Do you want to be a guinea pig?

By Elizabeth Cohen
CNN Medical Correspondent
http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/06/26...ref=rss_health

ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- They want to pay me for the use of my body. No, I'm not vain, nor is anyone trying to push me into prostitution. They want me (and you) to be subjects in medical studies.

A poster in my internist's waiting room asks whether I'd be interested in participating in a cholesterol study. In my gynecologist's waiting room, another poster tries to recruit ladies for studies on prenatal vitamins and on vulvar vestibulitis (you don't want to know). On my way home from work, I hear radio ads that go something like this: "Depressed? Come join our study of a new medication."

"The industry has been advertising like crazy," says Diane Simmons, president of the Center for Information and Study on Clinical Research Participation. "It's been a real problem getting people to volunteer for clinical trials, so there's advertising on billboards, on radio, TV and print."

You don't have to be sick to join a study. Often, researchers are looking for healthy people.

There are advantages to joining. You can make money, sometimes hundreds of dollars or more. To a certain extent, you're getting free medical care. If you're sick, you get the chance to try a treatment so new, you can't get it from your doctor. You're also helping your fellow human beings by being a part of medical research.

But before you sign up, here are a few key questions to ask.

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