Before any new medication or medical procedure can be approved for use, it must go through extensive testing for efficacy, safety, and reliability. Some of this is done in the laboratory, some upon animals, and finally, there will be human volunteers.
Why should you wish to volunteer? These "clinical trials" typically provide free exams, "cutting edge" care, and the chance to be the first to receive new medications pertinent to your condition, without cost. And, sometimes you'll be paid, as well. Plus, you'll have the satisfaction of knowing you personally contributed to the improvement of medical care for everyone.
How do you find out about clinical trials: Where they are, who they're looking for, and when; whether or not you'd be eligible? There are two websites: www.centerwatch.com, and www.clinicaltrials.gov. We've reviewed CenterWatch before.
ClinicalTrials.gov is a service of the National Institutes of Health. Although it is nominally for doctors, to help them find trials and studies for their patients, and only a doctor can sign you up, there's nothing that says you can't find a pertinent study, read about it, and take the information to your doctor.
ClinicalTrials.gov is that rarity, a government-sponsored site that's simple, straightforward, and easy to use. Choose the condition you want to search under, and go. When we looked, there were 80 diabetes studies seeking volunteers, broken down into categories such as diabetic: nephropathy, neuropathy, retinopathy, gestational diabetes, angiopathy (heart issues), and even three studies on diabetic feet.
When you click on a specific study, you get a description, a discussion of where it will take place, who they're looking for, how many participants they want, and what will be expected from those participants. Read carefully, and if you fit the profile, take the information to your doctor, who will contact the researchers. Don't contact the researchers yourself.
Good luck!