Dr. Robert O. Young – A Vision Made Real

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In July 2017, Robert O. Young, who has marketed himself as “Robert O. Young, M.S., D.Sc., Ph.D.,”was sentenced to prison for practicing medicine without a license. Young would like you to believe that he is a highly educated and distinguished scientist. I do not believe that is an accurate description. This article describes his background and the activities that led to his conviction.

Disreputable Credentials

One way to judge someone’s credibility is to examine the nature of his education. Young’s Web site includes the following information:

Before Dr. Young began his extensive nutritional research, his love for sports and science led him to the University of Utah—where he studied biology and business in the early 70’s. . . . His education was temporarily interrupted by an ecclesiastical mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He successfully served for two years in London, England.

In the 80’s, following his mission and schooling at the University of Utah, Dr. Young studied medical microbiology—training under Dr. Robert Bradford at the Bradford Research Institute in Chula Vista, California. Dr. Bradford is now a trustee and professor at Capital University in Washington, DC, where he teaches live and dry blood microscopy. Dr. Young also studied darkfield microscopy. . . .

In 1993, Dr. Young received a MS in nutrition from the American College in Birmingham, Alabama. In 1995, he received his D.Sc. with emphasis in chemistry and biology. . . . In 1997, Dr. Young received a Ph.D. from Clayton College of Natural Health. His Professor, James E. Harvey from San Diego State University, reviewed and accepted his dissertation as completing all the requirements for a doctorate of philosophy degree in nutrition. Continuing his studies and research, Dr. Young later received an additional doctorate degree in naturopathy (ND) from Clayton College (1999). [1]

Young’s books include: Back to the House of Health: Rejuvenating Recipes to Alkalize and Energize for Life (2000); Sick and Tired?: Reclaim Your Inner Terrain (2000); Back to the House of Health: Rejuvenating Recipes to Alkalize and Energize for Life! (2000); The pH Miracle for Diabetes: The Revolutionary Diet Plan for Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetics (2005); The pH Miracle for Weight Loss: Balance Your Body Chemistry, Achieve Your Ideal Weight (2006); and The pH Miracle: Balance Your Diet, Reclaim Your Health (2008). None of these books has any scientific standing.

In 2010, Young’s Web site claimed that he had “devoted his life to researching the true cause of disease” and for 25 years had been “widely recognized as one of the top research scientists in the world” [1]. The pH Miracle, co-authored with his wife Shelley Radford Young, states that he headed the InnerLight Biological Research and Health Education Foundation and had “gained national recognition for his research into diabetes, cancer, leukemia, and AIDS.” [2]

A recent article stated that Young took only one undergraduate course in biology and did not graduate from the University of Utah [3]. The rest of his “training” is smoke and mirrors. Robert Bradford, who was convicted of laetrile smuggling in the 1970s, was not even a college graduate. His alleged “doctoral degrees”—two of them—were acquired from credential mills. For nearly 30 years, he operated a network of enterprises that included a Mexican clinic that offered quack treatments, a company that marketed dubious drugs and dietary supplements, a “research institute” that did no significant research, and a nonaccredited “medical school” that operated for about five years [4]. In 2011, Bradford, his wife, and their company (American Biologics, doing business as C.R.B., Inc) were convicted of conspiring to violate federal food and drug laws and defraud individuals seeking medical care. The indictment stated that he marketed bogus Lyme disease products and a microscope system that was falsely claimed to diagnose the disease [4].

Clayton College of Natural Health was a nonaccredited correspondence school that advocated unscientific and quack methods [4]. Its requirements for graduation were minuscule compared to those for accredited colleges and universities that train health professionals. It closed in 2010 after Alabama began requiring accreditation for license renewal. Moreover, no correspondence school can prepare students to give competent health advice to clients because that requires years of clinical experience under expert supervision. Young’s connections with Clayton and Bradford reflect extremely poor judgment.

Claims that Robert Young is a distinguished researcher are preposterous. The National Library of Medicine’s database contains no articles authored by “Young RO” that were published in a recognized scientific journal. His foundation’s 2011 tax return contain an expense item of $3,915 for “food for research subjects,” but the returns from 2003 to 2010 contain nothing that appear related to human clinical research activity and the 2012 return has no financial data.

Questionable Activities

In addition to writing, Young has operated retreats and marketed herbal and dietary supplements, many of which are his own brand (“Young pHorever”). The supplements are marketed by him directly and through a multilevel company called InnerLight, which he founded. In 2010, his Web site stated:

The Youngs supplements . . . literally bring new energy to each cell directly. It’s a big idea that begins with the tiniest of particles—the particles called colloids. Since colloids are so small, it is easy for our cells to absorb vitamins and minerals introduced at this size. Knowing this, the pH Miracle begins by breaking basic nutrient elements into billions of colloidal particles. Then, unlike any other supplement provider, we ensure these colloids remain individually separated through a proprietary process called Micro-Ionization™.

Perhaps the most striking difference about the Young’s products are their living energy. Not only are colloids separated for prime absorption, they are given an additional electrical charge. This charge actually attracts the colloids to your cells where they can be instantly utilized. The energy within each cell literally “jumps.” Functionality is rejuvenated. And your cells—and you yourself—can feel that maybe the energy you knew as a kid isn’t so long gone after all [6].

This description uses scientific terms, but the processes he describes are fanciful.

In 2010, Young’s “private retreats” were said to include “personal live and dried blood microscopy, preceded by an in-depth health history including developing an understanding of the physical, social, psychological, medical, and pharmaceutical components of a person’s life.” [7] Young promises to “personally oversee each activity for the day which may include: history, microscopy, supplements, water and ionization, exercise, lymphatic massage, cooking, food preparation, colonics and other health programs.” His findings would then provided in a 35-page blood microscopy report plus a recommended program and a three-month supply of supplements and other products he created. There were also group retreats that cost from $400 to $15,000, depending on the length and setting. In 2013, the private retreats cost from $1,295 to $2,495 per night.

In 2010, the pH Miracle site also asserted that, “Over the many years, Dr. Young has performed live and dry blood analysis on over 15,000 people repeatedly, while simultaneously adjusting nutrition to create a pH balanced Alkaline lifestyle. This practice clearly makes Dr. Young the preeminent nutritional microbiologist in history.” [6]

Not quite. Live blood cell analysis is carried out by placing a drop of blood from the patient’s fingertip on a microscope slide under a glass cover slip to keep it from drying out. The slide is then viewed at high magnification with a dark-field microscope that forwards the image to a television monitor. Both practitioner and patient can then see the blood cells, which appear as dark bodies outlined in white. The practitioner may take Polaroid photographs of the television picture or may videotape the procedure for himself and/or the patient. The results are then used as a basis for prescribing supplements. Dried blood cell analysis is similar but is done after the blood dries. Although much can be learned by looking at blood cells under a microscope, the practitioners who do these tests draw conclusions that have no scientific validity are are used primarily to sell products [9].

It would be interesting to know the context in which Young performed 15,000 blood analyses. In most states, doing blood tests and recommending products based on these tests are considered diagnosing and prescribing and are restricted to licensed health professionals. As far as I can tell, Young has never been eligible for any type of health-related professional license.

Dr. Robert O. Young – A Vision Made Real

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