So I’ve been thinking.

A lot.

About a lot of things, but mostly – lately, anyway – about my relationship to my health.

All this brain-drain was prompted in large part by the growing realization that I was no longer happy or contented with the status quo.

But I wasn’t ready to do anything about it – not until quite recently.

I said in that “Something’s Gotta Give” post that I could only really see three options ahead of me, aside from the status quo, which I was no longer willing to accept: to write about coping instead of thriving (which left me feeling cold), to give the site to someone else (which left me feeling rather more like a failure than I was prepared to feel), or to change my life.

Sometimes, the questions answer themselves.

So, I decided to go with option #3.

And here’s what that’s gonna look like.

Project Guinea Pig is a GO

I’m going to experiment on myself.

I’m going to try, sequentially, different treatment protocols of a conservative measure. (‘Cause I’m not gonna go around taking various prescription or illegal drugs. I’m not stupid.)

As for what kinds of conservative measures: I’m not taking anything off the table – unless it violates my common sense rule. That is, I don’t do anything that will impact my body, my mind, my kid, or my wallet if it is ridiculous on its face.

So, in this case, there will be no pseudo-science. No “cure” claims.

But short of that, I’m up for just about anything.

And the best part: after I’ve tried each measure for 30 days, I’ll write about my experience here on Euston Arch in a wrap-up post.

So everybody wins. Even if whatever it is I’m trying that month doesn’t do fuck-all for my pain levels, you’ll find that out, too. And maybe that will help you figure out what you should try – or avoid.

The Project Guinea Pig Rules

Now, I don’t have a crap-ton of funds available for this endeavor, mind you. So, this experiment may be somewhat limited by practical considerations.

But even so, I think there’s a lot out there that either (A) I haven’t tried before or (B) tried years ago when I wasn’t on medication and discarded because I didn’t see any significant improvement.

I’ve given this a lot of thought. I’m not looking for miracles here. I’m looking for stuff that works, though. So, I’ve settled on the following guidelines for this endeavor:

1. I must try each supplement, approach, treatment, etc. for at least 30 days. The only exception: if I turn out to be allergic to it. Obviously, I’m not gonna risk anaphylactic shock.
2. I will only try one new supplement, approach, etc., at a time. That way, we’ll be able to tell more accurately what’s behind any change in my pain levels or general health.
3. I do reserve the right to continue taking or following any supplement, approach, etc. that proved beneficial. So, for example, I might try supplement A in month 1. In month 2, assuming “A” works well, I might add supplement “B” while continuing to take “A.”
4. I’ll do at least one write-up for each thing tried – I may or may not add to that, if events warrant.
5. All posts will be gathered under the category of “The Guinea Pig Reports.”
6. I will give detailed descriptions of whatever’s at bat that month – how I take it, where I got it from, etc.
7. I will link to whatever source I used to acquire the thing (or learn the moves, in the case of physical therapies). But I will never use affiliate links for these posts. Click with assurance.

Wanna Be a Guinea Pig Too?

I am not advocating trying out new treatment protocols/measures willy-nilly here, mind you.

But if you’re already planning to try something out for yourself, and you’re willing to commit to it for at least a month, why not write up your experience for other Dolls? Drop me a line here and let’s chat about it.

Photo credit: Of Corgis & Cocktails via photopin cc