Jeremy Piven Jeremy Piven Stricken by Toxins from Sushi, Chinese Herbs
People.com
By Alexis Chiu
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."
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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COMMENT:
This "Sick Sushi" Story Is From A Wacky Greenwich Doctor Who Is Part Of Priven's Entourage.
Just Wait Till The Party Boy Actor's Producers Discover The Truth About This Controversial Greenwich Doctor.
Soon Doctor Carlton Clocker Sushi Excuse Is Going To Start To Stink Up All Of Those Cable Entertainment Shows.
"Speed The Plow" Investors Will Become Skeptical When They Discover That Greenwich Doctor Carlton Clocker Was The Target Of Lawsuits, In My Hoe State Of Missouri. The Lawsuits Were Over Tests Preformed By The Good Doctor, That Were Intended To Downplay The Dietary Supplement Ephedra.
Ephedra has been used as an herbal remedy in traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of asthma and hay fever, as well as for the common cold.
A review of ephedra-related adverse reactions, published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2000, found a number of cases of sudden cardiac death or severe disability resulting from ephedra use, many of which occurred in young adults using ephedra in the labeled dosages
Steve Bechler, a pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles, died of complications from heatstroke following a spring training workout on February 17, 2003. The medical examiner found that ephedra toxicity played a "significant role" in Bechler's sudden death
Escalating concerns regarding the safety of ephedra supplements led the FDA to ban the sale of ephedra-containing supplements in the United States in 2004. This ban was challenged by supplement manufacturers and initially overturned, but ultimately upheld. However, the FDA ban only applies to ephedra-based dietary supplements that contain ephedrine alkaloids.
Clocker Was Also Taken To Court In West Virginia And Illinois.
If Someone Was Truly Suffering From A Massive Dose If Mercury Poisoning Wouldn't They Be In Greenwich Hospital Instead Of Colker's "Wellness Center" Taking Herbal Remedies.
Earlier There Were Reports That Priven Had Taken The Unusual Step Of Trying To Find A Replacement To Get Him Out Of His Contractual obligations To "Speed The Plow" Producers And Investors. When That Failed He Apparently Went And Found The "Wacky" Doctor Of Greenwich.
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