Robert O. Young, the creator of the pH Miracle Diet, which was praised by Kate Hudson, was arrested in 2014 and convicted in 2016 of practicing medicine without a license. He is still out on bail as he awaits a retrial on several charges that a jury could not reach a decision on. However, based on the three charges he has been found guilty of, he is looking at about three years in jail.
The pH diet he created is, according to experts, completely bogus. Unfortunately, before it became widely known that Young’s diet was basically a scam to cheat the terminally ill and their families, thousands of people bought into his claims of acidity being the root of all evil. He sold millions of books worldwide, and even opened up the “pH Miracle Ranch” where he treated (or, more aptly, scammed) approximately 15 individuals claiming that an intravenous solution of baking soda would cure them.
Beware Celebrity Endorsements of Homeopaths
We all love celebrities, but when celebrities endorse anything, consumers might want to wait for more credible endorsements before jumping on board. After all, most celebrities are not famous due to their academic or scientific prowess (Stephen Hawking and Neil deGrasse Tyson excluded).
Particularly when it comes to anything related to homeopathic, holistic, or naturopathic medicine, consumers need to take extreme caution. These industries are notorious for passing off junk science as fact, as well as using the placebo effect to take advantage of people and take their money.
To get a better understanding of this, look no further than the new rules the FTC put in place for homeopathic drug makers requiring them to specifically tell consumers “There is no scientific evidence that this product works.”
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