Robert O. Young

Robert Oldham Young was born on March 6, 1952. He attended the University of Utah on a tennis scholarship in the early 1970s but did not graduate, taking only a single undergraduate biology course. Despite this, he built a career as a self-styled scientist and microbiologist, eventually obtaining multiple degrees from Clayton College of Natural Health, a now-defunct unaccredited correspondence school. These included an MS in nutrition, a DSc, a PhD, and an ND (naturopathic doctor degree), all obtained between 1993 and 1999. His prosecution's evidence described the institution as a diploma mill, and Young himself admitted under oath in a 2017 plea agreement that he possessed no accredited post-secondary degrees and had never been licensed to practice medicine in any jurisdiction.

Young achieved mainstream success through his 'pH Miracle' book series, beginning with 'The pH Miracle: Balance Your Diet, Reclaim Your Health' (2002), which sold millions of copies worldwide. His central claim—that virtually all disease stems from excess acidity and can be reversed through an alkaline diet and supplements—contradicts well-established human physiology. The body maintains blood pH within a narrow range regardless of diet; 'pH balancing' through food has no scientific mechanism.

Young operated the pH Miracle Center retreat in Valley Center, California, where he charged terminally ill patients enormous sums for treatments including intravenous sodium bicarbonate infusions, which he claimed could cure cancer. In 2014, he was arrested and subsequently convicted in 2016 on charges of theft and practicing medicine without a license. He served several months in jail. In a landmark 2018 civil case, a jury awarded cancer patient Dawn Kali $105 million after finding that Young had convinced her to forgo chemotherapy; the trial judge later reduced the verdict to just over $25 million.

In May 2025, Young was sentenced to five years and eight months in state prison after being convicted of willful cruelty to an elder, theft from an elder, and treating the sick without a medical certificate. The judge called him 'a fraud and a charlatan.' It was his third criminal conviction in 30 years for treating patients without medical training, and the first time he would serve a substantial prison term. Despite his record, Young's books and alkaline diet philosophy continue to have millions of adherents worldwide.

“All disease—including cancer, AIDS, and diabetes—is caused by excessive acidity in the body”

The human body tightly regulates blood pH within a very narrow range (7.35-7.45) through multiple physiological mechanisms regardless of diet. Disease causation is multifactorial. Young's 'new biology' theory is not recognized by any medical or scientific body, and his credentials to make such claims came from an unaccredited diploma mill.

“Intravenous sodium bicarbonate and alkaline IV treatments can cure cancer”

Young treated terminally ill patients with intravenous baking soda and other IV drips at his 'pH Miracle Center,' charging enormous sums. A civil jury found he convinced cancer patient Dawn Kali to forgo chemotherapy, resulting in her disease progression; the jury awarded $105 million in damages (reduced to $25 million). Such treatments without a license caused direct patient harm.