The possibilities for a dangerous juice diet have never crossed your mind, have they? Irena Stoynova thought it would be good for her health, but in reality, it nearly killed her. This article will cover Irena Stoynova’s experience with the juice diet and the major health problems she encountered. It is a cautionary tale about extreme diets as we seek to find out what happened to Irena.
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Irena Stoynova was an ex-model from Crondall, Hampshire. In June 2021, she was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma which is a type of cancer.
Chemotherapy was advised by the doctors but Irena remained terrified and turned to the internet for alternative methods.
She got hold of a social media influencer who used to promote the juice diet and other holistic therapies as natural body healing processes. She believed that this approach would help her cure her cancer.
She stuck to a strict liquid diet for two and a half years whereby she spent up to three hours per day just preparing liquid meals. She also tried raw food diets, intermittent fasting, and special teas amongst others.
However, this kind of extreme diet made her so weak, losing 20 kilograms, suffering fluid in her lungs, no sleep and hallucinations. In May 2023, an ambulance took Irena to Frimley Park Hospital.
It was informally communicated to her by medical personnel that she was at a point of no return and needed immediate care. She ultimately accepted chemotherapy after ten days in hospice.
She now informs many people today about not relying on alternative treatments.
Her story emphasises the importance of seeking medical advice rather than jumping into fad diets.
Irena Stoynova came across an American social media influencer who has millions of followers.
This individual propagated holistic cures and believes that the human body can fix itself through drastic changes in lifestyle and diet.
Moreover, he often interviews doctors and lecturers on his podcast who are pro these alternative ways and criticises therapies such as chemotherapy.
Irena was scared when she was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma in June 2021 and she started searching the internet for some other kind of treatments.
The influencer seemed believable because there were numerous testimonials from people who had claimed to heal themselves using similar means.
Also, his message that “chemotherapy patients are lazy” sat right with her considering it is an easy way out from putting hard work into natural treatment.
Irena spent a lot of money on juice dieting. She bought juicers worth £2000 among other equipment besides spending three hours every day preparing liquid meals for herself to get rid of her cancer.
Also, within two and a half years, Irena tried raw food diets as well as intermittent fasting; boiling herbs besides special teas also formed part of her attempts.
Unfortunately, this extremely restricted diet made Irena too thin and very weak. She lost 20 kilos of weight, had liquid in her lungs and started to have hallucinations due to sleep deprivation.
In May 2023, she was taken to Frimley Park Hospital by ambulance, where doctors told her that she stood at the threshold of death and required urgent treatment.
Ten days after being hospitalised, she finally decided to undergo chemotherapy.
Extreme dieting can be highly perilous and grievously affect health. Here are some main risks:
Extreme diets often eliminate entire food groups meaning that vitamins, proteins and minerals are in short supply. This can lead to low immunity, bone loss as well as muscle deterioration.
Rapid weight loss can cause a multitude of issues including muscle loss, dehydration and electrolyte imbalance. It may also inhibit your metabolism making you struggle with maintaining weight loss over time.
Eating disorders, anxiety and depression are among the psychological issues associated with extreme diets. Strict dieting stress along with fear of breaking it affects mental well-being.
Drastic calorie reduction or malnutrition inflicts damage to crucial body organs such as the heart, liver or kidneys. These latter conditions may eventually result in organ collapse altogether.
If your body does not receive enough calories plus nutrients, then it becomes weak because it lacks energy for normal functioning leading to chronic fatigue, weak muscles and inability to concentrate properly.
Long-term consequences of extreme dieting comprise heart diseases, diabetes mellitus type II plus osteoporosis which all arise due to abnormal physiological processes caused by such eating habits.
Irena Stoynova’s ordeal is an indication that dangerous outcomes are tied up with extreme diets. Her experience teaches us the need for caution in our health choices and reliance on medical experts. Thus, in case of severe health problems professional help should always be sought.
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