Fwd: A Critical Look at Gary Young

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, " Kathy <kvan100951@a...> "

<kvan100951@a...> wrote:

A Critical Look at Gary Young,

Young Living Essential Oils, and Raindrop Therapy

 

Eva F. Briggs, M.D.

 

In the spring of 2002, an acquaintance of mine excitedly told me of a

healer who could use essential oils and " natural " therapies to treat

a family member's precancerous growth. The relative would then be

spared surgery recommended by specialists at a university affiliated

medical center.It sounded too good to be true. Indeed, it sounded

like aromatherapy run amok! I decided to investigate. This article

describes what I uncovered about the healer, self-styled naturopath

Donald Gary Young, his multi-level marketing company Young Living

Essential Oils, his Young Life Research Clinic Institute of Natural

Medicine, and his special technique called Raindrop

Therapy.Background HistoryDonald Gary Young, also known as Don Gary

Young, D. Gary Young, and Gary Young, was born in Salmon, Idaho on

July 11,1949. He graduated from the Challis, Idaho high school on May

23, 1967 [1]. This is only legitimate educational credential that I

have been able to verify.Young moved to British Columbia and married

his first wife, Donna. He claims that while he was working as a

logger in 1973, a falling tree struck him on the head. According to

an account on his Web site:

 

 

After three weeks in a coma and four months in intensive care, Gary

found himself paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair for life,

according to the doctors' prognoses. Following two years of intense

pain and depression and three suicide attempts, he resolved to regain

control of his life. He fasted on juice and water for almost a year

and finally regained sensation in his toes, marking the beginning of

his long and painful road toward recovery. Later he embarked on a

worldwide investigation of natural medicine, from herbology and

acupuncture to nutrition and naturopathy. This relentless research

coupled with an iron determination enabled him to eventually regain

his mobility and ability to walk, although not without pain. . . .It

was this pain that eventually led him to discover the potential of a

powerful but little-known form of natural medicine -- essential oils.

Within a very short time, Gary cast off the persistent pain that he

had borne for almost 13 years as he began tapping the power of

essential oils. by 1986 he was able to run a half-marathon, finishing

60th out of 970 participants [2].

 

This description suggests that before Young embarked on his health-

related career, he was mentally unstable and possibly even brain-

damaged. I seriously doubt that he can document his claim that the

products he used actually cured him.By 1981, Young moved to Spokane

and opened the Golden Six Health Club in Sprague, Washington.

