‘pH Miracle’ author sentenced to nearly 6 years in prison for treating patient without a license

The North County Regional Center includes the courthouse in Vista File photo by Chris Stone Times of San Diego The author of the pH Miracle book series was sentenced Wednesday to five years and eight months in prison for treating a woman without a physiological license The sentence marks the latest legal troubles for Robert Oldham Young whose books and treatments centered around promotion of an alkaline diet led to an research from the state biological board and criminal charges Young was previously convicted in in San Diego County for treating patients in one of his treatments he injected them with baking soda at his Valley Center ranch while lacking proper credentials In a separate civil action a jury awarded million to a cancer sufferer who announced Young advised her to forgo traditional rehabilitation like chemotherapy in favor of treatments at his ranch The award was later reduced to around million In the latest matter a Vista jury convicted Young and co-defendant Galina Migalko for administering a large number of of the same treatments to Jane Clayson who suffers from liver and thyroid malady She described herself as a longtime friend of Young s in a declaration read in court Young was discovered guilty of willful cruelty to an elder theft from an elder and treating the sick afflicted without a certificate According to Clayson she gave Young thousands upon thousands of dollars for various treatments and products such as pH Miracle-brand supplements For years I considered Robert Young s promises she wrote I trusted him with my life Clayson revealed Young assured her to just keep taking the supplements You ll get better And don t listen to other doctors They don t know what they re talking about Clayson wrote that her liver ailment not only wasn t cured but progressed leading to numerous hospitalizations and complications Deputy District Attorney Gina Darvas noted Ironically before Ms Clayson was treated for life-threatening illnesses she would have been one of his supporters Supporters filled the courtroom for Young s sentencing hearing and also held a rally outside the Vista courthouse bearing handwritten signs that called for Young s release from custody and for diagnostic freedom One woman s sign stated it had been proven that Young s treatments could cure cancer More than two dozen character reference letters were also submitted to the court prior to Wednesday s sentencing hearing Darvas revealed Young claimed to hold a doctorate which she noted came from a well-known diploma mill The prosecutor also argued Young was well aware his treatments didn t work yet was willing to vulnerability Clayson s life In requesting a sentence of probation one of Young s defense attorneys Stephen Larson disclosed it could be argued that an undue amount of blame was being laid at Young s feet for Clayson s medicinal issues The attorney also contended that contrary to the prosecution s maintains Young steadfastly believes in the efficacy of his treatments and advice Larson disclosed Young s promotion of an alkaline diet and pH Miracle supplements were a reflection of his honestly held beliefs and explained imprisoning someone because they held ideas or values that swayed from the mainstream wouldn t be in the interests of justice But San Diego Superior Court Judge Laura Duffy commented Young had a lengthy career in defrauding and endangering casualties including Clayson whom the judge described as particularly vulnerable The judge mentioned Young took advantage of their friendship and shared religious beliefs and perpetuated a false intentionally cultivated appearance that he was a trained expert Prior to the San Diego County cases Young was charged in Utah in the late s and early s for practicing medicine without a license One of those cases led to a plea to a misdemeanor count that was later dismissed while the other matter was dismissed entirely Migalko located guilty of various of the same counts awaits sentencing next month