Extreme dieting may leave one Israeli woman with permanent brain damage.
Extreme dieting may leave one Israeli woman with permanent brain damage.
The Daily Mail reports that an unnamed woman in her 40s was rushed to the Sheba Medical Center in Tel Aviv after collapsing.
The woman may have permanent brain damage after an extreme juice cleanse where she only consumed juice and water for three weeks. When she was admitted, she was less than 90lbs.
The woman was using a system that was prescribed to her by an "alternative therapist." According to Israeli news outlet Ha Hadashot 12, "In Israel, no qualifications are required for someone to call themselves a therapist and start giving out health advice."
She has been under surveillance for three days and doctors are worried that the damage might be permanent.
While her exact condition has not been made public, the most likely case is hyponatraemia, which is water intoxication. This causes extremely low levels of sodium in the blood when dehydrated people drink too much water without replacing lost electrolytes.
With the impossible standards placed on people to be thin, these extreme diets are becoming more commonplace. Hopefully, fewer people will be able to find less intense ways to embrace a healthy lifestyle.