Thoughts from a Lab Rat

Well, you all have probably heard about this flu that is going around and the fatal effects it can have. As a precaution, if you have travelled to Mexico within the last 2 weeks or you have been experiencing the flu or flu-like symptoms, then it is highly recommended that you do not attempt to screen or check-in to a study. The consequences of exposing a large number of study volunteers and clinic staff to this potentially fatal virus can be devastating and irresponsible. While earning some extra cash by participating in a research study is great, killing a bunch of people is not. Okay, that sounded really bad but it is true. I have that worst case scenario mentality. Hopefully this threat will subside in the near future and it will be a distant memory but for now, take extra precautions to protect yourself. Simple things like washing your hands and avoiding crowded and cramped conditions.

Major updates coming the middle of May. I am getting ready to do my bi-annual update and verification of my site. While I do update clinic pages as new or changed information comes in, I check all of the travel information twice a year. I am working on some other ideas but am not sure when I will implement them. I am seeing how twitter works and have been told this could be a simple yet effective tool.

One of the most common problems people get disqualified for seems to be ‘out of range’ blood pressure. More than likely, it’s just nervousness and or anxiety. For many people, getting into a study means the difference between paying your rent and living on the streets. It shouldn’t be that way. But it’s stress like that than can cause your blood pressure to go up. Most of the time it is a psychological problem. If you stare at the machine or the clock or the technician and your waiting for the test to start, then your body is going to tense up. Try just staring at a fixed object. Let your body relax. Don’t anticipate the test starting. Think about something you like to do or something relaxing. Sounds retarded but it works for me most of the time. When I screen and check-in to a study, my blood pressure us usually in the upper limits but once I’m in the study, my blood pressure returns to normal. Again, it’s mostly psycological. Just don’t think about it. Some other minor factors include wearing tight clothes, tight shoes, the cuff is too tight or too small and talking. You should not talk or laugh during the test. Lastly, try to breathe as normally as possible. Don’t try to regulate your breathing because your just using more energy which can drive up your bp.

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In the end, it’s all about the money.

That of course is NOT how I see things and why I have provided this site as a resource for free since its inception in 2004.

I believe that the internet should be a place for everyone to freely exchange ideas and information. Quite frankly, if you don’t want the world to know something, don’t put it on the front page of your website. With that said, it is important to point out that each clinic profile page on my site has been put together using freely available public information and that the embedded web pages primarily showing current studies for a clinic are merely linking to the clinic page which again, is freely available to the public. With the exception of a handful of clinics, I do not receive study information from the clinics.

My site was designed to streamline the process of locating studies and to provide potential volunteers with insight and reminders of what clinical research is all about. This site promotes ethical and responsible behavior by research volunteers as well as serving as a benchmarking tool for clinics to help improve the experience they provide to volunteers. This site will always be free and due to being hosted as an organization website (.org) will always be advertisement free with the exception of raising monetary support via t-shirt sales to help offset webhosting costs.