Jeremy Piven Stricken by Toxins from Sushi, Chinese Herbs

Maverick · Dec 19, 2008

Eating sushi twice a day

Jeremy Piven Stricken by Toxins from Sushi, Chinese Herbs

By Alexis Chiu
Originally posted Thursday December 18, 2008 04:25 PM EST
Jeremy Piven Photo by: Michael Buckner / Getty
Jeremy Piven suffered "shocking levels" of mercury in his system from eating too much sushi and Chinese herbs, forcing him to leave the Broadway play Speed-the-Plow, his doctor tells PEOPLE.

"I pulled Jeremy from the show," says Dr. Carlon Colker. "I'm an unpopular character right now."

Responding to skepticism over the decision to leave the play – playwright David Mamet joked that Piven was leaving show business to "pursue a career as a thermometer" – the doctor says the decision was purely medical, and one that Piven, 43, initially resisted.

"He's disappointed that I had to pull the plug," says Colker. "But I think he's hurt more by the comments that he's not trying or that he walked away. He's been working straight for 30 years. He doesn't walk away; I tore him away from it."

Colker, an internist and attending physician at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City and Greenwich Hospital in Connecticut, says Piven initially came to him after the show's run began in late October, complaining of severe fatigue.

"This was very, very unusual for him," says Colker, who is also CEO and medical director of Peak Wellness in Greenwich, Conn., with another facility in Beverly Hills. "He's known as the iron horse – he's been working nonstop for 30 years, and he works 17-hour days."

Mysterious Fatigue

After a battery of tests failed to reveal what was ailing the three-time Emmy winner, Colker checked his "heavy metals" and was "absolutely stunned" to find mercury at a level "almost six times the upper limit of normal and allowable," says the doctor. "It's the highest level I've ever seen."

Colker attributes the high mercury count to Piven's habit of eating sushi, often twice a day, compounded by certain Chinese herbs he was taking "for general health." Piven was ordered to put a moratorium on the fish and the herbs, and his doctor sent a letter on Dec. 10 revealing the health problem to the Speed-the-Plow production staff.

While Piven decided to continue with the show, his symptoms did not abate – and after a spell of dizziness led to a three-day hospitalization, Colker says he decided to put the curtain down on Piven's Broadway run. The actor will be replaced by Norbert Leo Butz and William H. Macy.

"It is very serious. Mercury can kill – it can absolutely cause cardiac arrest, kidney failure, even psychiatric problems," says Colker, who was first interviewed by Entertainment Tonight. "He is going to be OK. This is completely reversible," adds Colker, who believes Piven will be "rockin' and rollin' and ready to be his old self for Entourage" by March. He just needs to really lay low and rest."
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gordonng85 · Dec 19, 2008

nooo. Ari Gold is invincible lol.

MissCheekS · Dec 19, 2008

im pretty sure u wouldnt get toxicated by just having sushi/sashimi.... i mean... all those japanese ppl do it...n i think their pretty healthy in general (compared to western countries)
so it really musta been the herbs thingy la....

feiyingx · Dec 19, 2008

ari gold is too sexy

Maverick · Dec 19, 2008

MissCheekS said: ↑

im pretty sure u wouldnt get toxicated by just having sushi/sashimi.... i mean... all those japanese ppl do it...n i think their pretty healthy in general (compared to western countries)
so it really musta been the herbs thingy la....
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Since this guy is eating sushi and sashimi on a very high frequency, I was just thinking the opposite. Since fish/seafood can contain certain dosage of heavy metals.
For the record, Japanese do not eat soo many sushi in such a short timespan.

MissCheekS · Dec 20, 2008

The oldest female twins in the world were Kin Narita and Gin Kanie of Japan.

i heard this on tv once n looked it up

For indisputable proof of the benefits of a balanced diet consumed with chopsticks, one need look no further than Kin Narita and Gin Kanie, twin sisters who are still going strong at the age of 106. Many believe that Kin-san and Gin-san, as they are known, have made it to this amazing age thanks to their healthy diet--three meals a day, including stewed fish, sashimi (raw fish), cooked vegetables, beans, and rice porridge--which they still eat with chopsticks.
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http://web-japan.org/trends00/honbun/tj990708.html

Maverick · Dec 20, 2008

MissCheekS said: ↑

The oldest female twins in the world were Kin Narita and Gin Kanie of Japan.

i heard this on tv once n looked it up

http://web-japan.org/trends00/honbun/tj990708.html
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O, well. He must have taken the life elixers of the Chinese Emporer as medicine -bigsmile

Jeremy Piven Stricken by Toxins from Sushi, Chinese Herbs

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