by Marcus Cimino
Wow, well the “daily” part of daily dose post is difficult to satisfy. Now I know why Jon Stewart’s hair is so grey.
I also heard from some friends that my last post needed less technical terms and more pictures. I agree. Additionally that’s a hard way to get readers when one starts out with that topic(like a bat out of hell).
So here’s something a little more simple(I think):
Mercury poisoning!
So What is it? When one consumes or is exposed to too much mercury.
What are the symptoms? It varies case by case as the mode of exposure(inhalation, skin contact consumption etc.) can determine which symptoms are more prominent. They are dysthesias(abnormal senses), headaches, emotional changes, insomnia, muscle atrophy/fasciculations(twitching), and tremors.
In fact, the Mad Hatter from Lewis Caroll’s Alice in Wonderland is a reference to the high prevalence of mercury poisoning as it was used to make hats during the 1800’s and hat makers would be afflicted (maybe you have heard the term “mad as a hatter”?)
Yet despite all of the advances we have made in hat making technology, it can still occur. in December 2008, Jeremy Piven was hospitalized for mercury poisoning which was attributed to his consumption of sushi twice a day. It could explain why Ari Gold, the character Jeremy Piven plays on the sow “Entourage”, had so many emotional outbursts and headaches.
Ok so how is it treated? Well besides cutting back on the sushi (tuna, swordfish, shark and mackerel), patients can also go under “chelation therapy”, which basically means the drug takes up the mercury and the new molecule formed as a result can be excreted from the body safely.
For more detailed info, I recommend checking out this.
Daily Dose Post 