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Detox diet 'led to brain damage'
A woman who suffered brain damage after she was allegedly put on a detox diet by a nutritional therapist yesterdayJuly3 won £810,000 in compensation.
Dawn Page, 52, from Coxwell Street, Faringdon, told London's High Court she had suffered uncontrolled vomiting and a fit after consulting Barbara Nash, of Old London Road, Holton, near Wheatley, about losing weight.
She said she was treated in intensive care at Swindon's now defunct Princess Margaret Hospital following the fit in October 2001.
Mrs Page's legal team alleged Mrs Nash advised her to increase her water intake by six pints a day - and to avoid salt. They also said that when informed of Mrs Page's symptoms, Mrs Nash said "what was happening was not unusual" and "was part of the detoxification process".
Mrs Page, through her husband Geoffrey, sued Mrs Nash and today agreed the six figure settlement with Mrs Nash's insurers.
Dennis Matthews, speaking for Mrs Nash, said she was a "privately trained nutritionist", and emphasised she continued to deny she was in any way to blame for what happened. The barrister said £50,000 of the damages would be paid to Mr Page for caring for his wife.
6:44pm Friday 4th July 2008
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CommentPosted by: LeeT, Oxfordshire on 10:51pm Sat 5 Jul 08
Absolutely awful. My heart goes out to Mr Page and the rest of the family. It sounds very odd that the insurers are paying out £800K yet the so-called nutritional therapist is denying that she has done anything wrong. Part of the agreement that was negotiated I suppose.
Absolutely awful. My heart goes out to Mr Page and the rest of the family. It sounds very odd that the insurers are paying out £800K yet the so-called nutritional therapist is denying that she has done anything wrong. Part of the agreement that was negotiated I suppose.
Posted by: David Page, Faringdon on 12:07am Mon 7 Jul 08
I am one of Dawn Page's sons. I'd like to thank everyone who has helped our family threw this tough time. Also, any help which we may receive in the future. [bold]bold[/bold]
I am one of Dawn Page's sons. I'd like to thank everyone who has helped our family threw this tough time. Also, any help which we may receive in the future.
Posted by: Maria Cartwright, London on 12:13am Mon 7 Jul 08
May I wish Mrs Page and her family well.
I am sorry to read about this wretched case and hope that some appropriate authority is considering action to make sure that this won't happen to anyone else.
May I wish Mrs Page and her family well.
I am sorry to read about this wretched case and hope that some appropriate authority is considering action to make sure that this won't happen to anyone else.
Posted by: Catherine Collins RD on 12:27am Mon 7 Jul 08
As a UK Registered Dietitian I have to say this case is sadly not unique. People want to help themselves keep well but the quality of nutritional advice given by self-styled nutritionists, and those with pseudo-graduate qualifications, means people are playing nutritional Russian roulette with their lives.
If one pretended to be a qualified neurosurgeon and was not the law would protect their clients. Unfortunately, the dietetic profession has to compete with enthusiastic amateurs unconciously incompetent in the subject of clinical nutrition. I am sorry for Mrs Page that she should have suffered at the hands of this therapist.
Be aware that the new 'OfQuack' which aims to regulate 'complementary therapists' such as in this case will give you solely a legal framework for redress - not a guarantee that the individual is qualified in the subject.
Amongst other cases too numerous to mention I, too, had to deal with a patient admitted comatose due to water loading/ salt losses. He made a full recovery. I hope Mrs Page did as well.
As a UK Registered Dietitian I have to say this case is sadly not unique. People want to help themselves keep well but the quality of nutritional advice given by self-styled nutritionists, and those with pseudo-graduate qualifications, means people are playing nutritional Russian roulette with their lives.
If one pretended to be a qualified neurosurgeon and was not the law would protect their clients. Unfortunately, the dietetic profession has to compete with enthusiastic amateurs unconciously incompetent in the subject of clinical nutrition. I am sorry for Mrs Page that she should have suffered at the hands of this therapist.
