Thursday, July 21, 2011

Clinical Trials - Importance and Value of Medical Research

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Clinical trials are regulated tests on people for specific diseases and conditions. The goals of clinical research can vary, from finding a better way to treat your condition to a new way to detect a disease. Regardless of the purpose, clinical research greatly enhances medical knowledge.
Clinical trials test new treatments, therapies or drugs. Not all trials involve medication -- they alter your eating or sleeping habits. Each trial could be specific to age, gender, demographic, medical history and so on. Requirements are in place to ensure the safest and most reliable results.
Whether you're battling cancer or depression, there is a wide variety of clinical trials out there. Once you find a trial, criteria screening doesn't take that long and you could be on your way to improved health.
Benefits of Clinical Trials
You will find many benefits when you participate in clinical research. Trials offer the opportunity to be treated by top healthcare professionals and researchers, and they also play a crucial role in advancing treatment and therapy. Without volunteers, we risk not learning something important about a disease.
Patients who volunteer for clinical trials get to use the newest, most advanced treatments and technologies. This medical attention is free to the patient and treatments and prescriptions could also be free. Clinical trials have the potential to help treat your condition and just by participating in a trial you will be helping people who have the same disease in the future.
Also, some patients may be out of treatment options. Participating in a trial could be the only way to get new treatment when others fail, giving those who are ill another chance at survival.
Why We Need Clinical Research
Medical research can lead to scientific breakthroughs that can drastically change people's lives and the face of medicine. By testing directly on people who are affected by a disease or condition, healthcare professionals and scientists can better understand the effects of new treatments. Clinical trials work to show the benefits, risks, results and side effects associated with new treatments.
Without clinical research, we don't know how treatment will affect patients. People could be given medication that is harmful or patients could be missing out on treatment that could significantly improve their condition.
A lot of cancer research has been conducted through clinical trials as doctors try to find new cures and preventative treatments. One result of these trials are alternative medicines which give new opportunities to fight serious conditions.
Trials also show how combination therapies and treatment frequency can affect patients. Researchers have discovered that there is more to treatment than medication. They also understand that the amount of medication taken by a patient can vary depending on other factors, such as age, weight and health history. Discoveries like these would not have happened if it weren't for clinical research.
Clinical Research is Highly Regulated
Treatments are at the final stage of testing and have to be approved to be used in a clinical trial. Like other therapies or treatments, they can have side effects. However, most patients feel the benefits of the treatment outweigh most side effects.
Medical professionals spend a long time ensuring their tests will be credible. They aren't going to knowingly use patients without them understanding the risks involved. It is their job to ensure the most ethical and credible trial.
Dale Woods writes about clinical trials and medical research for Clinicalstudyconnect.com. Areas of interest include Depression, Diabetes and related conditions.
Clinicalstudyconnect.com is a free service that connects people interested in participating in clinical trials with researchers recruiting patients.
Register at Clinicalstudyconnect.com and receive an email alert as soon as new clinical trials are announced.
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