Speaker 1: 0:12

Welcome to One Good Thing Media, your official podcast review channel. We search the vast digital landscape on a daily basis to discover the best shows that podcasters have to offer. Are you ready to discover new favorites to add to your playbook? Stay tuned and listen to host Gerald Spears' latest podcast reviews.

Speaker 2: 0:41

Hello, lovelies. I hope everyone is having a wonderful week and you have great things to look forward to. After all, it is a new season. Welcome to autumn, the most beautiful time of the year.

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For those of you who are new to our One Good Thing Media, my name is Gerald Spear and I am the host and creator of our show. We review a wide variety of genres for eclectic listeners, who may love one genre more than others, but still adhere to the age-old adage variety is the spice of life. Behind the scenes, the beginning of autumn has certainly been a busy time for us. We are getting closer to our drop date for our new podcast, skirting Danger, a show that's focused on the security of all women and how we can live our life freely and safely. Behind the scenes, the beginning of autumn has certainly been a busy time for us. We are getting closer to our drop date for our new podcast, skirting Danger, a show that's focused on the security of all women and how we can live our life freely and safely. Live our life freely and safely.

Speaker 2: 2:14

You may already be comfortable in your own skin, but do you feel the same way about your safety? Has your home been violated? Have you been followed or harassed. Are you friends with women who have found themselves in dangerous situations? If you're nodding your head right now, you aren't alone. Skirting Danger was founded to help all women live their life safely and freely. To do this responsibly, the Skirting Danger team has assembled a host of crime experts who provide safety tips for everything from how to vet someone you just met, how to secure your home, going to work, going out at night and while traveling. Make your safety your priority and don't allow anyone to steal your possessions. And don't allow anyone to steal your possessions, your peace of mind or your well-being. Follow Skirting Danger wherever you, listen to your podcasts and check out our posts on Instagram, facebook and X, formerly known as Twitter, formerly known as Twitter.

Speaker 2: 3:23

Today, our main theme is how quackery can kill you, with fascinating reviews of how one so-called Dr Miracle promised a cure for HIV-positive and AIDS patients, plus a wannabe doctor that created a cult-like retreat in Valley Center, california, where he treated patients for a variety of disorders and illnesses with intravenous treatments made of quote natural substances. The latter, by the way, is partly told by a woman who chose quackery over traditional medicine and is now living as a stage 4 cancer patient. So why am I covering medical misdeeds? I embrace herbal therapies as a first line of defense for run-of-the-mill infections, earaches, toothaches, headaches, nausea and similar maladies for many years, but anytime my symptoms are more severe or my herbal therapies aren't immediately improving my health situation, I don't hesitate to seek medical help, which I consider to be a second and stronger line of defense. I think the key for everyone, especially those like myself who tend towards natural remedies whenever possible, is to realize that when you need help, you need to trust the medical process. One of the greatest dangers for those who don't trust the medical system is being susceptible to fake gurus, who are usually charismatic and know how to lead certain people down an alternative and sometimes dangerous path. The actions committed by these dishonest self-proclaimed experts were egregious, and the gullibility of their quote patients made them perfect victims for their scams. I'm also covering lighter topics, so not everything will be terribly serious For the curious. For instance, I'm going to be talking about Mr Ballin's medical mysteries, as well as some fresh tea on Dance Moms, the reality TV show, and why Abby Lee Miller went to prison.

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We are going to jump into our program in just one minute, but first here's a quick word from our sponsor. Did you know that you can support us by supporting who Gives a Crap A company that really does give a crap? We've been a loyal customer of WGAC for five years. They produce the greenest toilet paper and paper towels on the planet, have a microcarbon footprint and donate 50% of their profits to help underdeveloped countries safely manage human waste. Fyi, I recommend the bamboo toilet paper. It's three-ply soft and because bamboo is a grass, you're helping to preserve our forests. Please give a crap by clicking on the sponsor's link in our show notes and go even greener starting today. Thank you so much for listening to our WGAC ad.

Speaker 2: 6:59

Producing a podcast comes with a lot of behind the scenes expenses. When you support our sponsor, you are directly benefiting One Good Thing Media. And while we're on the topic of supporting our program, please make sure you follow our podcast and give us a five-star rating. Doing these two simple things allows us to move up on the podcast charts as opposed to slipping into obscurity, which, by the way, is easy to do when you consider that there are over 350,000 active podcasters producing shows. Welcome to our news, updates and highlights segment.