Although he had no training in obstetrics or midwifery, he decided to

deliver his wife's baby underwater in a whirlpool bath at the health

club. He left the baby under water for almost an hour, causing the

death of an apparently healthy infant on September 4, 1982. Although

the coroner said that the baby would have lived if she had been

delivered in a conventional manner, Young was never charged in that

case. His plans for an underwater delivery the previous year had been

thwarted when a health department caseworker threatened to prosecute

him if he followed through with the plan [3-7].In March 1983, Young

was arrested in Spokane for practicing medicine without a license

when he offered to provide an undercover agent with prenatal services

and to treat her mother for cancer. He claimed falsely to be a

graduate of " The American Institute of Physioregenerology. " But the

institute's owner said that Young attended only a few classes, did

only 1/3 of the homework, and owed $1,800 in tuition [3-7].From

Spokane, Young moved to Mexico. By this time he had divorced Donna

and married his second wife, Dixie. In Mexico, Young ran a clinic for

the treatment of cancer with laetrile [8]. Laetrile is a fraudulent

cancer treatment that is both ineffective and dangerous [9].After

Mexico, Young, claiming then to be a physician, established a clinic

in Chula Vista, California. He was arrested in California in 1988 for

misleading and deceptive advertising and for selling supposed cures

[10-12] An undercover agent submitted a sample of her blood with a

fictitious male name for the bogus " blood crystallization " test also

known as " live blood cell analysis. " Young reportedly told her that

she had prostate cancer with cells that could act in a " potentially

aggressive manner. " Other charges against Young included selling

unapproved medical devices and unapproved new drugs, manufacturing

medical devices and drugs without a license, advertising drugs and

devices to cure cancer, and practicing medicine without a

license.After leaving California, Young lived briefly in Sparks,

Nevada; Spokane, Washington; Seattle, Washington; and Post Falls,

Idaho.By 1992, Young had divorced Dixie and married his third and

current wife, Mary Billeter Young. He then started his current

multilevel marketing company, Young Living Essential Oils

(YLEO).Young's biographical sketch on the YLEO web site and a

multitude of independent distributor web sites describes Young as a

naturopath and praises him as " one of North America's foremost

authorities on essential oils. " He claims he was invited by the

United Nations Industrial Development Organization to speak at

Anadolu University in Eskisehir, Turkey in 1995 [2]. He states that

Bernadean University awarded him a masters degree in nutrition in

1984 and a doctor of naturopathy degree in 1985. However, Bernadean

is a notorious mail-order diploma mill that has never been authorized

to grant degrees [13].Young is not licensed, nor has he ever been

licensed, as a naturopath in Utah or in any other state [14]. In

April 2002, the Young Living web site used the title N.D.

(naturopathic doctor) after Young's name and stated that Young was a

naturopath. I telephoned Young Living on April 2, 2002, and asked

whether Young was licensed to practice naturopathy in Utah. The

person I spoke with said that he was. I then asked for his license

number. Although the Web site of the Utah Division of Professional

Licensing (USOPL) lists the numbers of all licensed naturopaths, the

Young Living employee said they could not give it out. After I

complained to the UDOPL, Young Living removed the title N.D. and

references to Young as a naturopath from the its Web site, but this

misleading information still appears all over the Net on distributor

Web sites.Young's mail-order " degree " does not entitle him to become

licensed in the state of Utah [15]. Actually, he would have no reason

to acquire a license because in Utah it is illegal for a licensed

naturopath to " own, directly or indirectly, a retail store,

wholesaler, distributor, manufacturer, or facility of any other kind

located in this state that is engaged in the sale, dispensing,

delivery, distribution, or manufacture of homeopathic remedies,

dietary supplements, or natural medicines. " [16}What about Young's

claim to be an authority on essential oils? The publisher of the

Journal of Essential Oils (JEOR) has confirmed that Young co-authored

at least one paper in the JEOR. The publisher also pointed out that

the JEOR did not verify his credentials. The JEOR deals only with the

basic science of essential oils, not with their clinical application,

medicinal or otherwise [17].I next asked several true experts in the

field of essential oils, all on the JEOR editorial panel, to comment

on the transcript of Young's tape " The Missing Link " which is posted

widely on the Internet. " The Missing Link " is Young's manifesto; it

summarizes his crazy theories about the healing powers of essential

oils. All of the bona fide experts concurred that his ideas are pure

junk science. Robert P. Adams (Baylor University, Waco, Texas)

wrote, " Pure garbage. Nothing else. " [18] Rodney Croteau (Washington

State University, Pullman, Washington) wrote, " Mr. Young's writings

are among the most unscientific and intellectually unsound that I

have ever read. There is no doubt that Mr. Young is a genuine quack. "

[19] And Robin Clery (Quest International) wrote that Young's

statements " are at best misleading, mostly wrong, and at worst could

lead others to misuse essential oils with potentially dangerous

consequences. " [20]In 1998 Butch Owen, an American essential oils

exporter living and working in Turkey, investigated Young's claims of

Turkish credentials and found them to be unsubstantiated. Professor

Dr. Mustafa Keviz, a lecturer on the Agricultural and Plants faculty

of Anadolu University, stated that Gary Young had never given any

lectures there. The United Nations Development Organization never

sponsored Young or invited him to speak. He showed up uninvited and

convinced some officials to permit him to present on two topics.

Professor Dr. K. Husnu Can Basar (then director of the Medical and

Aromatic Plant and Drug Research Center, Anadolu University)

described Young's presentation as inconsequential [21].That is the

background of Gary Young. He is a man with no training, with inflated

credentials, and a history of arrests for health fraud. Now let's

examine his company.

Young Living Essential Oils

Young and his third wife Mary Billeter Young started Young Living

Essential Oils (YLEO) in Utah in 1992. A biographical sketch

describes her as previously quite successful at a multilevel

marketing company [22], which I believe was Sunrider International.

