The 52-year-old was told to drink an extra four pints of water per day and reduce her salt intake in a bid to prevent fluid retention and lose weight.
She began vomiting uncontrollably within days of going on 'The Amazing Hydration Diet'.
But nutritionist Barbara Nash assured her it was all 'part of the detoxification process'.
Mrs Nash even urged her to increase the amount of water she drank to six pints per day and eat fewer salty foods.
But Mrs Page - who weighed just 12 stone - suffered a massive epileptic fit brought on by severe sodium deficiency less than a week after she started the diet in 2001.
She was rushed to intensive care, but doctors were unable to prevent permanent brain injuries.
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| Dawn Page was told to drink four extra pints of water a day and reduced her salt intake |
Mrs Page, from Oxfordshire, was left suffering with epilepsy and a 'cognitive deficit' which has affected her memory, concentration and the ability to speak normally.
The former conference organiser was forced to quit her job and suffers frequent mood swings. She has relied on her husband Geoff, 54, for help ever since.
Last week she secured a £810,000 payout from Nash's insurance company following a six-and-a-half-year legal battle.
Nash, who refers to herself as a 'nutritional therapist and life coach', denies any fault.
The High Court in London ratified the settlement, which was made without mention of liability, at a hearing on Friday.
Dawn's husband said the settlement reflected the seriousness of his wife's injuries - and warned others of the dangers of 'fad-type' diets.
Speaking from the home he shares with Mrs Page and youngest son David, 28, he said: 'She was not obese or even mildly obese but, like a lot of women, Dawn liked to look after her weight and was not having much success with the normal ways of doing that.
'She had tried Weight Watchers and calorie control diets - this was just another potential route for her to lose weight.
'But just days after she started the Hydration Diet she began to feel unwell and started vomiting, which the nutritionist said was all part of the detox process.
'Things went from bad to worse and within another couple of days she collapsed with the fit.
'Her life has been seriously affected, perhaps ruined, by this fad-type way of losing weight, which I can only say is a dangerous method of weight loss.'
Mrs Page, who had tried a number of diets since the birth of her two sons, contacted nutritionist Nash in late September 2001.
She paid £50 for the consultation, which advised her to drink an extra four pints of mineral water per day, in addition to the tea and other fluids she normally consumed.
Nash also suggested she should cut salt out of her diet, and begin eating gluten-free and wheat-free products.
But less than seven days later, Mrs Page began suffering with stomach cramps and sickness.
According to Mr Page, she contacted Nash about the side effects, but was assured that vomiting was part and parcel of the detox program.
Nash also said his wife should increase the amount of water she drank, and eat less foods containing sodium.
But on October 2 2001, Mrs Page collapsed in the family home with a Grand Mal epileptic fit - the most serious seizure known.
She was rushed to Princess Margaret Hospital in Swindon where doctors diagnosed a shortage of plasma sodium levels.
The salt-rich plasma acts as a cushion around the brain and, because it contained such low levels, allowed water to enter the brain itself, causing permanent damage.
Since the fit, Mrs Page has been left with epilepsy, and a range of other cognitive side effects which her husband says have 'changed her personality'.
Mr Page, a project manager for a packaging company, has had to cover all the household bills himself as his wife can no longer able to work.
Now she relies on written notes to remember basic instructions, and finds it hard to recall simple information.
Mr Page said: 'Everything's so difficult for her now. Her behaviour is different - she can't comprehend what's being said, and can't related to what's going on around her.
'She can't drive, can't work, and takes medication everyday. And she will do for the rest of her life.
'It has been like losing somebody, but not losing somebody. My wife was a very bubbly and outgoing person. She is nowhere near that now.'
Mr Page, who launched the legal action against Nash in 2001, says the fight has been worth it.
He added: 'It's important that people understand how dangerous diets like these are, and not to enter into them without knowing all the dangers.'
Nash, who is based in Wheatley, Oxfordshire, has a diploma of natural nutrition gained from the College of National Nutrition in London.
She denied she was in any way to blame and the settlement was reached without any admission of liability. She was unavailable for comment last night.
But Plexus Law, the firm which represented Nash in court, released a statement after the hearing, which read: 'On behalf of our client, we wish to make it clear that all allegations of substandard practice made on behalf of Mrs Page in the litigation, have always been and continue to remain firmly denied.
'In our view as a recognition of this, the settlement amount agreed to be paid was less than half of the total amount claimed and the compromise which was offered and accepted was on the basis of no admission of liability.
'As far as we are concerned, the case has now been concluded.'
I wonder what her renal function was like? People with compromised kidneys can get into trouble with a lot less water too.