Alkaline diet

Domain XII · Complementary, energy & biofield · Robert O. Young, Shelley Redford Young

What it is

There is no published manual for therapeutic work alongside an alkaline diet. The following phases are the guide's own structure, built from the eating-disorder and fraud-harm sources cited.

Format

• Formats in which clients meet it. Books and audiobooks; online and social-media promotion; retreats and paid one-to-one programmes historically run by the founder (the "pH Miracle Retreat" at a Valley Center, California ranch, priced per night and including supplements and "therapies").
• Format: within the client's ordinary psychotherapy; no extra sessions are needed unless risk or an eating disorder is identified, in which case multidisciplinary care follows.

Who practises it, and how they are trained or regulated

• Who practises it. Self-directed consumers; wellness coaches and unlicensed practitioners; the founder and associates.
• Regulation by jurisdiction. USA: diagnosing or treating disease without a licence is a criminal offence under state medical practice acts (California prosecutions above); deceptive health advertising falls to consumer regulators. UK: dietary advice is not a protected activity, but "dietitian" is a protected title, and health claims in advertising are regulated.
• Informed, values-based decision-making and coordination (as needed). Goal: the client makes their own choice with full information from their doctor or a registered dietitian; with consent, the therapist liaises.

Evidence status, as the guide reports it

• Evidence status (one line). The BDA states that diet does not change blood pH (held near 7.4 by the kidneys and lungs), that urine pH does not reflect blood pH, and that no scientific literature shows an alkaline diet prevents cancer.

Questions to explore with your client

• What drew you to it, and what are you hoping it will change?
• Is there physical contact? Was it explained beforehand, and do you feel free to say no or stop at any point?
• Does it involve any substance, plant preparation, remedy or supplement? Has your doctor or prescriber been told, especially about any medication you take?
• Does it involve fasting, a special diet or 'detox'? Have you discussed this with your doctor?
• Is it a group, retreat or community? How do they respond if someone wants to leave or raises a concern?
• Who runs it, and what training or registration do they hold?
• What actually happens in a session or meeting, and how often?
• What does it cost, and is there pressure to commit to more?
• How do you feel afterwards, in the hours and days that follow?
• Does it fit with, or clash with, the work we do here?

What practitioners of it watch for

• Fear of retaliation or shame; support the client through any legal process.
• Refusal of all contact with medical professionals, especially with signs of malnutrition or serious illness: reassess risk.
• Checking that is increasing or occupying hours a day, OCD features (overlap noted by NEDA), new physical symptoms needing medical review.
• Complicated grief, depression, suicidal ideation (assess using standard practice), and shame that blocks re-engagement with medical care.
• Faltering growth, missed medical appointments or vaccinations, a child's anxiety about food. Act on safeguarding concerns rather than exploring them indefinitely.

When to involve someone else

• New or worsening physical symptoms, or advice to stop or change prescribed medication: involve the client's doctor or prescriber.
• Signs of coercion, isolation from family and friends, escalating costs or secrecy: discuss openly and consider safeguarding.
• A crisis or thoughts of suicide: follow your crisis protocol. In the US, call or text 988; in the UK and Ireland, Samaritans on 116 123.

Drawn automatically from the guide's own sections. Stay curious: neither endorse nor dismiss what the client values, and check anything that matters against the full guide and its sources. Not medical advice.