Self-experimentation is for everyone just as blogging is for everyone. You don’t need fancy equipment to be an interesting blogger and you don’t need fancy equipment to do interesting self-experimentation — at least I think my recent omega-3 results are interesting. Here are the easy-to-find materials I used:
1. To measure my balance, I used a bamboo cutting board ($15), a 0.5-inch pipe plug ($1), a booklet with about 20 pages (free), and a stopwatch ($10). Here they are:
This shows the size of the pipe plug:
I put the booklet on the floor and put the pipe plug in a cut-out hole in its center. The hole goes about halfway into the booklet (e.g., 10 pages out of 20).
Then I balance the cutting board on top of the pipe plug:
I stand on my right foot on the cutting board; the measure is how long I can balance on it before my left foot touches the floor.
2. To vary the amount of omega-3 in my brain, I used these oils:
Walnut oil and flaxseed oil are high in omega-3 fats; sesame oil is low.
If you are interested in doing similar experiments, feel free to contact me.