Building on her experience, the Youngs established YLEO as a typical

MLM company in which " independent distributors " are said to earn

money by selling products and by earning a percentage of the sales of

the distributors they recruit [23]. The company is claimed to have

more than 250,000 distributors in 20 countries.YLEO's November 2002

catalog includes 71 single oils; 55 oil blends; 11 oil kits; 12

essential waters; 63 toiletry items; 79 nutritional supplements;

accessories; promotional items; and equipment such as diffusers,

water purification systems, and titanium cookware. The company

justifies high prices by claiming that its products are purer than

those of its competitors, but it provides no comparative information

to support these assertions. The names of many products could mislead

consumers by implying clinical effects where none exist. Examples

include Brain Power to " clarify and support concentration, "

ImmuPower " for building, strengthening and protecting the body, " and

Thyromin to " maximize nutritional support to the thyroid. " YLEO's

current Web site avoids many of Young's more extravagant claims. All

product descriptions include the disclaimer, " This statement has not

been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is

not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. " The

FDA has warned the company not to claim that certain products are

intended to treat, prevent, cure, or mitigate disease [24,25].

However, blatantly illegal claims and testimonials still appear on

the sites of many YLEO distributors.The top sales leaders publish

newsletters for their downline (distributors below them in the

hierarchy). One newsletter touts the supposed Egyptian and biblical

use of essential oils as evidence of their medicinal effectiveness,

even though the mere fact that a substance was used by past cultures

does not prove that that it is safe, effective, or useful for any

disease state. Another newsletter suggests that independent

distributors target church groups by offering seminars on " biblical

healing. " The distributors could then take advantage of the assembled

groups to attract new customers [26]. Another sales leader suggests

stopping complete strangers while grocery shopping, telling them

about YLEO, and then deducting the gas mileage for the shopping trip

as a business expense [27]. In a 1995 training video, Young states

that he persuaded a reluctant user to try his oils by " appealing to

his ego, " assuring him that he would " make history. " [28] One current

user of YLEO products told me confidently that when Young cured his

serious disease with essential oils, he would " make history. " This

suggests that Young continues to deliberately manipulate his

customers.Essential Science Publishing, of Orem Utah, sells books,

videotapes, and audiotapes, some of which propound Gary Young's

ridiculous theories and claims for essential oils. This enables false

claims that would be illegal in advertising to reach consumers

through channels protected by freedom of the press.Young Life

Research Clinic Institute of Natural MedicineIn October 2000, Young

opened the ambitiously named Young Life Research Clinic Institute of

Natural Medicine in Springville, Utah. Since he had run into legal

trouble over his lack of a license in two other states, he needed

licensed doctors to staff his clinic and to carry out his

idiosyncratic brand of healing. The two doctors he employed are Roger

Belden Lewis, M.D., a board certified family physician, and Sherman

Johnson, M.D., a pediatrician who is not board certified. I wrote to

Dr. Lewis asking about the training and credentials of the clinic

staff, but he never replied.The Utah Division of Professional

Licensing (DOPL) web page shows that Johnson has a disciplinary

record. A DOPL representative told me by telephone that Johnson's

license was suspended from 1994 to 1999 for felony medical misconduct

related to the misprescribing of narcotics. With that record, he

would probably be unable to be credentialed to practice at a hospital

or to participate as a provider with medical insurance plans.Two

archived articles in the Salt Lake City Tribune provide more details

[29,30]. These reports state that Johnson was married for 28 years

but also had a girlfriend named Donna Jones for 14 years. Jones was

mentally ill with multiple personality disorder, and Johnson acted as

her doctor even though (a) pediatricians normally don't treat adults

or people with serious mental problems, and (b) romantic involvement

with a patient is considered unwise and unprofessional and, in many

states, is grounds for disciplinary action. Jones apparently believed

that she had cancer. She didn't, but she shaved her head and toted an

oxygen tank to look the part. And she became addicted to narcotics

prescribed by Johnson for her nonexistent cancer pain. In fact, in

the final six months of her life Johnson prescribed 386,000

milligrams of Demerol, an enormous dose. Eventually Johnson injected

her with a lethal overdose of Demerol and she died in his arms. He

falsified the death certificate and she was buried. He even sang at

her funeral. Later, a nurse raised suspicions. The body was exhumed,

the overdose confirmed, and no evidence of cancer found. Asked why he

never examined his patient, Johnson said that she was " too modest. "

