I've just come across this little gem, and as it made me laugh so much, I thought I'd share it with the forum:
Atkins diet left me in casualty with agonising cramps
Daily Mail, UK,
24 September, 2003
A woman ended up in acccident and emergency when her body seized up only 6 days into the Aktins diet.
Sally Vickers, 27, was crippled by severe cramps in her stomach and legs while taking a bath and became trapped for 2 hours. She was rescued when her boyfried Paul Roberts, a 24-year-old agricultural technician came home and heard her cries.
Miss Vickers, from Northumberland, was taken to Alnwick Infirmary, where she was diagnosed as being dehydrated, a known complication of the Atkins diet, and put on a drip.
Her experience will frighten other followers of the diet, which has faced a deluge of negative publicity.
On Monday, the Foods Standards Agency highlighted the increased risks of cancer and heart disease from diets, such as Atkins, which faviur fat over bread and cereals.
Last month, the Government-funded Medical Research Council said followers of the diet could suffer kidney damage and bone loss. Nutrionists have also claimed that the high-protein diet creates a resistance to insulin which could trigger diabetes.
Most shocking was the case of 16-year old Rachel Huskey in Missouri, who died of heart failure after trying to lose weight.
A coroner could find no explanation for the heart problem, but a team of experts who investigated her death said that it was probably due to the way the Atkins diet upset her metabolism.
The eating plan has been tried by more than three million Britons and its success has caused a boom in sales of cheese, red meat and eggs.
Miss Vickers, a size 14, who is 5ft 5in and weighs 11st (154lbs) started the diet six weeks ago after deciding that she needed to lose a stone in 2 weeks before a friend's wedding.
Six days into the diet she woke up in pain. "It was appalling," she said. "The book had said that I might suffer a few cramps but I was in real difficulties. I started getting cramps in my legs and really bad pins and needles. That spread to my stomach. I went to get into the bath because I thought the warm water might make me feel better but after I got in my legs just seized up and I couldn't move. The pain was agonising and every time I tried to get up it hurt more, so eventually I just gave up and waited in the hope that someone would come. It was frightening. I was stuck in the bath for about 2 hours before my boyfriend rescued me. He hadn't been due to come home from work until the evening but he decided to come back for lunch on a whim. When I got to the hospital I told the doctor I had drunk lots of water but she said that the diet is de-hydratig because of the chemical reaction it causes in the body. She advised me to come straight off the diet."
Miss Vickers, an accounting firm assistant manager, was allowed to go home later the same afternoon.
"I would never do the diet again, it's just not worth it," she added. "I lost just oer half a s tone, but other people need to know how dangerous it can be. It really isn't worth the risk."
Julia Smith, a dietician with the Newcastle Hospitals NHS Trust, said: "The Atkins diet book says that everyone must have at least 2 litres of water every day. It would surprise me if anyone managed to drink that much, but that is the absolute minimum."
To be honest, it's not a laughing matter any more - I just can't believe the amount of rubbish that is being spouted in an attempt to rubbish low carbing - and in particular, Atkins.
As as for the dietician's comments on the water ................