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Robert O. Young

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For other people named Robert Young, see Robert Young (disambiguation).
Robert O. Young
BornMarch 6, 1952
Occupation(s)Author, naturopath
Known forpH Miracle book series

Robert O. Young (born March 6, 1952) is an American entrepreneur and author of alternative medicine books promoting an alkaline diet.[1] His most popular works are the pH Miracle series of books, which outline his beliefs about holistic healing and an "alkalarian" lifestyle.[2][3][4] According to a book review by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, some aspects of his diet, such as the emphasis on eating green leafy vegetables and exercise, would likely be healthy; however, the diet overall "is not a healthy way to lose weight."[5]

Young resides in Alpine, Utah, as well as Rancho Del Sol (an avocado and grapefruit ranch in Valley Center, California) with his wife, Shelley Redford Young.[6] Together, they run the pH Miracle Center, farm alkaline fruits and vegetables, hold health retreats, and teach live blood analysis and seminars on what they refer to as "The New Biology", which promotes an alkaline diet and a physically active, low‑stress lifestyle.[4]

Background

Young's website states he attended the University of Utah on a tennis scholarship and studied biology and business in the early 1970s,[7] after which he did missionary work for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for two years in London.[7] He received four degrees from the Clayton College of Natural Health (a now‑defunct unaccredited distance-learning school): a Masters degree in nutrition (1993); a D.Sc. with emphasis in chemistry and biology (1995); a Ph.D. (1997); and a N.D. [Doctor of Naturopathy], (1999).[7]

Published books

Young authored a series of books and videos: The pH Miracle: Balance Your Diet, Reclaim Your Health (2002); The pH Miracle for Diabetes (2004); The pH Miracle for Weight Loss (2005); and The pH Miracle: Balance Your Diet, Reclaim Your Health, First Revised Edition (2010). He also authored: Herbal Nutritional Medications (1988); One Sickness, One Disease, One Treatment (1992); Sick and Tired (1995); Back to the House of Health (1999); and Back to the House of Health 2 (2003).[7]

Work

Young promotes an alkaline diet. He claims that health depends primarily on proper balance between an alkaline and acid environment in the human body; and that an acid environment causes cancer, obesity, osteoporosis, yeast overgrowth, flu, skin disorders, and other diseases.[8][9] Young claims that disorders such as weight gain, water retention, high cholesterol, kidney stones, and tumors are all life‑saving mechanisms for dealing with excess acidity in the body. Young's writing commonly explains many of his theories using a "fish tank" metaphor that compares the environment of the human body to a fish tank (i.e. change the water and clean the tank).[10][1][11] He says that almost all "diseases" are just "symptoms" of the underlying root cause; which he says is almost always over‑acidity (either directly or by acidity causing microbial overgrowth).[12] Young's fundamental claim is that the human body is alkaline by design and acidic by function, and that there is only one disease (acidosis) and one treatment (an alkaline diet).[13][14][15]

Young's books recommend a high‑water‑content, high‑chlorophyll, vegetable‑based diet; plus unsaturated oils and alkalizing salts; plus some specific grains, fruits and grasses—all preferably fresh, raw, and organic.[16] He also recommends many dietary supplements.[17] He recommends a low intake of high‑carbohydrate vegetables (e.g. potatoes, squash, most legumes), specific grains (e.g. wheat and rice), and fresh fish.[16] Young recommends abstaining from "acidic" foods—sugar, almost all fruits ("sweet"), dairy, meat (except fish), eggs, and alcohol—because he believes that such foods overload the body with acidity and cause disease.[18] He also recommends abstaining from refined and processed foods, stored grains, yeast, mushrooms, caffeine, corn, peanuts, artificial sweeteners, and others, and also the microwave—which he says cause disease or are acidifying.[18]