Asked why he never ordered any tests or work up for cancer, Johnson

said that tests were unnecessary because his friend wouldn't lie to

him. She had told him that the cancer was injected into her body

by " a coven of gay witches and doctors. " Johnson avoided a homicide

trial by pleading guilty to manslaughter. In a presentencing hearing,

the district attorney recommended a sentence of 1 to 15 years in the

state penitentiary. Instead, the judge sentenced him to a mere 90

days in the county jail. Johnson was allowed to go home nights and

weekends for the final 60 days. He was also fined $12,500.How does

the Young Life Research Clinic operate? I ordered a set of eight case

histories [31] presented at the June 2002 Young Living Grand

Convention. These confirmed what I had surmised. The patient is asked

to bring real medical records to the initial consultation. This

supplies the clinic with the established medical diagnosis. Then the

clinic doctors perform a variety of quack tests, such as iridology,

testing with a Quantum Xrroid device, live blood cell analysis, and

so on. The patient is then given some new bogus diagnoses such

as " low immune function, " " poor nutrition, " and/or " parasites. " Next

come the therapies, a wide array of unsound alternative treatment,

such as Bio-electric field enhancement (BEFE), colonic irrigation,

and Young's own invention, raindrop therapy (see below). Of course,

large quantities of essential oils and nutritional supplements sold

only by Young Living are required. The bogus diagnostic tests are

repeated and the patient pronounced better. Of course, to maintain

the new-found health, the patient is advised to continue using

Young's products.The eight case reports that I received were not

presented in the scientific manner or format used for standard

medical reports. All lacked complete histories, explanations for the

diagnostic tests chosen, alternative diagnoses considered, and

rational explanations for the treatments selected. Seven of the cases

included identifying information about the patients -- actual names,

birth dates, occupations, etc. I searched the Internet and determined

that two of the eight had died less than four months after the

presentation.Treatment at Young's clinic is not covered by most

health insurance plans. Each patient must pay $349 to register, and

must sign a form stating that he or she is not a reporter or law

enforcement agent. The recommended one-week stay costs $2,000 to

$3,000 [32]. The actual price depends upon the treatments

administered. The patient also pays for transportation, meals, and

lodging.Raindrop TherapyYLEO promotes a technique invented by Young

called Raindrop Therapy (RDT), or Raindrop Technique, which involves

dropping essential oils, some undiluted, along the spine and feet and

massaging gently [33,34]. According to a proponent Web site:

 

The Raindrop Technique combines the science of aroma Technique with

the techniques of Vita Flex, reflexology, massage, etc., in the

application of essential oils, which are applied on various areas of

the body to bring structural and electrical alignment. It is designed

to bring balance to the body with its relaxing, mild application. It

will also help to align and clear the energy centers of the body

without using force or excessive pressure. When you combine the

electrical frequency and the intelligence of the body and the oil, a

greater healing process begins [35]

 

In a videotape, Young demonstrates what he does on a woman who lies

face-down on a massage table. He applies oil to her feet, massages

them, and claims that various points on the feet represent organs

located throughout the body. After dripping oil near her spine, he

strokes or massages her back, concentrating on the muscles around the

spine. Some portions look like an ordinary massage, but Young claims

that his procedures cause an " electrical exchange " between the

practitioner and the client that " carries energy " to the body's

organs. Among other things, he cautions that wearing jewelry would

block this process and that the oils must be dropped from within six

inches of the client's body because:

 

You want to be sure you are dropping oil within the etheric field or

the electrical field of that person. . . . Most people's electrical

field will emanate more than 2 or 3 feet from the body, but the

strongest part of that electrical field is within the first 6

inches. . . . The oil drops through their electrical field then

harmonize with their electrical frequency and it energizes that oil

in balance. " [34]

 

Young initially claimed that RDT could effectively treat scoliosis by

affecting toxins and viruses, which he said cause scoliosis [33].

