A woman from Oxfordshire, England, Don Page, following her nutritionist's advice, drank about 2 liters of water in excess of the recommended daily amount to flush toxins from her body, which caused sodium deficiency and resulted in brain damage. After nearly 7 years of litigation, she was finally awarded 800,000 pounds (approximately 1.6 million US dollars) in compensation. Hyponatremia
Now 52 years old, Page consulted nutritionist Barbara Nash in 2001 for weight loss advice. Nash provided her with a novel nutritional therapy—drinking 2.3 liters of water in excess of the daily recommendation and reducing salt intake to lose weight.
A few days after starting the excessive water intake, Page began uncontrollably vomiting due to the abnormal water intake disrupting her body's balance. However, Nash told Page that this was just a detoxification process and then instructed her to increase her daily excessive water intake to 3.4 liters. A week later, due to severe hyponatremia, Page began experiencing seizures and was admitted to the intensive care unit. By then, doctors were unable to prevent the brain damage.
Due to the brain damage, Page's memory, attention, and language abilities were all affected to varying degrees. She originally worked in the Faringdon city council, responsible for organizing various meetings, but now she had to quit her job and rely on her husband, Jeff, to support the family. Crazy Diet
Jeff said, "Don wasn't actually very fat; she was no different from other women her age, but she was just obsessed with losing weight and had tried other methods with little success. Now, her life has been almost ruined by this crazy diet method." He hopes that women who are currently trying to lose weight can see the potential dangers of improper weight loss methods and thus choose how to lose weight carefully. 7 Years of Litigation
In 2001, Jeff filed a lawsuit on his wife's behalf against Nash, thus beginning a nearly 7-year legal battle.
This July, the Pages and Nash reached a settlement agreement in the High Court, under which Nash's patient's insurance company would pay Page 800,000 pounds in compensation. The court approved the agreement, but Nash did not admit to any legal liability for Page's brain damage in the agreement.
■ Related Report Nutritionist "Not Liable"
Nash, who lives in Whitely, graduated from a nutrition college in Devon and, after obtaining a degree in natural nutrition, calls herself a "nutritional therapist and lifestyle coach." She insists she is not legally liable for Page's brain damage.
A person from Nash's law firm said to reporters on July 23: "I hope to clarify a fact on behalf of my client: we will consistently deny all improper legal statements made by the plaintiff's counsel during the litigation. Therefore, the compensation we acknowledge is less than half of what the plaintiff demanded. We do not admit liability for the plaintiff's physical injury, and this is the basis of all compromises and concessions."
Nash herself has not made any comments on the settlement agreement to this day.