Detox diet causes brain damage in woman
There are plenty of wacky 'fad diets' out there. The grapefruit and lemonade diets come to mind. But while fad diets are often bizarre, they're generally regarded as safe, right? Wrong -- fad diets can be downright dangerous, as this story proves.
A British woman, Dawn Page, was recently awarded £800,000 (about $1,600,000 USD) after a detox diet left her epileptic and brain damaged. 'The Amazing Hydration Diet' has participants drinking copious amounts of water and reducing their salt intake in order to cleanse their system and reduce water retention. But within days of starting the diet, Page started vomiting uncontrollably and was rushed to hospital.
Doctors did their best but they were unable to prevent permanent brain damage. Page now has regular seizures and cognitive deficits that affect her memory and ability to speak. She can no longer drive or work and will be on medication for her condition for the rest of her life.
Pretty frightening, huh? What's particularly scary about this is she started the diet on the recommendation of a nutritionist. The moral of the story: Be careful about who you trust -- no matter what their so-called credentials are -- and always talk to your doctor before any sort of diet, no matter how harmless it seems.
Read the rest of the story here.







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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
7-24-2008 @ 2:22PM
jil said...
if she can afford a "nutritionist" and yet lacks the common sense to avoid water toxification or to consult an actual physician then what is the hope for her? people are always looking for that magic bullet to lose weight. when it doesn't work they want to sue someone. sorry but my sympathies just aren't with her.
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7-24-2008 @ 2:59PM
Brad said...
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7-25-2008 @ 7:34PM
Doug said...
Yeah, I agree that this was stupid. However, how many people die or are seriously injured by prescribed medication every year? My point is that stories like the woman above is extremely rare compared to the medical industries track record. However, it's okay if a doctor prescribes your death or injury, it's just not okay if you go out and do it by accident.
7-25-2008 @ 6:23PM
Brad said...
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7-24-2008 @ 2:39PM
Chubs said...
I wonder how people ignore what their body is trying to tell them? She was either desperate or dumb to not realize ingesting copious of fluids would alter her electrolyte balance. Too bad for her.
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7-26-2008 @ 10:02AM
me! said...
lol im not doctor and ya she shoulda actually though about an all water diet but wtf?
electrolyte balance?
7-24-2008 @ 2:41PM
cass said...
actualy my sympathy goes to anyone who is permanently disabled let alone someone who was strictly taken the advice of someone educated in this field that she hired because she obviously wanted help not a quick fix, if she knew all the pros and cons of water toxification and other subjects she wouldnt have needed the nutritionist in the first place, its very sad I hope you never get bad advise on a subject that you know little about
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7-24-2008 @ 2:44PM
Victoria C said...
I just finished reading the entire story as posted on dailymail.com. While I sympathize with Ms. Page, she was an idiot! Her medical mishap could have been avoided if she'd taken the time to consult with a doctor before attempting this program. She's overweight and needs to be exercising and eating a more balanced diet in order to lose weight and detox. I wish her a full recovery but she didn't deserve the money. No one should get paid for stupidity.
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7-24-2008 @ 2:45PM
Dennis said...
I'm with you, Jil. What ever became of the common sense God gave that woman? Anybody who's successfully lost weight can tell you there's no easy way out. It's just as much a test of character as it is a way of life. All you lazy dieters out there listen up: If you think it's easy, you will fail. If it tastes good, spit it out. If you have to stop and ask yourself if you should eat an item, you shouldn't. If your family constantly teases you about what you need to eat or gives you a bunch of grief because they can't snack on your diet food, you need to have a serious talk with them about supporting your efforts instead of making it more difficult than it should be. You have too much riding on your diet to allow anyone to casually throw stones in your path.
It takes a lot of discipline and sacrifice to seriously lose weight. There's restaraunts everywhere that have nothing you can eat except for a salad, and you still need to bring your own dressing because all they have is fat or sugar laden dressings that can undo an entire day's efforts all by themselves. At home, none of the usual satisfying snack foods will help. Everyone out there wants to torpedo your diet. Every small victory should be celebrated with someone who can sincerely express their pride in your accomplishment, every belt notch you take up should be marked on the calendar in red ink, and when your clothes look like you got them from someone a lot bigger than you, then for God's sake go get something that fits and have fun doing it.
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7-24-2008 @ 2:47PM
J said...