Speaker 2: 8:08

The Hysterical Podcast by Realm Studio has begun dropping its 12th season with a show called the Understudy. It's a story about intrigue and nefarious activities that often happen among theater casts and their supporting others, which, in this case, are stage mothers, who are at the heart of widespread jealousy and highly charged emotions. What could go wrong? When I was a young adult, I belonged to a theater group, and nothing in this story is too outlandish or exaggerated. I have so many memories from long ago that are whirling through my mind right now, and because I don't really want to mark this episode explicit, I'm just going to keep talking about the Adrenaline Podcast and the show at hand. The understudy is about how far mothers will go to not only protect their children, but to also make sure that they get the parts that they so richly deserve.

Speaker 2: 9:18

Stage mothers Carolyn, bronnie, elise and Kendall are bound together by one thing their four daughters are best friends at the highly competitive Orla Flynn Academy for the Performing Arts in London. And wouldn't you know it? There's also a backstory. The mothers had an explosive argument, but they've since forgiven each other, realizing that the four of them together are much stronger than each of them alone. Did the mothers really move on? Well, that's hard to say, but when new threats surface and accidents begin to happen, not to mention a mysterious new girl who suddenly enters the scene and becomes a lead understudy. The mothers decide they must take matters into their own hands, and even though all the episodes haven't dropped yet, I am still anticipating a wild ride as an FYI.

Speaker 2: 10:24

Realm Studios produces a lot of different podcasts in several genres, including horror and supernatural podcasts like Harrowing, true crime like Rotten, thrillers like the Pirate of Prague and documentaries like Noble and the Inconceivable Truth. They also do something that is unique. As far as I know, I have not seen this before. After several of their greatest podcasts in a single genre have had solo runs as standalone podcasts, realm sometimes bundles them under one roof or, in this case, very genre-specific podcasts like Adrenaline and then releases these successful shows as seasons. Here's a clip that explains a little bit more about that format.

Speaker 4: 11:18

You know that moment when you realize that danger is right around the corner. Maybe you feel it on the back of your neck, those little hairs that stick up. Maybe the palms of your hands are hot and itchy at the same time, or your heart is beating so fast it's like a hum. Well, I love that feeling, and I'm pretty sure that you do too. So I would like to welcome you to Adrenaline. I'm your host, neil Heligers, and I am thrilled to be joining you on this adventure.

Speaker 4: 11:49

Adrenaline is a curated collection of Rome's most riveting thrillers, meant to bring you to the edge of your seat, like right on the point there, and keep you there like forever. So whether you're a seasoned traveler of the Realm universe, or maybe this is the first time you've heard of us, you're bound to get caught up in the suspense and the excitement of Adrenaline. Each season is the start of a brand new story, so you can feel free to start wherever you like. But just fair warning once you start, you're not going to be able to stop, but that's by design. So get ready to embark on a journey of adrenaline.

Speaker 2: 12:30

If you would like to know more about my reviews with the Adrenaline Series. In episode 24, I reviewed Greetings from Salton Sea. It's a great podcast. C it's a great podcast. And in episode 26, I reviewed Echo Park. My last highlight for this episode is Mr Ballin's Medical Mysteries. Despite being around for less than two years, this podcast is welllished in its genre and regularly ranks extremely high on all of the podcast charts.

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Although many listeners find the topics of weird and mysterious medical conditions intriguing, I think that the show's popularity is also due to host and storyteller Jonathan Allen's ability to draw listeners into each episode by sharing fascinating facts, compelling situations and by humanizing the people at the center of these dilemmas. I've also found that Mr Bowen's Medical Mysteries has a way of bringing forth our empathy and quite often making us feel thankful that nothing that happened to the people in his stories is likely to happen to us or those we love. Here's the trailer from the show.

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Imagine waking up and hearing voices around you. They say you're in a coma. You try to tell them they're wrong, but you can't move or speak. That's when you realize you're locked inside of your own body. Or what if you walked outside and your entire hometown was going insane? You see people hallucinating and jumping out of windows, but no one can figure out why. Or maybe you're feeling a horrible pain in your stomach. Doctors think it's a tumor and they operate, but what they find is so much worse. What would you do if you found yourself at the center of a terrifying medical mystery, when the best doctors and scientists in the world don't have answers and you're running out of time?

