07-10-2011, 02:11 AM
It doesn't have to be scary. In the absence of infection (which is most of the time), kidney stones are just a pain, literally! You just have to be smart, and NOT ignore important signs and symptoms, just hoping they will go away. I have not read any reports on this as a side effect of PM, but on the other hand, all the research I have read was using much lower dosages, except for toxicity and LD50 testing.
If I was going to guess, and based on previous reports of leg cramps in other PM users, I would say PM has some effect on calcium and/or potassium metabolism such that increased serum calcium levels result. These increased calcium levels are usually easily handled by the kidneys if the person maintains adequate hydration. Perhaps Byrony is more susceptible than normal to stone formation if there is more than his usual levels of calcium in the blood. Perhaps he was slightly (even sub-clinically) dehydrated. Just a guess though. As someone else pointed out, the key is to drink adequate quantities of water. In my experience, most people are on the dehydrated side and don't normally drink enough. For myself, I have switched over to drinking mugs of spearmint tea during the day in place of the coffee I used to drink. Keeps me very well hydrated.
If I was going to guess, and based on previous reports of leg cramps in other PM users, I would say PM has some effect on calcium and/or potassium metabolism such that increased serum calcium levels result. These increased calcium levels are usually easily handled by the kidneys if the person maintains adequate hydration. Perhaps Byrony is more susceptible than normal to stone formation if there is more than his usual levels of calcium in the blood. Perhaps he was slightly (even sub-clinically) dehydrated. Just a guess though. As someone else pointed out, the key is to drink adequate quantities of water. In my experience, most people are on the dehydrated side and don't normally drink enough. For myself, I have switched over to drinking mugs of spearmint tea during the day in place of the coffee I used to drink. Keeps me very well hydrated.