Be aware that the new 'OfQuack' which aims to regulate 'complementary therapists' such as in this case will give you solely a legal framework for redress - not a guarantee that the individual is qualified in the subject.
Amongst other cases too numerous to mention I, too, had to deal with a patient admitted comatose due to water loading/ salt losses. He made a full recovery. I hope Mrs Page did as well.
Posted by: Disgusted scientist, Ex-Oxford Mancunian on 5:39pm Mon 7 Jul 08
What an awful story. I only hope the money helps the family to cope with the consequences of this unnecessary tragedy.
What makes me angry about stories like this - and it is not the first - is that the public cannot even be protected from the "therapist" doing the same thing to someone else. If a doctor is guilty of gross negligence, they can be prevented from practicing medicine by being permanently struck off the medical register. In contrast, incompetent and dangerous "complementary" practitioners simply carry on regardless.
If the circumstances as reported are accurate, the "therapist" involved should, in my opinion, be the subject of criminal prosecution for grievous bodily harm.
What an awful story. I only hope the money helps the family to cope with the consequences of this unnecessary tragedy.
What makes me angry about stories like this - and it is not the first - is that the public cannot even be protected from the "therapist" doing the same thing to someone else. If a doctor is guilty of gross negligence, they can be prevented from practicing medicine by being permanently struck off the medical register. In contrast, incompetent and dangerous "complementary" practitioners simply carry on regardless.
If the circumstances as reported are accurate, the "therapist" involved should, in my opinion, be the subject of criminal prosecution for grievous bodily harm.
Posted by: DDR, Oxford on 4:04pm Wed 9 Jul 08
The circumstances as reported here aren't complete, so it's sad to see the usual jumping on the bandwagon. What a case like this does show however is the need for stricter licensing rules not only of practitioners, but also the schools that train them but take no further responsibility for their courses and recommendations. The general public also needs to wake up and take responsibility for their own lives and not leave it to others, relying instead on blame and litigation.
The circumstances as reported here aren't complete, so it's sad to see the usual jumping on the bandwagon. What a case like this does show however is the need for stricter licensing rules not only of practitioners, but also the schools that train them but take no further responsibility for their courses and recommendations. The general public also needs to wake up and take responsibility for their own lives and not leave it to others, relying instead on blame and litigation.
Posted by: Dyson, Manchester on 11:34am Mon 21 Jul 08
@DDR - The media report may not be complete, but the findings about where the blame lies in this case are crystal clear.
The overwhelming majority of these "practitioners" are not trained by any school that can be regulated - anyone can claim they are a nutritionist without any qualification whatsoever and set themselves up in a position where they can con the public, and anyone can pay £50 to obtain a "diploma in nutrition" over the internet. There is little hope of stopping this practice.
I find your comment that people need to take responsibility for their own lives rather distasteful in the above circumstances - Mrs Page took advice from someone she was led to believe had some expertise in this area. When she became ill as a direct result, what recourse do you think her family had to ensure that money is available to help in her long term care - buy lottery tickets? The awful part is that this Nash woman remains at liberty to continue to continue her "trade".
@DDR - The media report may not be complete, but the findings about where the blame lies in this case are crystal clear.
The overwhelming majority of these "practitioners" are not trained by any school that can be regulated - anyone can claim they are a nutritionist without any qualification whatsoever and set themselves up in a position where they can con the public, and anyone can pay £50 to obtain a "diploma in nutrition" over the internet. There is little hope of stopping this practice.
I find your comment that people need to take responsibility for their own lives rather distasteful in the above circumstances - Mrs Page took advice from someone she was led to believe had some expertise in this area. When she became ill as a direct result, what recourse do you think her family had to ensure that money is available to help in her long term care - buy lottery tickets? The awful part is that this Nash woman remains at liberty to continue to continue her "trade".
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