Common Sense seems to have been lacking on her part.
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7-24-2008 @ 2:47PM
Hannah said...
How can your sympathies not be with her? Yes, she did something that probably was not the best for her health just to loose weight, but doesn't almost everyone? People do stuff like that everyday, but no one even thinks that something so terrible can happen from it. Something that bad rarely happens, even when the diet is so extreme. I am sure that if she knew the result of her poor desicion would be brain damage and seizures for the rest of her life, she might have decided not to try the diet. My sympathies are with her and the rest of her family.
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7-24-2008 @ 3:22PM
Jiggy said...
I was hoping it was another Dophra diet !
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7-24-2008 @ 3:32PM
jn said...
Detox-ing your body is NOT the same as going on a "diet", and every holistic practitioner will tell you that. You detox to rid your body of toxins (hence the name idiot!) not to drop weight. Dieting is an entirely different matter. The people promoting this "diet" should be looked at. They are obviously NOT holistic and the nutritionist was probably recommended BY her doctor. No telling how this woman modified the diet to suit herself, or if she even followed instruction properly. Or what underlying condition she already had. There is no quick fix people - get off the sofa and take the donut out of your mouth!
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7-24-2008 @ 3:33PM
jn said...
Detox-ing your body is NOT the same as going on a "diet", and every holistic practitioner will tell you that. You detox to rid your body of toxins (hence the name idiot!) not to drop weight. Dieting is an entirely different matter. The people promoting this "diet" should be looked at. They are obviously NOT holistic and the nutritionist was probably recommended BY her doctor. No telling how this woman modified the diet to suit herself, or if she even followed instruction properly. Or what underlying condition she already had. There is no quick fix people - get off the sofa and take the donut out of your mouth!
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7-24-2008 @ 3:42PM
EB said...
In the US, any schmuck can call herself or himself a "nutritionist" - those who work at the vitamin or health food store, sell 30 day miracles, etc.
For serious and safe nutrition and diet advice, make sure you speak to a Registered Dietitian or RD. A Registered Dietitian would never advise this kind of weight loss. RDs are food and nutrition experts who have met minimum criteria to earn the credential: a bachelor's degree, internship, passed an exam and complete continuing professional education. Some RDs specialize or hold certifications in areas such as diabetes, sports nutrition, weight loss pediatric nutrition, etc.
I believe the standards are similar in Britain - the title “dietitian” is protected and in order to
work in the NHS, dietitians must be on the Health Professions Council register.
If you're speaking to a "nutritionist" can he or she meet these credentials? I doubt it. Turn around and walk away. Or you can look for a Registered Dietitian on www.eatright.org.
REMEMBER: If it's too good to be true, it probably is!
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7-24-2008 @ 3:49PM
Nancy said...
Buncha hard hearted women here. Everywhere. You all must be perfect. Except for your hard, black, rotting hearts.
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7-24-2008 @ 3:52PM
Donna said...
www.portionpal.com - The only way to lose weight SAFE
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7-24-2008 @ 4:14PM
janine12 said...
Maybe we're not getting the "whole story" since big $$ was involved. Maybe she was on rx meds , drugs or alcohol & didnt tell anyone. As a former model, Ive been fasting & detoxing for 20 yrs. w/ no drastic affects. I also dont do have any of those habits & so can still do it. Makes me feel great all the time but then I also listen to my body.
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7-24-2008 @ 4:40PM
Lisa said...
Unfortunately, not everyone knows that you CAN drink too much water and throw off your electrolyte balance. Too many people have heard that "more is better" when it comes to water because supposedly we're all walking around dehydrated. We also get the advice to cut back on salt because it promotes water retention, which is true to a point.
I sincerely feel sorry for this woman because she thought she could trust her nutritionist (who is obviously a quack!) to help her detox her body, but instead handicapped her for the rest of her life! Some people just trust too much. It doesn't make her an idiot, just gullible.
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7-24-2008 @ 4:44PM
Jim said...
Nutritionist...another word for quack or snake oil salesman. At the ripe "old age" of 53 I've been through the cylamate scrare, the egg scare, the coffee scare, and several more I've forgotten all set off because of the whatever nutritionists have labeled their latest bogeyman. In every case, several years down the line, and very quietly, whatever the danger was is discovered to be totally false and cause needless alarm.
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