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Jonathan Allen is also two for two when it comes to podcasts. In 2022, he launched Mr Ballin's Strange, dark and Mysterious, and in 2023, he launched Mr Ballin's Medical Mysteries. Both of them are ranked very high on the charts. Just as a backstory, jonathan went from being a Navy SEAL to an incredible storyteller. Gerald, oh, no, not you again, what are?

Speaker 2: 15:50

you listening to? Are you spying on me? What are you listening to? Are you spying on me? Ah, ais, you can't trust them. But, yes, welcome to what? Are you Listening To? A segment where I share what I've binged this week.

Speaker 2: 16:15

Were you a fan of Dance Moms? You know the television show about a dance instructor named Abby Lee Miller and the young students that she verbally pummeled and punished with her infamous pyramid and who placed her students dead last if she was mad at their moms that week. The mothers were ideal stage moms, whether their kids were in the dance studio or performing in numerous dance contests. It was so cringeworthy that most of us couldn't miss a single episode. We're going. Oh my God, what is she going to do this week? Loud, crude and beyond unpleasant. That's being nice.

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Abby Lee reigned supreme on the dance circuit for several years until things started going terribly wrong. After years of being on the receiving end of Abby's abuse, the ever-present dance moms and their anger began to surpass their need for their children to be reality television and dance stars. Television and dance stars A few dropped out. You know make that stormed out. And just when things couldn't get any worse, abby was in legal hot water and, as we gradually realized, was doomed to become a guest of the federal prison system. I will tell you, there are several podcasts about Abby Lee and the Dance Moms, but I find that one stands above the rest and that is Scamfluencers by Wondery and hosts Saatchi Kuhl and Sarah Hagee, episode 120, and the title is Abby Lee Miller Scam. Like Nobody's Watching, because the clip was so long I had to trim it a bit. You're going to notice that the host mentions Brian. Who's Brian? Brian is the producer of the show and he was responsible for casting the kids, abby Lee and, of course, the dance moms.

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Abby walks up to her studio and finds a note from the sheriff's office taped to her door. It's a sales notice. The studio is about to be sold out from under her and she has no way to pay the bank what she owes them. So, at 45 years old, abby files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Chapter 11 helps people create a plan to repay creditors while still keeping their business open. It's a really tedious process that can take years, but it seems like this is her only option. But soon Abby will find another way to bail herself out of her financial troubles. All she has to do is step out somewhere. She never thought she'd be center stage.

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Initially Abby is supposed to play a small part on the show, but that all changes once the cameras start rolling. The mom, who also happens to be a minister, is pissed that Abby just kicked her kid out of class. She starts yelling at Abby and so Abby calls the police. When the police ask if the woman has a weapon, abby says just her mouth. I mean, come on, best to ever do it. It's perfect television, I can't even fight it. But Ryan doesn't realize how much Abby needs this show. He doesn't even consider that she might be amplifying the drama out of desperation. He just knows that she's made for reality TV, and his decision to put her in the spotlight changes Abby's life forever. It's only been four months since Abby declared bankruptcy, and while most people in her situation would be struggling, abby is now the lead on a TV series. She'll make around $8,500 a month, but she'll also be expected to turn most of that over to the court to pay back her creditors. The timing is terrible. If only she could have gotten the TV show before she filed for bankruptcy. So she decides to take a risk and hide some of her new income. Abby's looking out for number one, but that decision will end up costing her more than she could ever imagine.

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The pilot episode of Dance Moms debuts on Lifetime in July 2011,. Just seven months into Abby's bankruptcy filing, she's introduced to the world as the tyrant ruler of her dance empire, an empire that includes six young dancers sitting cross-legged in the middle of her studio floor. One of the girls is eight-year-old Maddie Ziegler. Maddie has long brown hair pulled up into a tight ponytail, larger than life, blue eyes and two buck teeth that make her look that much more adorable. Maddie looks up at the dance teacher looming above her. Abby's in front of a chalkboard and she tells the girls that they're here because they are the cream of the crop in the 8 to 12 age group.

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But that doesn't make them equals. Abby swivels the chalkboard around, revealing headshots of all the girls taped in the shape of a pyramid. She's ranked her dancers and Maddie's picture is at the very top. By Abby's high standards, maddie is the best of them all. If you haven't seen Dance Moms, this triangle with Maddie's picture on top is Abby's infamous pyramid. Abby publicly ranks her dancers at the start of each episode. The rankings change from week to week depending on how well each girl does in the previous week's competition and on how Abby feels about their moms. If a mom somehow pisses her off, their child gets a lower place on the pyramid. Well, abby teaches the girls new routines for countless competitions they attend throughout the season and as a teacher she is a total nightmare. She's harsh and abrasive. She yells at the girls and calls it tough love.

