These days, many people are suffering from different kinds of diseases. Some are still waiting for the experts to find a cure for their sickness. Others have treatable diseases but lack the funds needs to afford the treatment. Some are lacking faith that they will ever get better. Others have a chance to be better need greater mental support.
Even in your own little ways, you can help in improving other people’s health. You may not be a healthcare provider who can offer free healthcare services to the needy, nor do you have millions to donate to health charities. But you have the option to consider other forms of help and support, like the following.
Take Part in Clinical Trials
Lots of doctors and researchers are looking for people willing to be part of clinical trials. The good news is, you can even earn money for participating in paid medical research studies. Some clinical studies require healthy volunteers, while other need people who have certain medical conditions.
Different clinical trials have different goals. Some aim to evaluate behavioral, preventive care, medical, or even surgical interventions. Some make use of people to check if new drugs are effective in treating certain diseases. Others need to know if a new diet or even newly invented medical devices are safe and work as intended.
People who wish to volunteer in clinical studies will need to undergo screening to check if they qualify for the study. If you qualify, you are to sign a consent form, and the experts will keep an eye on your health during and after the research. Know that it pays to learn about the benefits and risks before signing up for any clinical trial in the future.
Donate Blood
Every day, many people require blood to continue to live. Some people get into accidents, resulting in massive blood loss. Others need their blood replaced due to certain health conditions.
Donating blood allows you to help other people whose life is at stake. Unknown to many is that a single blood donation can save up to three lives. Imagine just how many lives you can help if you make blood donation a habit.
Donating blood can benefit you in many ways, like the following:
Lower the risk of developing cancer
Enjoy free mini-physical exams
Get your blood tested for numerous diseases
Reduce your blood pressure
Reduce harmful iron stores
Preserves cardiovascular health
When you donate blood, you can also reduce your stress and feel a sense of pride. This is since you know that every time you donate blood, you get to help many people who badly need your blood. This helps you enjoy a sense of fulfillment which leads to better mental health.
Sell Your Plasma
Donating blood and plasma has the same process. But then, there is a reason why you can sell plasma but not your blood. For one, hospitals won’t use blood from paid donors simply because they consider this practice as not ethical or moral.
Selling blood can also jeopardize the safety of those who are to receive the blood. For one, not all people who sell their blood are honest about their health. No hospital would risk their patient’s health with paid blood.
On the other hand, plasma can be sold since it undergoes many processes before they use plasma. Experts use plasma for both research and in manufacturing pharmaceutical products. They use plasma to treat shock, burn, or trauma patients, those with liver disease, and some people with severe clotting factor deficiencies.
Be a Volunteer of Health Charities and Nonprofits
If you want a more hands-on approach to helping sick people but don’t have the funds to be a donor, you can also consider joining your preferred health charities or nonprofit organizations. Many charities and organizations aim to provide more than just financial help to people who are sick. A quick search on the internet, and you can already find hundreds of local charities looking for more volunteers to help them with their projects.
For one, you can help in spreading the word about your charity’s projects and find more people who can donate to the sick. You can use your skills and talent in helping the organization of your choice creates better results. By volunteering, you can touch other people’s lives and even use the experience to learn new skills, grow your network, and advance in your career.
These are but four ways you can help other people in improving their health and wellness. This goes to show that everyone’s situation is unique. There are lots of different ways you can help other than monetary donations. Like what others always say, if you really want to help, you can always find a way to extend an extra hand.