Research supporting alkaline diets, like that promoted by Young, is limited to in vitro and animal studies.[19] A number of recent systematic reviews and meta‑analyses in the medical literature have concluded that there is no evidence that alkaline diets are beneficial in preventing osteoporosis.[20][21][22] According to the National Council Against Health Fraud, a 2005 MEDLINE search indicated that Young had not published any research in recognized scientific journals.[23]

Nutritional microscopy

Main article: Live blood analysis

Young espouses pleomorphism, a school of thought which was prominent in late‑19th‑century microbiology but fell out of favor with the advent of modern germ theory.[3][12][24] Young bases some of his theories, research, and written works on the alternative medical approach of live blood analysis.[25] Young teaches microscopy courses on how to perform live blood analysis and dry blood analysis.[25][7] Young has also stated that he teaches live blood analysis solely for research and educational purposes, not for use in diagnosing medical conditions—an important legal distinction.[26]

Live blood analysis is used by alternative medical practitioners, who claim (as Young does)[25] that it is a valuable qualitative assessment of a person's state of health. Live blood analysis lacks scientific foundation, and has been described as a fraudulent means of convincing patients to buy dietary supplements, and as a medically useless "money‑making scheme".[26][27][28] Live blood analysis has been described by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as an "unestablished laboratory test" (a test that is not generally accepted in laboratory medicine).[29]

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.[24][26] 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."[24]

In 2001, Young was again charged with a felony in Utah, after a cancer patient alleged that Young told her to stop chemotherapy and to substitute one of his products to treat her cancer. When an undercover agent subsequently 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.[30] Young dismissed the arrests as "harassment" and stated that he moved to California because the legal climate there was more tolerant.[26]

Kim Tinkham

In 2007, Kim Tinkham[31], diagnosed with stage three breast cancer, adopted Young's protocols before appearing on The Oprah Winfrey Show. She enthusiastically promoted them on her website "cancerangel.org". Young repeated her assertion that she was "cancer free by all medical terms"[32] (including both "[m]ainstream lab blood tests for cancer markers" and "live and dried blood cell analysis").[31] Young was criticized following Tinkham's death of cancer on December 7, 2010.[33][34]

