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Jeremy Piven's Fishy Excuse
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When the Entourage star walked away from a starring role on Broadway because he’d been eating too much sushi, something didn’t smell right. But it turns out mercury poisoning is real—at least in L.A.
When, in late December, actor Jeremy Piven exited his Broadway role in David Mamet’s Speed the Plow citing ill health caused by a “very high level of mercury,” more than a few eyebrows were raised. Piven’s mercury poisoning, which his doctor claimed was caused by the actor’s voracious tuna-sushi and Chinese-herb habits, seemed to many like the sort of made-up diagnosis frequently offered by a malingering celebrity, a bizarre 21st century gloss on “exhaustion.” (A line of argument Piven had apparently tried first by claiming Epstein-Barr virus.)
“My understanding is that he is leaving show business to pursue a career as a thermometer,” David Mamet remarked sharply to Variety. On Sunday night, suspicions about Piven’s unusual diagnosis were again aroused, as, less than a month after his Broadway departure, he was well enough to walk the red carpet at the Golden Globe Awards. “You know what else makes people sleep all day? Snorting a lot of cocaine and then staying up all night sending booty-call text messages to bevies of models,” blog Gawker snarked, in response to an interview Piven gave, in which he outlined the contours of his fatigue.
Unless he had swallowed a thermometer, say, or consumed a massive hunk of ultra-toxic fish, Piven’s mercury overload would have been chronic rather than acute—built up over years of dining at Nobu.
Yet for those who have made even a cursory journey through the world of alternative medicine, heavy metal poisoning, or, as some doctors call it, “toxic metal overload,” is familiar. On both coasts, but particularly, it seems, in Los Angeles, there exists a handful of high-end doctors practicing “complementary medicine”—an amalgamation of Eastern alternative and conventional Western approaches—that view mercury as one of several toxic metals (lead, cadmium, and arsenic also receive some blame), that can give rise to myriad health problems ranging from fatigue to suppressed immunity to cognitive difficulties (the colloquially termed “brain fog”).
These are the kind of non-specific symptoms that don’t necessarily indicate a diagnosable disease but that can seriously compromise quality of life; they are the symptoms people turn to alternative medicine to solve. Many such doctors also believe that mercury plays a contributing role in chronic disease, perhaps because it ignites inflammation in the body. As a result, most test for mercury, usually with a urine test, as a matter of course. (Blood tests only measure recent mercury exposure.)
While the accuracy of various forms of testing is debated, and the role mercury may or may not play in disease remains inconclusive, it has long been known that too much mercury in the body can create physical disturbances. Mercury was for centuries employed as a treatment for syphilis, though doctors often advised that its administration be stopped if excessive salivation or tenderness of the gums, two of the many symptoms of toxicity, were observed. In the nineteenth century, mercurous nitrate was used to soften fur during the hat-making process; the term “mad as a hatter” was coined to describe the severe neurological symptoms many milliners experienced.
And indeed, Piven is not the first public person to suffer from mercury poisoning. A 2001 study published in Perspectives in Biology and Medicine noted that the “little blue pills” Lincoln took for depression contained the metal and were likely the source of his insomnia, tremors, and angry outbursts. (He is said to have quit taking them shortly after his inauguration in 1861 because they made him “cross.” Good thing, with the Civil War yet to come.) And in 1693, Sir Isaac Newton experienced a nervous breakdown of sorts, during which he struggled with insomnia and poor digestion, and wrote intemperate letters to friends; he is thought to have developed mercury poisoning from handling metals—it is said he tasted them—during his alchemical work.
Even the rather non-alternative Environmental Protection Agency lists the symptoms of mercury toxicity on its website, noting that physical effects vary with the source of the mercury. Elemental mercury, or “liquid mercury”—found, perhaps most notably, in thermometers, dental amalgam fillings, and fluorescent lights—can disrupt the central nervous system, causing tremors and slowed motor function. Methylmercury, which most of us are regularly exposed to through the consumption of fish, can cause impaired neurological development in fetuses, infants, and children.
This is why the Mayo Clinic advises that pregnant women, nursing mothers, and those trying to conceive should limit their intake of most seafood to no more than 12 ounces per week and completely avoid fish that have extremely high levels of mercury, such as swordfish and mackerel. In adults, symptoms of methylmercury poisoning include malaise; paresthesia (a sensation of “pins and needles” or pricking on the skin); difficulties with speech, vision, and hearing; and neuromuscular changes, such as lack of coordination and muscle weakness—all consistent with the ailments cited by Piven and his doctor, Carlton Colker, a diet-book author and director of the Peak Wellness Center in Greenwich, CT: dizzy spells, “trouble with his lines,” and “difficulty lifting his arms and legs off the bed.”
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malvolio
While they are treating mercury poisoning in Jeremy Piven, I suggest they also test for signs of chronic douchebaggery...I'm no medical professional, but all the symptoms are right there...
IJamesB
Piven is a spoiled rotten baby. Too much tuna or not. He was a rotten diva during his tenure in Neil LaBute's FAT PIG: showing up late, acting terribly to his cast mates, ridiculous demands, and so on. A friend told me he showed up 30 minutes late to curtain because he was getting a pedicure. I'm glad I had nothing to do with the production myself because I think I would have poisoned him myself back then.
