Naman Shrestha
In the episode titled ‘Death By Detox?’ of Investigation Discovery’s ‘The Curious Case of…,’ the primary focus is on Dr. Robert Young’s fraudulent medical practice that he ran from his ranch in California and the life-threatening impact it had on his patients. The wellness guru offered false hopes to his patients battling critical diseases like cancer by claiming that his alkaline-based diet and green smoothie could cure them. His fraudulent schemes came to light as the family members of the patients dug deeper into his ranch and medical practice.
Dr. Robert Young Ran a Healthcare Program at His California Ranch Promoting an Alkaline Diet
Born on March 6, 1952, Robert Oldham Young grew up to become passionate about tennis, earning a scholarship through the sport to attend the University of Utah, where he pursued a degree in both biology and business. However, he dropped out of college and performed missionary work for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for a couple of years in London, England. According to the show, he instead received his undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral degrees in naturopathy and nutrition from American Holistic College of Nutrition in just two and a half years. Since the institution was not accredited by any recognized agency of the US Department of Education, he is not considered a medical doctor. In 1996, Robert was living in Utah, where he got into trouble with the law.
He was arrested for practising medicine without a license, for which he pleaded guilty. However, the count was later dismissed. As a naturopathic practitioner, Robert authored many medicinal books and videos where he promotes an alkaline diet, including ‘Herbal Nutritional Medications,’ ‘The pH Miracle,’ ‘Sick and Tired,’ ‘Back to the House of Health,’ ‘The pH Miracle for Diabetes,’ ‘The pH Miracle for Weight Loss,’ ‘The pH Miracle Revised,’ and more. He rose to prominence in 2007 when Kim Tinkham talked about adopting Robert’s alkaline protocol and getting her stage three breast cancer cured on ‘The Oprah Winfrey Show.’ Ultimately, she died of cancer in 2010. On the personal front, he tied the knot with Shelley Redford Young, with whom he owned properties in Alpine, Utah, and Rancho Del Sol in Valley Center, California.
On his ranch, he began operating a health treatment program, through which he promoted an alkaline diet and claimed that he could cure various kinds of diseases, including cancer. He also reportedly charged thousands of dollars from his patients and followers for his avocado-based green smoothie and injections of baking soda, telling his patients that that’s all they needed to get better medically. Over the years, when his patients, like Tracie Cole, Vicki Felix, and Dolores McCullough, lost their lives a while after following his treatment program, their family members questioned his ways. Eventually, a criminal investigation was launched against him, which led to his arrest in January 2014. He was charged with 18 felony counts in connection with practicing medicine without a license and theft.
Dr. Robert Young is Currently Incarcerated at a California Prison Facility
Nearly two years later, in November 2015, Dr. Robert Young’s trial commenced in Vista Superior Court. By February 2016, he was found guilty of two counts of practicing medicine without a license; however, a mistrial was declared regarding the grand theft charges against him. However, he later pleaded guilty to those charges and two additional counts of practicing medicine without a license. The plea agreement also included a declaration by the defendant that he didn’t possess any degrees from any accredited schools and he is not eligible to be called “a microbiologist, hematologist, medical doctor, naturopathic doctor, or trained scientist.” In late June 2017, he was sentenced to three years and eight months in prison, but he was released after serving 40 days in a county jail.
In November 2018, Robert was ordered to pay $105 million in damages to one of his cancer patients, who had claimed that the fraudulent doctor had convinced her to forgo the traditional medical treatment. Later, the cost was reduced to around $25 million. A few years later, in February 2025, he was convicted of multiple felony counts, including willful abuse of an elder, theft from an elder, and practicing medicine without a license, in connection with administering deceptive treatments to a patient with liver and thyroid disease. On May 28, he was sentenced to five years and eight months in prison for the same. As of today, he is serving his sentence at the California Institute for Men in Chino, California, with his parole eligibility scheduled for February 2027.
Read More: Dorian Wilkerson: Where is the Alleged Fraudster Now?