References

  1. ^ a b "Authors Say Key to Health is in the Blood". Arizona Tribune. May 30, 2002. Retrieved Apr 01, 2009. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  2. ^ Young, Robert O. (2002). The pH Miracle: Balance Your Diet, Reclaim Your Health. Warner Books. pp. 1–11. ISBN 0-446-69049-X (pbk.). {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: invalid character (help); ALSO IN
    Young, Robert O. (2010). The pH Miracle: Balance Your Diet, Reclaim Your Health, First Revised Edition. Grand Central Life & Style, Hachette Book Group. pp. 1–10. ISBN 978-0-446-55618-7.
  3. ^ a b Young, Robert (2001). Sick and Tired. pp. 9–11. ISBN 1-58054-030-9. Retrieved 2012-09-07. Cite error: The named reference "sickTired" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  4. ^ a b "pH Miracle Living, About Us". Phmiracleliving.com. 2005-03-31. Retrieved 2012-09-07.
  5. ^ "The pH Miracle for Weight Loss Book Review". Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
  6. ^ "Utah County Property Owners 2008". Pbw.co.utah.ut.us. Retrieved 2012-09-07.
  7. ^ a b c d e "Robert Young Website Media Kit". Phmiracleliving.com. Retrieved 2012-09-07.
  8. ^ Op.Cit. Young 2010, pp. 11–61
  9. ^ "The Alkalarian Approach to Optimal Health". Phmiracleliving.com. 2003-03-02. Retrieved 2012-09-07.
  10. ^ Op.Cit. Young 2002, p. 19; ALSO IN  Op.Cit. Young 2010, p. 18
  11. ^ Karr, Chris (2007). Crazy Sexy Cancer. p. 129. ISBN 978-1-59921-231-9. Retrieved 2012-09-07.
  12. ^ a b Op.Cit. Young 2002, pp. 12–49; ALSO IN  Op.Cit. Young 2010, pp. 11–61
  13. ^ Op.Cit. Young 2010, pp. 11, 30
  14. ^ "In Search for Alternative..." WCMessenger. Archived from the original on 2010-07-10. Retrieved Jul, 2009. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  15. ^ Young, Robert. Overacidity and Overgrowth of Yeast, Fungus and Moulds. Canada Consumer Health. May 1997.
  16. ^ a b Op.Cit. Young 2002, pp. 50–100; ALSO IN  Op.Cit. Young 2010, pp. 65–133
  17. ^ Op.Cit. Young 2002, pp. 156–187; ALSO IN  Op.Cit. Young 2010, pp. 181–214
  18. ^ a b Op.Cit. Young 2002, pp. 73–90; ALSO IN  Op.Cit. Young 2010, pp. 101–115
  19. ^ Alkaline Diets and Cancer: Fact or Fiction?, by Stephanie Vangsness, R.D., L.D.N. Intelihealth, published May 3, 2006; accessed July 17, 2008.
  20. ^ Fenton TR, Tough SC, Lyon AW, Eliasziw M, Hanley DA (2011). "Causal assessment of dietary acid load and bone disease: a systematic review & meta-analysis applying Hill's epidemiologic criteria for causality". Nutr J. 10: 41. doi:10.1186/1475-2891-10-41. PMC 3114717. PMID 21529374.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: unflagged free DOI (link)
  21. ^ Fenton TR, Lyon AW, Eliasziw M, Tough SC, Hanley DA (2009). "Meta-analysis of the effect of the acid-ash hypothesis of osteoporosis on calcium balance". J. Bone Miner. Res. 24 (11): 1835–40. doi:10.1359/jbmr.090515. PMID 19419322. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  22. ^ Fenton TR, Lyon AW, Eliasziw M, Tough SC, Hanley DA (2009). "Phosphate decreases urine calcium and increases calcium balance: a meta-analysis of the osteoporosis acid-ash diet hypothesis". Nutr J. 8: 41. doi:10.1186/1475-2891-8-41. PMC 2761938. PMID 19754972.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: unflagged free DOI (link)
  23. ^ "'Dr.' Robert O. Young lacks legitimate credentials". Consumer Health Digest. National Council Against Health Fraud. April 5, 2005. Retrieved July 17, 2008.
  24. ^ a b c "Herbalist in Alpine pleads guilty to reduced charge". Deseret News. February 5, 1996. Retrieved July 20, 2008.
  25. ^ a b c Op.Cit. Young 2002, pp. 21, 34–35, 37, 341; ALSO IN  Op.Cit. Young 2010, pp. 20, 24–28, 405
  26. ^ a b c d Naturopathic technique stirring bad blood, by Logan Jenkins. Published in the San Diego Union-Tribune on April 11, 2005; accessed July 20, 2008.
  27. ^ Ernst, Edzard (2005-07-12). "Intrigued by the spectacular claims made for Live Blood Analysis? Don't be. It doesn't work". The Guardian. Retrieved 2008-11-17.
  28. ^ Freyer, Felice (2005-06-21). "Chiropractor ordered to halt blood tests". Providence Journal.
  29. ^ "CLIA regulation of unestablished laboratory tests" (PDF). U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. July 2001.
  30. ^ "A Critical Look at "Dr." Robert Young's Theories and Credentials". Quackwatch.org. Retrieved 2011-09-19.
  31. ^ a b Op.Cit. Young 2010, pp. 45–47
  32. ^ ""Cancer Angel: The Explanation of What Cancer Is and Its Prevention and Cure" Speaking Tour Begins Tuesday, January 15, 2008" (Press release). January 14, 2008. Retrieved March 24, 2012.
  33. ^ David Gorski. "Death by "alternative" medicine: Who's to blame? (Revisited)". ScienceBasedMedicine.org. Retrieved 2012-09-07.
  34. ^ Van Bockstaele. "Kim Tinkham, the woman whom Oprah made famous, dead at 53". Digital Journal. Retrieved 2012-09-07.

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