Have you ever heard of a medically unknown symptom (MUS)? If you go to a general medical practitioner for primary care instead of a chiropractor, you will no doubt be familiar with this scenario:
You have been living with aches and pains that come and go and the odd, persistent, unexplained symptom. You chalk it up to age or the weather. You mention these things to your primary care physician, and sometimes they concur that it’s your age, or even say it’s all in your head! They might run tests. Often, there is nothing they can do.
Sound familiar? If you or a loved one have experienced this situation, then you have been “diagnosed” with medically unknown symptoms or MUS. Once you fall into this category you, and your doctor, believe that nothing can be done for you. You aren’t alone in this experience, but remember, just because a doctor said it doesn’t make it a fact.
Patients with medically unexplained symptoms (MUS), also called somatization, represent one of the most common conditions in medicine.
The prevalence of all MUS in the outpatient setting is reported from 25% to 75%, and pain is the most common type, i.e., on average, approximately one-half or more of all outpatients have little or no physical disease explanation for their symptoms.
That is a serious statement that represents a great many Americans unnecessarily dealing with discomfort, pain, and fear every day of their lives.
Common symptoms of MUS include:
· Headaches
· Fatigue
· Memory Loss
· Unexpected Weight Changes
· Sleep Problems
· Joint & Back Pain
· Skin Rash
· Digestive Problems
The term MUS can also be used to refer to syndromes whose cause is contested in the medical community such as chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia.
At 100 Year Lifestyle, we know that just because these symptoms are unexplainable “medically,” doesn’t mean they are unexplainable! The explanation might lie in the medications (prescription and over the counter) being taken, unhealthy food and beverages consumed, trauma from childhood, stress, poor sleep—any number of unhealthy lifestyle choices can result in medically unexplained symptoms.