Why I like Doctor Mike

October 28, 2020 Robin R. - Editor

YouTuber “Doctor Mike” is engaging, attractive and so good at talking to a camera that it wouldn’t surprise me if he was asked to audition for a hit TV medical drama. But despite doing some improv with a cast member of The Resident, he’s not an actor. He is in fact a real doctor who provides helpful advice on his social media platforms.

Mike Varshavski is a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) with a practice in New York City. DOs are very similar to MDs. Two main differences are that DOs practice Osteopathic Manipulative Therapy and they have a more holistic approach to medicine. On his YouTube channel, Doctor Mike provides health tips for everyday life, explains various medical issues in easy-to-understand language and sets a good example by taking care of his own body with good nutrition and exercise. His morning routine includes suggestions for small things you can do to start your day off right.

The above video was made in 2017 and is the first one he posted. He added a nighttime routine later that year and recorded an updated morning routine in 2018. Check out the playlist here.

As someone who is interested in special diets, I like Doctor Mike’s willingness to not only be informed about them, but to also try them out on himself. So far he’s tried the Keto, Vegan and Whole30 diets and has shared his experience with his viewers. You can find all these videos and more in his Real Nutrition playlist. Even if a diet doesn’t work for him, he doesn’t necessarily give it a thumbs down. For example, he had some side effects on the vegan diet but still supports patients who want to try it.

When it comes to natural products, Doctor Mike is all about the science. He will promote things that are backed-up with good studies and criticize products that make false or inflated health claims. His video on green tea, for example, outlines all the benefits of this drink but also points out some of the overblown hype.

His video on probiotics describes the benefits of these supplements for certain intestinal conditions. Ultimately though, Doctor Mike would prefer people maintain a healthy gut microbiome through dietary means. His views on vitamin and mineral supplements are similar. He does not support them for a healthy person but does support them if someone has a diagnosed deficiency or malabsorption. He also recommends them during pregnancy (folic acid) or when following a special diet that lacks a certain nutrient (eg B-12 for vegans).

Doctor Mike regularly responds to comments and questions from his viewers. One thing that really comes across in his videos is how much he wants to help others and how much he cares about his patients. His channel includes a Coronavirus playlist to counter inaccurate information about the pandemic and to provide advice to viewers.

On the lighter side of life, Doctor Mike has several videos where he reacts to hilarious medical memes. These funny videos break up the more serious content on his channel. He also posts clips from medical dramas and comments on their medical accuracy. This is how I actually discovered his channel. I had been watching clips of the TV show “House” and one of his “Doctor Reacts to House M.D.” videos came up in my recommended list.