In this episode of the Orthodox Health Podcast, Dr. Michael Christian & John are joined by clinical herbalist Presvytera Krystina Valadez to explore healing through an Orthodox Christian lens... cutting through both modern medical reductionism & New Age “wellness” spirituality.

This is a conversation about right order: herbs without magic, prayer without superstition, suffering without despair, & healing rooted in faith, sacrament, & community.

We talk about using herbs in their proper place, detaching natural medicine from New Age spiritual confusion, & why Christian bioethics matters when health decisions get serious.

Along the way, we discuss the intercession of the saints, relics, anointing oils, & prayer; plus microbiome basics, herbs vs. pharmaceuticals, & how Big Ag & Big Pharma have distorted the modern “terrain.”

Presvytera also shares simple local-herb wisdom, wildcrafting principles, & a practical DIY chest rub for kids... while we imagine what an Orthodox approach to hospitals & healthcare could look like.

We also address how health trials often deepen prayer, why the Church has always understood healing as more than symptom management, & how Orthodox Christians can reclaim herbal wisdom without detaching it from Christ.

Takeaways:

• Health is not a technique, supplement, or hack... it is relational & participatory
• Herbs are tools, not talismans
• Healing often unfolds through prayer, repentance, & endurance, not instant fixes
• Saints, relics, & sacramental life belong in conversations about health
• Modern “wellness culture” often mirrors magical thinking more than medicine
• Community, motherhood, & lived faith profoundly shape healing
• The Orthodox Health 5R framework restores order to modern health chaos
• Local, seasonal, & embodied practices matter more than imported solutions

Sound Bytes:

• “Health is not magic.”
• “It’s not just that an herb worked... it’s that prayer deepened.”
• “We cry out to God most often in our trials.”
• “Herbs don’t replace faith. They belong under it.”
• “Suffering isn’t punishment... it can be for healing.”
• “Wellness culture often replaces the Church with techniques.”
• “The body heals best when it’s placed back into right relationship.”

Chapters:

00:00 Opener

01:29 Winter Wellness: Why “Herbs 2.0” Matters

04:24 Meet Presvytera Krystina Valadez

08:34 Herbs Without the New Age

11:35 From “Wellness” to Christian Bioethics

12:46 When Health Trials Deepen Prayer

15:43 Saints, Relics, & Healing

20:29 Faith in a Health Crisis

23:56 Suffering as Healing & Refinement

26:22 Reclaiming Health Culture for the Church

29:43 Presvytera’s Winter Apothecary

33:29 Dr. Mike’s Herbal Childhood

36:35 Microbiome Basics (Orthodox Health Lens)

40:34 Herbs vs. Pharmaceuticals: Right Order

46:34 Big Ag, Big Pharma, & the Modern Terrain

51:58 Top Acute Illness Tools (What We Actually Use)

58:07 The Orthodox Health 5R Framework

59:42 What an Orthodox Healthcare System Could Look Like

01:04:57 Wildcrafting: Local Herbs & Simple Harvesting

01:12:17 DIY Kids Chest Rub (Practical Recipe)

01:17:24 A Word of Encouragement for Tired Moms

01:23:12 Closing Thoughts & What's Up Next: Lenten Triodion Arc

Presvytera Krystina's Substack: Motherly Journey⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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