The mere idea that he is telling the truth is so ridiculous-I'm not trying to knock mercury poison or this article, but Piven is a lying, selfish diva who has no business in the real business of acting in theatre. If he does have mecury poisoning, I'm sure it was cast mates and production staff emptying thermometers into his pre-show herbal tea.
mickeyitaliano
I wonder if it was the mercury that is making the once balding second banana into the un-chrome domed leading man of today?
sjh1188
Silver dental fillings do not contain elemental mercury. Once the material is mixed and placed into the tooth, It is bound in compound with the other metals involved (copper, tin) and therefore (as numerous ADA and independent studies have proven) is a safe and reliable material for dental restorations.
dacker
My first impulse was to google Piven's doctor, and I came up with an article on Gawker about Colker's suspicious past. Why is it that "complementary" doctors can come up with diagnoses with vague symptoms, based on questionable tests, while when we go to a conventional doctor we expect a specific diagnosis (cancer, strep throat, ulcer) which can be corroborated (or rejected) with real tests? And why do "complementary" diagnoses always rely on "complementary" treatments?
Here's the link to the gawker article:
http://gawker.com/5113688/meet-mercury poisoned-jeremy-pivens-fishy-celebrity-doctor?skyline=true&s=x
rclewit
David Martosko, Director of Research for the nonprofit Center for Consumer Freedom, is wrong about documented cases of mercury poisoning and Amanda not skeptical enough about assurances that tuna is safe to eat frequently. see http://online.wsj.com/article/SB112268169016100484.html?mod=todays_us_page_ one or search NYT archives. Gotta do better Amanda & Beast
scotsfan13
I agree with rclewit. Mercury poisoning via diet (especially from regularly eating certain types of seafood like tuna) is a very well-documented and not uncommon hazard. It's thought to possibly be a leading cause of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (or do you not believe that exists either?)
Many food safety organizations warn people not to eat more than two servings of certain types of fish (tuna, shark, basically fish high up on the food chain) a week. Most people don't realize that a "serving" is 4 to 6 ounces. Meaning one serving equals two or three pieces of sushi. Most who eat sushi will eat 6 or more pieces in one sitting. So if you eat sushi more than once a week, you are putting yourself at risk. Of course, a lot depends on your individual body, how well it flushes heavy metal out of the system, etc.
And I cannot believe anyone would cite an article on Gawker as proof of anything. Gawker is nothing more than a gossip website, they openly admit that they are just passing on "cocktail party" gossip (when they aren't just making things up). Had you spent your time googling the Center for Consumer Freedom, you would have discovered they they are a nothing more than a PR organization funded by the restaurant, alcohol and tobacco industries dressed up as a non-profit research organization. They are well-known purveyors of junk science.
This article, like many I've read on the Daily Beast, is uninformed and shallow beyond belief.
NancySchaak
I can honestly say that I can't believe the ingnorance and denial of this article! Maybe it's best to educate oneself before commenting to the public.
Coming from 14 years of experience having mercury build up in my body. This was from moderately eating fish, dental amalgams and breaking a glass thermometer.
I spent my first 6 years before I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia then another 6 years of doctors ( 7 hospitals including the Mayo clinic) that my symptoms were all in my head. I went from a healthy person to using a wheelchair and a walker with symptoms as severe as paralysis, rigidity, and seizures, not to mention a long list of other symptoms including feeling my body starting to shut down many times. All the while it was mercury poisoning and the mercury poisoning caused the Fibromyalgia.
I finally found a competent doctor who diagnosed it on my first visit to him. It took TWO YEARS of chelation to get rid of it.
Mine is not an iscolated case because I met several people that have it too. Many healthcare professionals are ingnorant and in denial about the magnitude of theis subject. It is also surppressed and swept under the rug by politics, the fish industry, medical and dental associations, business owners, corporations, etc.
I know first hand the devestating effects of having mercury poisoning. It affects many, young and old. When you experience it first hand or know of someone who has then you'll think differently. Better yet read my book when it comes out in the near future, you'll have a better understanding.
sidneyb
douchbaggery illness. bahahah.
but serously? i love piven. get better, man!
HoneyBaked
tl;dr
1300 words discussing... wait for it... an actor who probably faked being sick to get out of work.
Really?
Amanda, this is what you want as your first contribution to this website? Really? This is what you're going with?
leeannafar
this is total bs. i live in japan, and a lot of people eat sushi multiple times per week, as it is pretty cheap here. just go to any of the numerous kaiten sushi (train sushi) places and you can see people polishing off 10-20 plates of sushi. my best friend is pregnant, on the only thing she can eat and not throw up is sushi, so she eats a decent amount of it. and with how overly cautious the doctors are here, if there was a chance of her eating enough to harm herself or her baby, they would be all over that. as far as i know, japan does not have a higher number of mercury poisoning cases than any other country.
AbbyLongoria
I actually know someone who had mercury poisoning (from high amounts of tuna and salmon). That said, I think Piven is truly like Ari -- a total jerk.
Banjo1
leeannafar: Tell your pregnant friend to eat soda crackers for her nausea. Sushi for unborns is like mainlining poison. Horrible things can happen. Have her have a snip of her hair analyzed for mercury.
aperturemad
The only reason anyone knows who this at best average actor's name is because he and his hack parents had the good luck of having the Cusack's move in next door. In Chicago, Piven has always been thought of as John Cusack's less talented, obnoxious little buddy. That hasn't changed.
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