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Orthodox Health
Orthodox Health
Dr. Michael Kuhn

Orthodox Health

Alternative HealthEnglish
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 & reclaim a faith life.

An Eastern Orthodox podcast bridging theology with alternative medicine & holistic wellness.
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Episodes

Why You Can't Find Real Peace | Fr. Michael Marcantoni
19 October 2026

Why You Can't Find Real Peace | Fr. Michael Marcantoni

When does something that offers relief begin to own you?In this episode of the Orthodox Health Podcast, Dr. Mike & John sit down with Fr. Michael Marcantoni to explore alcoholism, addiction recovery, the passions, & the Orthodox Christian understanding of sobriety.Drawing on his personal journey through alcoholism & recovery, Fr. Michael connects the Twelve Steps with the ancient...
The Noonday Demon: Why You Feel Trapped in Your Career | Fr. Michael Butler (Avg2Alpha)
12 October 2026

The Noonday Demon: Why You Feel Trapped in Your Career | Fr. Michael Butler (Avg2Alpha)

When does honorable sacrifice become a cage?A man works long hours to provide for his family. He pays the bills, keeps his commitments, & does what needs to be done. But what happens when the people he's providing for receive only what's left of him?In this episode of the Orthodox Health Podcast, Fr. Michael Butler returns to help Dr. Mike & John examine one of the most difficult...
You Need a Bunker: Church, Family, Movement & the Discipline of Simplicity | Fr. Ted Paraskevopoulos
05 October 2026

You Need a Bunker: Church, Family, Movement & the Discipline of Simplicity | Fr. Ted Paraskevopoulos

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...
You Need to Be Bad at Something | Humility, Ego & Becoming a Beginner Again
28 September 2026

You Need to Be Bad at Something | Humility, Ego & Becoming a Beginner Again

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,...
Why Do We Laugh When Life Hurts? | Carollynn Xavier
21 September 2026

Why Do We Laugh When Life Hurts? | Carollynn Xavier

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,...
Why Your Child Needs Movement to Learn | Angelique Chaverri
14 September 2026

Why Your Child Needs Movement to Learn | Angelique Chaverri

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....
What Is Exercise Actually For? | Presbytera Marina Thornburg
07 September 2026

What Is Exercise Actually For? | Presbytera Marina Thornburg

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...
Why The Athos Diet Changes How We Think About Food | Dr. Pete Patitsas
31 August 2026

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

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...
Is Stress Always Bad? The Lost Case for Voluntary Hardship
24 August 2026

Is Stress Always Bad? The Lost Case for Voluntary Hardship

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...
Our Thoughts Determine Our Health? Nocebo, Fear & the Orthodox Mind
17 August 2026

Our Thoughts Determine Our Health? Nocebo, Fear & the Orthodox Mind

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...