Wednesday, March 21, 2007

Hydration Station


So while I was at the University of Michigan, I found that you could volunteer for medical trials and get paid... I know, I know, I have heard the gruff about it that I shouldn't be the guinea pig, but hey they paid me so I thought I would try it. While at school I was a participant in a Flu Vaccination study, where I went 2 times a year for 3 years and had them give me a shot of a flu vaccine or a placebo in my nose and then they would take some blood to see what was going on in my system. Since I have been out in San Diego I have looked into some of the trials but never really did more than just browse. There is a special tab on the Craigslist site (it is like a local posting board) asking for volunteers - mostly to help with some function or another, but some of them are medical research. I found on the site a request for individuals to help with a hydration study. They said they would pay $100 per person and you would get a $40 bonus if you referred individuals for the study. Of course I emailed them and asked if I could do it on a Saturday (I wasn't going to take off a day or work to do it, but if I could get some extra cash on the weekends I thought I would try). They said that would be fine and they sent me some of the specifics:


*The study involves moderate exercise in a warm room with periods of rest for three hours during which the changes in the body due to dehydration will be monitored by use of electrodes (adhesive patches) affixed to the lower chest – upper abdomen.


*The study subjects need to be between 18 to 35 years of age.


*Study subjects can be either male or female, Caucasian or African-American.


*The study subjects will be asked to exercise for the three hours with the goal of losing up to 3% of body weight due to water loss (sweating).


*Study subjects need to be willing to swallow temperature monitoring pill in order allow continuous monitoring of their core body temperature for safety and have to blood drawn during the study.


*The study participants are free to voluntarily withdraw from the study at any time.


*Study participants will receive $100 for completing the study and that the study takes 1 day.


So anyway I contacted them and said SIGN ME UP and I also signed Ryan up, which means I would get an extra $40. This weekend is when we will be going in for our hydration study. It will be Saturday from 8-5 or so. I will fill you all in on how it goes, but I am actually excited about it - I know I'm a nerd.

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