Detox diet causes woman serious brain damage

Jul 23 2008

A woman in Britain who suffered brain damage after following a "detox" diet has been awarded more than £800,000 in an 'out-of-court' settlement.

Dawn Page, a 52 year old mother of two who weighed 12st, went on the detox 'Amazing Hydration diet' in 2001 but began vomiting severely soon after starting the diet and had stomach cramps.

Mrs Page had been told by nutritionist Barbara Nash to drink four extra pints of water a day and drastically reduce her salt intake.

She was told by the dietician that these symptoms were just part of the detoxification process and was advised to increase the amount of water to six pints and consume even less salt.

Days later she suffered a massive epileptic fit and brain damage caused by severe sodium deficiency.

Page from Faringdon, in Oxfordshire has been left with epilepsy and a brain injury affecting her memory, concentration and ability to speak normally.

She has given up her job as conference organiser and her family says she will not work again as a 'cognitive deficit' now affects her memory, concentration and speech and she suffers frequent mood swings.

Nash, who calls herself a "nutritional therapist and life coach", denies any liability....she has a diploma from the College of Natural Nutrition, based in Tiverton, Devon.

Page's husband, Geoff, 54, has warned of the dangers of "fad-type" diets and says his wife was not obese but had just wanted to lose some weight and had previously tried Weight Watchers and calorie control diets.

He says her life has been seriously affected, and possibly ruined and says it is important people understand how dangerous such diets are.

The salt-rich plasma acts as a protective layer around the brain, but because Mrs Page's contained such low levels of the mineral, water had entered the brain, causing permanent damage.

She now relies heavily on her husband to cope and needs written notes to remember basic instructions.... she finds it hard to recall simple information....she cannot drive or work and will need medication for the rest of her life.

Hydration diets are sometimes prescribed to those suffering from fluid retention, which can cause weight gain in the fingers, ankles and legs but experts say as a weight loss tool they do not work and no qualified professional would recommend this sort of diet.

They say if hydration ever leads to weight loss, it is simply because the extra water makes a person less inclined to eat because they feel full and they question the reduction of sodium.

A serious loss of sodium can lead to weakness, dizziness, memory loss and nausea and if the deficiency becomes severe, the circulatory system can collapse and the body can go into shock, causing fatigue, muscle twitching and fits.