Fasting Would Heal the World | What Happens to Your BODY and SOUL When you Fast | Dr. Pete Patitsas | Ep. 113
Fasting is one of the most ancient spiritual practices of the Christian Church—and also one of the most misunderstood.
In this episode of the Raised & Redeemed Podcast, I sit down with Dr. Pete Patitsas, an emergency room physician and Orthodox Christian, to explore fasting through both a medical and spiritual lens. Together, we unpack why fasting often feels intimidating or even threatening, especially for those healing from trauma, addiction, anxiety, or disordered relationships with food.
Rather than framing fasting as religious rule-keeping or modern diet culture, Dr. Pete explains fasting as a therapeutic and healing discipline—one designed to restore the body, train the soul, and reorient the heart toward dependence on God.
We discuss what fasting actually does in the body, how it impacts hormones and stress, and why the Orthodox fast and Athos way of eating are fundamentally different from popular health trends. The conversation also touches on spiritual warfare, healing the passions, and how hunger often reveals deeper fears, control patterns, and wounds that God desires to heal.
I also share honestly about my own resistance to fasting—and why this conversation helped reframe fasting not as a burden, but as an invitation to freedom.
In this episode, we cover:
Why an ER doctor teaches fasting
What Orthodox fasting truly is (and what it isn’t)
The Athos diet and simple plant-based eating
How fasting helps heal trauma and addiction
Fasting, hormones, and mental health
Teaching children to fast with discernment
How to begin fasting without anxiety or shame
Spiritual encounters and inner healing through fasting
Connect with Dr. Pete:
Subscribe to Dr. Pete's YouTube Channel
Check out The Athos Diet Website
Listen & Subscribe:
🎙️ Podcast: Raised & Redeemed on Spotify
🎥 YouTube: Michaela Nikolaenko Channel
Coming Up Next
Coming up next: In the next episode, we will be beginning a new series on Orthodox perspectives on New Age topics.
