Groundbreaking radio show host Howard Stern has had a health scare, and we should all take it as a lesson. The media giant said he had been eating salmon for lunch every day for years.
His health took a sudden downturn and after a checkup it was found that his white blood cell count was dangerously low. Ordinarily, a low immune cell count would be indicative of an immune disorder, but his doctor decided to check Stern’s mercury levels.
That was when the shocking truth was discovered.
While mercury is not considered to be healthy at any concentration in the body, levels measuring between 0 and 9 parts per million are considered non-lethal. This is because of the exceedingly high levels of mercury that are found in common food sources, such as fish and other seafood.
Stern’s mercury level was measured at 33 parts per million.
Apparently, Stern’s ability to endure toxic levels of mercury are as remarkable as his talent as a comedic radio show host since anything between 10 and 20 parts per million is generally considered to be a death sentence!
After going through a painful recovery process that lasted some weeks, the radio show host commented, “Turns out f-ing fish are a-holes! These fish were getting back at me for eating so many of them.”
Oddly enough, even after surviving this health scare, Stern says he still eats seafood three to four times every week. Some people are just gluttons for punishment. He said he still wants to eat more fish than he does, but has replaced most of the fish in his diet with eggplant.
Stern jokes, “Eggplant better not have any mercury in it!”
Mercury has been the assassin’s poison of choice for centuries. While it has qualities that make it useful in technological applications and in certain medicines, (a fact that should inspire us to take a hard look at what’s going on in mainstream medicine), the substance remains one of- if not the most toxic common substance known to science.
Very low amounts of mercury poisoning have been known to cause neurological disorders, kidney damage, and respiratory failure. It severely weakens the organs and the immune system, and it has strong correlations to various cancers. New research connected to toxic vaccination schedules is also shedding light on a possible connection between mercury toxicity and autism.
Worst of all, because it is a heavy metal it is extremely difficult to remove from the human body and can remain a threat to a person’s health for years after discovery and recovery.
Mercury is a very common element in our world. Despite the fact that there are proven ways to avoid exposure, everyone should remain ever vigilant in avoiding it.
Of course, the most common way we come into contact with mercury is through eating fish, shellfish, and other seafood.
While Stern’s continuing to eat fish may seem like a hazardous occupation, there are ways to enjoy fish while minimizing the dangers.
The first thing to keep in mind is that the fish we eat are all a part of a food chain. When a small fish at the low end of the food chain absorbs mercury through the water, the larger fish that eats it absorbs even more mercury. This is a process known as bioaccumulation.
For this reason, sharks are considered to present a very high mercury risk to anyone who eats them. By simple reasoning, we can conclude that the larger predatory fish are not safe to eat. Swordfish, walleye, mackerel, tuna, and freshwater bass are all high mercury absorbers.
Mercury poisoning has killed thousands of people since it was first discovered in our aquatic food supply. But by limiting your intake of fish to one serving per week, and by eating smaller non-predatory fish you can limit your exposure.
Tilapia, cod, catfish, and salmon are generally low mercury fish which can be eaten safely more easily. As an added protection, you can add foods that possess chelating compounds. Great examples of such foods are chlorella, turmeric, garlic, pumpkin seeds, cilantro, and Brazil nuts.
A serving of fish should not exceed an amount any larger than the palm of your hand. This is a general rule for measuring a serving size of meat. By limiting your fish intake, eating low-mercury fish, and by combining the good chelating foods we mentioned, you can skirt the shoals of mercury poisoning.
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