| Robert O. Young | |
|---|---|
Robert O. Young |
|
| Born | March 6, 1952 |
| Occupation | Author, naturopath |
| Known for | pH Miracle book series |
Robert O. Young (1952-) is an American author of books relating to alternative medicine and an alkaline diet.[1] Young is also a naturopath and describes himself as a nutritionist.[1][2][3] His most popular works are known as the pH Miracle books, which outline his beliefs about health, holistic healing, and an "alkalarian" lifestyle.[4][5][6] He resides in Alpine, Utah as well as at Rancho Del Sol, an avocado and grapefruit ranch in Valley Center, California, with his wife, the author, massage therapist, and chef, Shelley Redford Young.[7] Together, they run "The pH Miracle Center", farm alkaline fruits and vegetables, hold health retreats, and teach live blood analysis and health seminars on what they refer to as "The New Biology", which encompasses theories about the cause and source of disease and how to prevent it through an alkaline diet and a physically active, low-stress lifestyle.[6]
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According to Young's website, he is a great-great grandson of Brigham Young and Jean-Baptiste Jules Bernadotte, King of Norway and Sweden.[8] Young's website also states that he obtained an undergraduate degree from the University of Utah, where he studied biology and business, in the early 1970s,[3] following which he did missionary work for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) for two years in London, England.[3] He received several degrees from Clayton College of Natural Health, a now defunct unaccredited distance learning school. These include an MS in nutrition (1993), a D.Sc. with emphasis in chemistry and biology (1995), a PhD (1997) and an ND (Doctor of Naturopathy, 1999).[3]
Young has authored a series of best-selling books and videos titled The pH Miracle (Warner Books, 2002), The pH Miracle for Diabetes (Warner Books, 2004), The pH Miracle for Weight Loss (Warner Books, 2005), and "The pH Miracle Revised" (Grand Central Publishing, Hatchette Books, 2010).[9] Other books he has authored include Herbal Nutritional Medications (1988), One Sickness, One Disease, One Treatment (1992), Sick and Tired (Woodland Publishing (1995), Back to the House of Health (Woodland Publishing, 1999), Back to the House of Health 2, (Woodland Books, 2003).[3] According to Young's website, the pH Miracle books have sold more than 650,000 copies as of April, 2010, and have been translated into 19 different languages.[6]
Young promotes an alkaline diet. He claims that health depends primarily on proper balance between an alkaline and acid environment in the human body; according to this theory, when the blood becomes too acidic, the body will take whatever action necessary to regulate the acid-alkaline balance of the blood. According to Young, in this environment the body will begin to break down and show signs of disease including cancer, obesity, osteoporosis, yeast overgrowth, flu, skin disorders, etc.[10] Young researches and writes about pleomorphism occurring on a cellular level.[4][11] Young's fundamental theory is that the human body is alkaline by design and acidic by function and that there is only one sickness, one disease, and one treatment.[12][13] Young claims that this one sickness and one disease is acidosis, the over-acidification of the blood and then tissues due to an inverted way of living, eating, and thinking.[14] The "one treatment" is to maintain the alkaline design of the body through an alkaline lifestyle and diet.[12]
Young's books recommend an alkaline protocol consisting of a low-stress lifestyle and a high-water content, high chlorophyll, plant-based diet.[15] The protocol recommends moderate intake of high-carbohydrate vegetables, some grains, and fresh fish.[16] Young recommends abstaining from "acidic" foods — such as sugar, red meat, shellfish, eggs, dairy, processed and refined foods, stored grains, artificial sweeteners, alcohol, coffee, chocolate, and sodas[16] — because overloading the body's ability to eliminate excess acidity will result in the body becoming sick and decomposing.[17] Young claims that disorders such as weight gain, water retention, cholesterol, calcium stones, and tumors are all life-saving mechanisms for storing and dealing with excess acidity in the body.[17] Young's writings commonly explain these theories using a "fish tank" metaphor that compares the environment of the human body to the environment of a fish tank.[1][18]
Research supporting alkaline diets, like that promoted by Young, is limited to in vitro and animal studies. There is no scientific evidence at present that alkaline diets are beneficial in humans.[19] According to the National Council Against Health Fraud, a 2005 MEDLINE search indicated that Young had not published any research in recognized scientific journals, and that none of his graduate degrees was from an accredited educational institution.[20]
Young bases some of his theories, research, and written works from his observations of live blood analysis and dry blood analysis. Young believes that live and dry blood analysis allows him to analyze the biological terrain, and that the state of the blood cells and the fluids that surround them, correlate with a person's lifestyle and dietary choices.[2] Young teaches microscopy courses in which he trains people to perform live blood analysis as well as dry blood analysis.[3] Young has also stated that he teaches live blood analysis solely for research and educational purposes, and not for use in diagnosing medical conditions - an important legal distinction.[21]
Live blood analysis is primarily used by alternative medical practitioners who claim it to be a valuable qualitative assessment of a person's state of health, represented by the amount of pleomorphic degeneration or regeneration in the biological terrain.[2][22][23][24] Live blood analysis lacks scientific foundation, and has been described as a fraudulent means of convincing patients to buy dietary supplements and a medically useless "money-making scheme".[21][25][26] Live blood analysis has been described by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as an "unestablished laboratory test", or test that is not generally accepted in laboratory medicine.[27]
In 1995, Young allegedly drew blood from two women, told them they were ill, and then sold them herbal products to treat these illnesses. He was charged with two third-degree felony counts of practicing medicine without a license, but pled guilty to a reduced misdemeanor charge.[11][21] Young argued that he had never claimed to be a medical doctor, that the women had entrapped him by asking to be part of his research, and that he "looked at the women's blood and simply gave them some nutritional advice."[11]
In 2001, Young was again charged with a felony in Utah, after a woman suffering from cancer alleged that he told her to stop chemotherapy and use one of his products to treat her cancer instead. Subsequently, when an undercover agent visited Young, he allegedly analyzed her blood and prescribed a liquid diet. The case was taken to preliminary trial, but charges were dropped after the prosecutor stated that he could not find enough people who felt cheated by Young.[28] Young dismissed the arrests as "harassment" and stated that he moved to California because the legal climate has more tolerance for dietary researchers.[21]
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