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I want to be Vince Lombardi and I want to pump y'all up and tell you you're going to go out there and win, but sometimes your best isn't good enough anymore. Ding dong, look, grow up. She's going to go, she's going to do the solo, it's going to be good and we're all going to have fun.

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To be honest, I always thought it was scripted like.

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This is the drama that we're going to create today, but apparently a lot of it was spontaneous on Abby's part and the reactions from the moms. And then there was the abuse of the children, both by Abby Lee and their mothers. I can't believe that. I'm even confessing that I watched Dance Moms and I feel like I have to say your Honor, I am guilty as charged, but if you're a Dance Mom fan, you don't have to admit it in public like I'm doing. Just go check out the episode Scamfluencers, episode 120. And now it's time for our main reviews.

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Today I am reviewing two podcasts that feature con men posing as physicians and the absolute havoc that they wreaked on people's lives. It's no secret that people fall for scams every day, whether it's buying a cashmere sweater with a $300 price tag for just 10 bucks, to buying an exorbitant supplement subscription and we've all seen this that promises to give them a full day's worth of vegetables in one tiny capsule, so they'll never have to eat broccoli again. Scammers have been around for as long as mankind has walked this earth. Sure, their tricks have evolved to keep up with the times, but the motivations behind their methods have not Fear-mongering, fear of missing out, desperation, unhappiness and distrust in authority, including the government and medicine. People want to believe fake testimonials and claims that a single product can cure a wide range of diseases because of its magical gobbledygook ingredient.

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Once their interest is piqued, scammers move in for the kill by pressuring people to sign up quickly before this amazing once-in-a-lifetime offer disappears for good. Now, before you judge people involved in being scammed, be honest with yourself. Haven't we all fallen for a scam at least once in our life, Whether it was buying something on a late-night infomercial or trusting an ad on Facebook? Because, after all, Mark Zuckerberg wouldn't allow disinformation of any kind that would dupe his members, right? Hmm, it happens every day, and if you claim that you have never been scammed, then you have not walked on this earth longer than a day. With that thought in mind, be kind to the people who were duped here. They were desperate, they were sick, they were distrustful and they found somebody who talked their language, almost read their minds.

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The first show that I am going to cover today about medical quackery is Dr Miracle, the eighth season of a podcast called Chameleon. A wellness center named Miracle Ranch and Nestled in the scenic hills of Southern California promised a luxurious escape and a path to wellness through clean, alkaline living. Its leader, Dr Robert Oldman Young, attracted wealthy clients with his quote groundbreaking health protocols and friendly family man persona. And friendly family man persona. But beneath the serene surface, Miracle Ranch harbored many dark secrets. People who stayed there didn't get better. In fact, they got worse. Through legal documents and interviews with former patients and employees, law enforcement officials and family members of those who died and cannot stand up for themselves, this series unravels the chilling true story of one man who convinced scores of people are you sitting down? That cancer wasn't a cell, it was an acidic, poisonous liquid and the only way to rid your body of cancer was to go on an alkaline diet. Yes, folks, Dr Robert Oldman Young invented the alkaline diet, and cancer patients and other people who are seriously ill still use as part of their regimen in the hopes it will help either cure their cancer or at least stop it from growing so quickly.

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I can say that firsthand because I help cancer patients. I help raise money for them. I'm not an organization, I'm just an individual. But when somebody comes to me and they're out of hope and they're out of money and they're out of luck, I use my influence on social media to raise funds for them so that they can at least have a better quality of life. If nothing else, I have never helped one person that didn't adhere to alkaline substances, alkaline foods and alkaline water. I don't blame them, it's no harm, no foul. But this is the far-reaching effects of one con man who purported that alkaline substances would cure cancer. The voice you're about to hear is Laura Beale. She is the journalist who investigated Dr Miracle.

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Let me take you back to a time before Gwyneth Paltrow hawked bone broth and jade eggs, back to the mid-2000s, when exercise classes were on DVD, when people followed the Atkins diet or the South Beach diet to lose weight, and there was another one that was really big back then, a miracle diet that would not only slim your waist but make your body reject diseases.

