Being a Veteran Can Be Hazardous to Your Health

Source: Huffington Post
Published: Tuesday 28 February, 2012

Veterans know that being in the military can be hazardous to their health. The risk of facing the enemy and putting their life on the line is something soldiers face regularly. It's the nature of "going to war." Yet, there are numerous other unknown risks that are not apparent until later in life. Many veterans have symptoms which do not fit into a well-defined taxonomy of a specific disorder. Such ill-defined symptoms include headaches, memory loss, concentration difficulties, chronic fatigue, unexpected weight changes, sleep problems, joint and back pain, skin rash, diarrhea, respiration problems, dizziness, blackouts, and digestive problems.

These symptoms have been commonly represented among veterans as far back as the Civil War. In fact, after every war a number of veterans experience what is known as medically unexplained physical symptoms (MUPS). These days the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA), follows The International Classification of Diseases (ICD-9) manual placing them in the category of Symptoms, Signs and Ill-defined Conditions (SSID). From a treatment perspective the symptoms are the body's manifestations of the veteran's experiences. The body is in a sense speaking for them.

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