There is no scientific basis to this claim because there is no

evidence that either viruses or toxins cause scoliosis. However, the

undiluted oils can cause a burning sensation and skin redness, which

the raindrop therapist alleges are evidence that viruses and toxins

are leaving the body. In actuality, it is only a local skin reaction

to irritation.RDT uses seven single oils plus two blends formulated

by YLEO. The concentrations of several oils exceed recommended safe

doses [36] and can cause skin irritation, sensitization,

phototoxicity, and essential oil toxicity. A thorough analysis of the

potential problems associated with each of the oils is detailed in

the National Association of Holistic Aromatherapists' White Paper on

Young Living Oil's Raindrop Therapy [36]. Most RDT practitioners are

Young Living independent distributors who learned the technique from

brief seminars and training tapes. Such therapists may have no other

formal training and thus lack the capacity to recognize complications

of the treatment. Many claim that RDT is effective against an variety

of medical conditions. Young even advocates using RDT in veterinary

medicine, especially for horses [37]. But there is no evidence that

RDT is effective for any human or animal medical condition.Young

claims that he developed RDT in part from the teachings of the Lakota

Sioux medicine man Wallace Black Elk. However, Black Elk's assistant

told me that Black Elk did not collaborate in any way with Young to

develop the technique, did not teach any specific massage strokes as

alleged by Young on his RDT videotape, and does not endorse RDT

[38].SummaryGary Young is an uneducated huckster with a track record

of arrests for health fraud. He has repeatedly inflated and falsified

his education and credentials. His inability to recognize the limits

of his knowledge and training contributed to the death of his own

child. Sherman Johnson, M.D., medical director of The Young Life

Research Clinic, deliberately administered a lethal dose of narcotics

to a long-time friend, and then attempted to cover his actions by

falsifying the death certificate. There is no reason to believe that

either Young or Johnson has sufficient judgment, skill, or ethics to

appropriately care for seriously ill patients. Young Living's

essential oils cannot treat or cure any medical illness.Patients

visiting the Young Life Research clinic can waste large sums of money

on worthless treatments, and will gain only false hope. Patients risk

being guided away from effective legitimate medical treatments. At

best, their life will be needlessly complicated by the prescription

of elaborate irrational regimens requiring overpriced products sold

only by Young Living. At worst, patients may suffer direct harm from

the misuse of essential oils and other dubious treatments.Treatment

at the Young Life Research Clinic seems unwise and expensive. Proper

medical care can be obtained elsewhere from legitimately educated,

licensed, and experienced health care providers.Raindrop Therapy is

potentially unsafe. Essential oils for aromatherapy use are available

from many suppliers do not make ridiculous claims and whose prices

are not inflated by dubious multilevel marketing practices.References

The Challis Messenger, May 18, 1967.

The story of a man and his mission. Young Living web site, accessed

Dec 10, 2002.

Prager M, Hansen T. Police arrest " doctor. " Spokane Spokesman-Review

March 9, 1983

Hansen T. Man arrested on medical charge. Spokane Spokesman-Review

March 9, 1983.

Prager M. Arrest result of attempt to police all professions. Spokane

Spokesman-Review March 10, 1983.

Wagoner R. Man fined for offering medical care. Spokane Spokesman-

Review June 28, 1983.

Clark D. He seems able to cure everything but a poor memory. Spokane

Spokesman-Review, Oct28, 1986.

First International Symposium on Integrated Aromatic Medicine, March

21-22, 1998.

Wilson B. The rise and fall of Laetrile. Quackwatch web site, Revised

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Union, March 11, 1988.

Judge orders Chula Vista medical clinics to shut down. San Diego

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Barrett S. Bernadean University: A mail order diploma mill.

Quackwatch, revised March 19, 2002.

Utah Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing and personal

communication with Steve Davis, Utah DOPL, April 2, 2002.

Utah Naturopathic Physician Practice Act 58-71-302 Section 1 d i, ii,

and iii

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Allured J. Personal communication. Jeb Allured, Nov 25, 2002.

Adams RP. Personal communication to Dr. Eva Briggs, Nov 28, 2002.

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Owen B. Personal Communication: Butch Owen, Appalachian Valley

Natural Products. Butch is an American aromatherapist living in

Turkey.

Employee's Bios. © 1998 Young Living Essential Oils. Accessed on YLEO

independent distributor's Web site, Dec 10, 2002.

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Foret JB. Courtesy warning letter to David Stewart, Dec 20, 2000.

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Stewart D. " Scriptural oil program notes. "

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Henetz P (Associated Press). Did doctor beat charge of murder?

Woman's death still haunts friends; did doctor get away with murder?

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dead woman's lies. Salt Lake City Tribune, Sept 20, 1993.

Clinic case histories. Salt Lake City, Utah: Essential Science

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Young DG. Aromatherapy: The Essential Beginning. Salt Lake City,

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Brandt N, Vonn Harting M. Videotape: Raindrop Technique for Horses

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Herman-Tarwater C. Personal communication to Dr. Eva Briggs, Nov 22,

2002 _______________

Dr. Briggs is a family practitioner in Marcellus, New York.

 

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