The Skinny on Mercury Toxicity -- What Hit Jeremy Piven, the Thousands of Americans Effected, and the Best Known Cures

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Well-known actor Jeremy Piven left his role in the 'Speed The Plow' revival on Broadway this week due to "mercury toxicity" acquired from excessive sushi consumption, says his doctor, Carlon Colker, MD. Piven apparently experienced extreme fatigue that led to neuro-muscular dysfunction and a three-day hospital stay.

In 2003, there were 3,362 cases of severe mercury toxicity in the U.S. reported by the American Association of Poison Control. Counting industrial exposure and mercury dental filling complications, most cases of toxicity can be traced to fish consumption. In 2004 the Food and Drug Administration together with the Environmental Protection Program issued a warning against eating fish with high mercury levels such as Swordfish and Shark, and advised against eating more than 12 ounces of any fish or shellfish each week.

The presence of excessive mercury can lead to complications in the kidneys, brain, and immune system, creating symptoms such as hair loss, mood disturbance, rashes, lack of coordination and numbness. Many governments and private groups worldwide have made efforts to avoid mercury exposure. In such an effort, the European Union has issued a ban on the export of mercury and some mercury compounds starting in 2011.

Although large amounts of mercury exposure can be fatal, the toxic effects have been shown to be reversible through natural or aided elimination. Chelation therapy is the most well known treatment for high levels of mercury, where proteins that bind with heavy metals are either injected or ingested to promote enhanced elimination.

Saunas have also been used successfully to detoxify the body, but research shows that saunas using infrared light instead of convection heat have the best prognosis. In a study performed by Seattle-based neurologist Dr. Dietrich Klinghardt, he found that the sweat of people using a conventional sauna was 95-97% water while the sweat of those using an infrared thermal system was 80-85% water, the non-water portion consisting of toxins including heavy metals.

Dr. Rachel West, a family practice physician who specializes in integrative medicine in Los Angeles uses a combination of chelation and infrared sauna therapy to treat her clients with mercury toxicity. "I have had success with both," she says, "but whereas chelation therapy can be very expensive, difficult to administer and cause negative side effects, the infrared sauna treatment is a non-toxic, no side-effect way of ridding the body of harmful pollutants, especially heavy metals."

Aaron Zack, CEO of leading infrared sauna company Sunlight Saunas explains, "If the average sushi lover like Jeremy Piven had taken heavy metal detox supplements such as Chlorella and Cilantro, or used an infrared sauna at the gym or at home on a regular basis, he could have avoided getting sick. Too bad I am going to miss his performance on Broadway when my wife and I visit New York this January!"

Contact: Samantha Rader

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