the Orthodox Health Podcast, Dr. Michael Christian & John unpack what Theophany proclaims about reality: creation is sanctified, the body matters, & health can’t be reduced to control, hacks, or fear.DISCLAIMER:The information presented in this content is for informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Viewers should consult a qualified healthcare professional before making any health-related decisions.

Ep. 46 · Healing in a Sanctified World: Herbs, Winter, & Faith - Presbytera Krystina Valadez

In this episode of the Orthodox Health Podcast, Dr. Michael Christian & John are joined by clinical herbalist Presvytera Krystina Valadez explore healing through an Orthodox Christian lens... cutting through both modern medical reductionism & New Age “wellness” spirituality.DISCLAIMER:The information presented in this content is for informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Viewers should consult a qualified healthcare professional before making any health-related decisions.

Ep. 47 · The Sin of Being “Right”: Humility as Medicine - Fr. Zechariah Lynch

In this Triodion Week 1 episode, Dr. Mike & John are joined by return guest Fr. Zechariah Lynch for the Sunday of the Publican & the Pharisee (Luke 18:9–14).DISCLAIMER:The information presented in this content is for informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Viewers should consult a qualified healthcare professional before making any health-related decisions.

Ep. 48 · The Prodigal Son: Repentance & the Healing of the Soul - Fr. Michael Butler

In this episode of the Orthodox Health Podcast, Dr. Michael Christian & John are joined by Fr. Michael Butler a deep, pastoral conversation on the Parable of the Prodigal Son & why the Church places it at the heart of the Triodion, just before Great Lent begins.DISCLAIMER:The information presented in this content is for informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Viewers should consult a qualified healthcare professional before making any health-related decisions.

Ep. 49 · God Sees You, Even When You're Hiding From Repentance - Fr. John Peck

As we enter Meatfare and approach Great Lent, Fr. John Peck joins Orthodox Health to expose the subtle spiritual danger that keeps most people from repentance: delay.DISCLAIMER:The information presented in this content is for informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Viewers should consult a qualified healthcare professional before making any health-related decisions.

Ep. 50 · Repentance is a Miracle: Forgiveness Is the Doorway to Lent - Fr. John Wehling

In this Forgiveness Sunday (Cheesefare) episode of the Orthodox Health Podcast, Dr. Michael Christian & John sit back down with Fr. John Wehling to unpack:• what forgiveness is (& what it is not)• why the Rite of Mutual Forgiveness is the threshold of Great Lent• how repentance becomes possible when resentment is loosed• how families can enter Lent with peace, realism, & a rule they can actually keepDISCLAIMER:The information presented in this content is for informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Viewers should consult a qualified healthcare professional before making any health-related decisions.

Ep. 51 · Minimum Effective Lent: A Practical Rule for the Great Fast

In this episode of the Orthodox Health Podcast, Dr. Michael Christian & John lay out a Minimum Effective Lent, a practical Orthodox rule designed for busy men who want real spiritual growth without emotional hype or performative fasting.DISCLAIMER:The information presented in this content is for informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Viewers should consult a qualified healthcare professional before making any health-related decisions.

Ep. 52 · Discipline, Testosterone, & the Fast: Men’s Health Done Right - Gavin McCort, RDN

In this episode of the Orthodox Health Podcast, Dr. Michael Christian & John sit back down with Gavin McCort, RDN (Temple Builder Fitness) to talk about the real foundations of male strength: ascetic discipline, training, fasting, purpose, & spiritual order.DISCLAIMER:The information presented in this content is for informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Viewers should consult a qualified healthcare professional before making any health-related decisions.

Ep. 53 · The Sanctified Womb: Women's Health, Fasting & Peace - Khouria Cathryn Barker

In this episode of the Orthodox Health Podcast, Dr. Michael Christian, John are joined by Khouria Cathryn Barker, RN of The Sanctified Womb tackle one of the most neglected conversations in Christian health: how women should approach fasting, nourishment, motherhood, hormones, recovery, & peace from a distinctly Orthodox perspective. Khouria Cathryn explains that not every woman is in the same season, & that pregnancy, postpartum, nursing, fertility struggles, illness, fatigue, and burnout all matter when discerning the right fast.DISCLAIMER:The information presented in this content is for informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Viewers should consult a qualified healthcare professional before making any health-related decisions.

