"Have You Ever Served in the Military" - Did Your Doctor Ask?

From Military.com:

"The American Medical Association has urged health care providers to ask patients if they have served in the military and to include that experience in their records.

"Military history will usually not be volunteered by patients if not specifically asked for," said former APA president Dr. Prudence Gourguechon. "However, serving in the military poses several additional challenges and stressors that can impact the overall health and mental well-being of military personnel and their families. This makes asking key questions about military experience vital to better serving their health needs."

"The VA treats over six million veterans ... but the majority of our veteran population does not go to the VA," said Joy Ilem, assistant national legislative director for Disabled American Veterans. "They end up going to the private sector, maybe they have their own insurance." But private sector doctors may not ask about military service and dig into what they veteran was exposed to, Ilem said.

So they may never know about injuries from Korean War service, chemical exposures from chemical warfare experiments, exposure to dioxins like Agent Orange in Vietnam, or to burn pit exposure during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan."

Read the whole article here.
But more importantly, tell your doctor about your military experience! You may have been exposed to chemicals or other things affecting your health today. Speaking up now might help you find solutions to your health problems.