Speaker 6: 28:30

Back to the garden, back to the greens, back to God's butter avocado.

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It was called the alkaline diet, and tons of celebrities toyed with it Kate Hudson, victoria Beckham, kelly Ripa, even the Queen of Goop, gwyneth herself. It involved drinking lots of green juice and not very much else.

Speaker 6: 28:51

I dropped weight like crazy, but I wasn't dropping weight, where I look haggard like people do when they're on a diet Right.

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The alkaline lifestyle was pioneered by Dr Robert Young.

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Breakfast should start out with a fresh juice.

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But Robert Young didn't just promise weight loss, he promised hope. He promised a miracle cure. Sick people, especially cancer patients, desperate for that hope, flocked to Dr Young.

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He called it the new biology. He had a way of making you feel special and like you were on this great crusade. He just convinced her stay the course, follow my protocol. It works.

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I've cured cancer. Like she was desperate, she wanted to feel better. Robert Young's followers called themselves Alcalarians.

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I just felt like a father feeling towards him and Jesus Christ. That's pretty powerful.

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They followed his protocol, even when it made them feel sicker.

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Her stomach was so distended and I begged and pleaded with her to stop doing what she was doing.

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And when patients' illnesses got worse, Robert Young convinced them they were actually getting better.

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She had a lump on her chest.

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It was the size of a golf ball and it was coming out kind of like supporting what he was saying, that it can't live in her body.

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Dr Miracle isn't just about a diet. It's about what happens when you follow the wrong guru. It's about how we choose to treat our illnesses at a time when health care is unaffordable and so many people doubt science. And it's about the search for truth when everything goes horribly awry.

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A good con man is an abrasive. He's a likable guy. He's telling them what they want to hear and he's saying it with conviction.

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There are losers, there are people that owe us money.

Speaker 6: 30:53

My mom's sucking on that bottle of greens and I took it and I fucking threw it at that woman and then I said here's your check.

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Give me my mother. Everyone's dying. Why is everyone dying? I want to add that, first of all, dr Robert Oldman Young is not a doctor at all. It was part of his scam and even today his books are still selling, which makes him an excellent customer of the commissaries, because he is now in prison. My last medical quackery review today is by Dr Death. Dr Death now has four seasons and Bad Magic is season number four. The other three seasons are now behind a paywall, so if you want to listen to everything that Dr Death has, you'll need to subscribe to Wondery.

Speaker 6: 32:04

Imagine your kid is sick, very sick. You see the doctors. You go through the tests, talk to all the specialists. Everyone tells you the same thing We've done all we can.

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They've pretty much come to the end of the line of what medicine could offer them.

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But you're a parent. You can't give up. You'll do anything, even for just a glimmer of hope. And then you find him.

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Dr Sirhad has the type of brilliance that has the capacity to see across discipline in science and connect things that others don't see. He's a researcher. Scientists, doctors, renowned experts were saying genius, genius, genius. A healer. People that knew him were convinced that he saved their life and a suspected murderer we believe that he died from multiple gunshot wounds to the head and torso.

Speaker 6: 33:07

Many put their hope in Dr Serhat. His company was worth half a billion dollars. His research promised groundbreaking treatments for HIV and cancer.

Speaker 1: 33:21

But the brilliant doctor was hiding a secret. Do not cross this line. That was being messaged to us. Do not cross this line. That was being messaged to us. Do not cross this line.

Speaker 6: 33:31

This was a person who was willing to cold-heartedly just lie to people's faces. It's a story about extravagance.

Speaker 1: 33:44

These expensive dinners and flying private and fancy hotels and beaches Illusion. It's like the ultimate endgame he just has been fooling everybody the whole time.

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And the desperate search for a cure.

Speaker 1: 33:58

I had never witnessed the absolute, total devastation on a human body from this type of experiment. Who is Sir Hutt?

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Well, that's a difficult question to answer. Actually, who am I?

Speaker 2: 34:49

well, that's a wrap for episode 32. I want to say thank you for listening to our show.

Speaker 1: 34:56

we'll be back next week and until then, you know I love you. One Good Thing Media is brought to you by our host and creator, gerald Spear, all things technical are by David Dodd and our announcer is Robert Spear. Our theme song for Season 2 is Force by HGST.

Speaker 4: 35:22

Thank, you Bye.