Americans across the country are finding ways to adapt to the economic times, increasingly making money by putting their bodies at risk.

Maria Finkbeiner was hit hard by the economic crisis. After being laid off as an auto parts worker, she has spent the past year trying to get a new job, while eventually losing her home to foreclosure.

That's when Finkbeiner, a perfectly healthy mother of two from Edwardsburg, Mich., spotted an ad seeking volunteers who were willing to take experimental prescription drugs for pay, despite unknown long-term risks and short-term side effects that can include nausea, vomiting and abdominal cramping.

"When I first read about it, I thought people must be crazy to do that," Finkbeiner said.

But Finkbeiner inquired, met the criteria for a clinical medical trial and signed up.

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