Ep. 54 · The Tested Man: Mental Warfare, Masculinity, & Lent - Jonathan Lewis

In this episode of the Orthodox Health Podcast, Dr. Michael Christian & John are joined by Jonathan Lewis (The Tested Man) to talk about the hidden battle of Lent: temptation, attention, isolation, shame, lust, anxiety, & the struggle for real peace.DISCLAIMER:The information presented in this content is for informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Viewers should consult a qualified healthcare professional before making any health-related decisions.

Ep. 55 · Is Lent Making Your Anxiety Worse: The Real Reason Why - Dr. Robyn Middleton

In this episode of the Orthodox Health Podcast, Dr. Michael Christian is joined by guest co-host Gavin McCort, RDN, & Dr. Robyn Middleton, PhD to unpack women’s mental health during the Fast... covering anxiety, burnout, perfectionism, distraction, & the deeper spiritual roots behind it all.DISCLAIMER:The information presented in this content is for informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Viewers should consult a qualified healthcare professional before making any health-related decisions.

Ep. 56 · The 11th Hour: How to Head Into Pascha Without Losing the Point

In this episode of the Orthodox Health Podcast, Dr. Michael Christian & John walk from Lazarus Saturday to Pascha as a practical field guide for real people: the exhausted, the scattered, the ashamed, the distracted, and the ones buried under a thousand little “can I?” questions. This is a direct conversation about & Week, repentance, watchfulness, spiritual warfare, discernment, Pascha, & how not to lose the fruit of the fast.DISCLAIMER:The information presented in this content is for informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Viewers should consult a qualified healthcare professional before making any health-related decisions.

Ep. 57 · The Bodily Resurrection & the Reality of Emergency Care - Buck Johnson

In this return episode after Pascha, Dr. Michael Christian & John welcome Buck Johnson of the Counterflow Podcast to open the new Orthodox Health “body arc.” Buck is known to many as the host of ‪@Counterflow‬, but in his day job he has spent nearly 28 years as a firefighter and EMT. That makes him the perfect first guest for a post-Pascha conversation on the body, emergency care, trauma, discipline, brotherhood, & the bodily Resurrection.DISCLAIMER:The information presented in this content is for informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Viewers should consult a qualified healthcare professional before making any health-related decisions.

Ep. 58 · Strength After Pascha: Streetlifting & the Resurrected Body - Nicholas Cerean

In this episode of the Orthodox Health Podcast, Dr. Michael Christian & John sit down with USA streetlifting record holder Nicholas Cerean to talk about strength, discipline, humility, fasting, injury, muscle-ups, bodyweight training, & the resurrected body. This is a conversation about what it means to train the body as an Orthodox Christian after Pascha... without neglecting it & without worshiping it.DISCLAIMER:The information presented in this content is for informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Viewers should consult a qualified healthcare professional before making any health-related decisions.

Ep. 59 · Your Body Isn't Broken: Pain, Rehab & the Resurrection - Dr. Edgar Urilov, DPT

In this episode of the Orthodox Health Podcast, Dr. Michael Christian and John continue the Post-Pascha Body Arc with Dr. Edgar Urilov, a physical therapist & Orthodox Christian, for a conversation on pain, fascia, rehab, stress, and the body that will be raised.DISCLAIMER:The information presented in this content is for informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Viewers should consult a qualified healthcare professional before making any health-related decisions.

Ep. 60 · Alignment & Asceticism: Healing the Body in Christ - Dr. Christian Nelson, DC

In this episode of the Orthodox Health Podcast, Dr. Michael Christian & John continue the post-Pascha Body Arc with Dr. Christian Nelson, DC, an Orthodox Christian chiropractor & founder of Advocate Wellness TX.DISCLAIMER:The information presented in this content is for informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Viewers should consult a qualified healthcare professional before making any health-related decisions.

Ep. 61 · Your Body Is NOT a Machine: The Orthodox Answer to Biohacking & the New Age

In this episode of the Orthodox Health Podcast, Dr. Michael Christian & John ask the question underneath the entire post-Pascha body arc: What is the body?DISCLAIMER:The information presented in this content is for informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Viewers should consult a qualified healthcare professional before making any health-related decisions.

Ep. 62 · False Ascension: From Occult Power to Orthodox Healing | Erika (ShireSkincare)

In this episode of the Orthodox Health Podcast, Dr. Michael Christian & John are joined by Erika of Shire Skincare. Before becoming an Orthodox Christian, Erika was involved in theistic satanism, occult practice, ritual magic, and demonic spirituality. Her story is not just about leaving darkness. It is about repentance, healing, and coming home to the Church.DISCLAIMER:The information presented in this content is for informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Viewers should consult a qualified healthcare professional before making any health-related decisions.