I’m a self-diagnosed hypochondriac. I think I’ve mentioned that before. Google is my friend and my foe.

After Googling for nearly a year, and reading up on Candida (there’s a million links for this, that’s just one of them — here’s another), I pinpointed that as possibly one of my “issues.” I’ve been taking acidophilus for over a year, trying to restore some balance to my system, but thought maybe I needed to take a bit of a stronger approach.

Took myself to Whole Foods, stared at the different oils. I initially went there for some oregano oil, but then realized they had a slew of different products specifically related to yeast cleansing, wouldn’tcha know? I talked with the nice lady there who was very knowledgeable and patient. We narrowed my purchase down to two different yeast cleansers. I went with this one: Solaray Yeast-Cleanse .

In retrospect I don’t know how on earth I ended up buying this stuff, considering I went in there for oregano oil, NOT a yeast-cleanse and I have a hard time taking nearly any medication without reading up on it to exhaustion. Hmm.

Anyway, I opened the bottle and took 3 pills in the car. Again, not sure how (why??) I did that without even coming home and Googling “Solaray Yeast-Cleanse” first.

That night I couldn’t sleep. I was so cold. Would doze off… or did I? Couldn’t tell. Woke up feeling like total crap. Dizzy, headache, chills. I knew about the “die-off” effect with candida treatments and chalked that up to a possibility and tried to soldier through it. Went to work. Felt like a space-cadet and definitely felt like I was coming down with the flu. Started to wonder what kind of moron would take pills that would cause their body to have the flu.

Left work, came home and flopped on the couch. Slept off and on until evening with chills, nausea and a broken ego. Called Whole Foods and chatted with the kind and patient lady again. She said it is hard to discern. Being flu season I could just simply (and coincidentally) have the flu. But I could also have “die-off.” She said she felt like she was on the brink of the flu as well and after work would be going home to take care of herself. It was decided I would stop the yeast cleanse for a few days and see how I felt.

My mom, a phlebotomist (and the woman who gets to hear about my medical rantings) but not much of an “herb/holistic” person, and generally a pretty calm and quiet lady, told me I was basically a moron for taking “unregulated” herbs like that. No, she didn’t think I’d die from it (one of my many questions), but I should stop taking it. “Nobody regulates that stuff, you know? That’s why people in the medical profession warn against it. Is there anything on the Mayo Clinic’s site, or a reputable site about yeast and cleansing?”

Sigh. No. But tons of people blog about it. Forums… personal testimonials..? Nope. Not good enough for my mom.

I went to bed with the chills again and a temp of nearly 102. Today my temperature is down and I’m sweating. And I took off work. I haven’t taken any yeast-cleanse pills since that first day. And I still don’t know if I have the flu or “die-off.”