With celebrities like Kim Kardashian and Paris Hilton singing the praise of full-body MRI scans, a growing number of people is coughing money ready for preventive measure-but is it worth the peace of mind with great prices?
Dr. Mikhail Warsawski, most known as “Dr. Mike”, is a podkaster and primary care physician in New Jersey. He recently spoke about full -body scanning with Andrew Lacy, CEO of Prenuvo, one of the biggest full -body scanning providers.
“I have to say, I am surely intrigued by technology, and I am in love with the concept of catching diseases earlier so we can have more success with treatment,” Dr. said Mike during podcast.
“However, I have not yet sold that this is what Prenuvo’s scan has proven to deliver. On the day and age where we find ourselves, people want more of health care than we can deliver.”
How do full -body scans work?
Full-body scans use different technologies, including the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), calculated tomography (CT) or the positron emission tomography (PET), according to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
The goal is to detect early signs of diseases such as cancer, heart disease and other abnormalities.
Dr. Daniel Durand, the leading medicine official in Prenuvo, who is based in Maryland, compared the scan to a “virtual physical” in which a radiologist examines the inner part of the body in a way that a traditional annual physical could not.
Prenuvo’s scan uses MRI technology to collect a “large amount of health data,” he told Fox News Digital.
“Two licensed providers analyze this data, explain its importance directly to you and provide you with guidance on the next steps needed to optimize your health,” he said.
Insurance usually does not cover the whole body scans.
“Coverage usually differs extensively from the insurance plan, jurisdiction and specific clinical guidelines for each genetic condition,” said Dr. Mike for Fox News Digital.
“My general meaning is that for review purposes, the test is usually not covered, given the lack of clinical benefit documented against damage.”
However, some coverage can be offered for those with high -risk genetic syndromes or other specific medical conditions, noted the doctor.
“Our hope is that over time, the insurers will see the many benefits of our proactive approach to health care and expand the coverage,” Durand i Prenuvo said.
“We are actively engaged in some research studies that can provide a foundation for insurance refund.”
Depending on the provider and selected options, the prices for full -body scanning can be up to $ 2,500.
The two largest full -body scanning providers are Prenuvo (based in California) and Ezra (New York City).
The possible benefits
Dr. Brett Osborn, a neurologist in Florida and longevity expert, previously spoke with Fox News Digital about the benefits of full -body MRI scans.
“Full -body scan, mainly through MRI, represents a significant progress in the diagnostic skills of modern medicine,” he said.
“MRI technology allows for a comprehensive, non-leading examination of the body to detect a wide range of conditions, including cancer and vascular malformations such as aneurysms, without the need for X-rays potentially harmful, as is the case with CT scans,” he also said.
Durand claimed that a Prenuvo scan can detect many diseases based on changes in the interior of the body that can be detected by MRI.
“Usually, these changes occur before symptoms appear or before there are signs in a physical exam,” he told Fox News Digital.
“So in many cases, the earliest signs of diseases – such as cancers, infections or aneurysms – will be seen,” he continued. “Looking at them earlier, you can be treated earlier. We hope that before the disease he has done little or without permanent damage.”
Doctors share concerns
Dr. Mike told Fox News Digital that he did not recommend that any of his patients receive a MRI review scan.
“The high front cost and the lack of clear medical indication for extensive examination (if you are at a low and asymptomatic risk) lead me to agree with the major medical organizations that the routine MRI’s entire body examination for the general population is not recommended,” he said.
Much of the popularity of these scans has been driven by celebrities, who sometimes get them for free, said Dr. Mike – which he finds about.
“My meaning is that even getting a free scan is a business relationship that FTC requires the discovery,” he said. “My meaning is that the companies themselves cannot claim that their tests save lives, so they work with celebs who can make personal claims that are not subject to the same investigative control.”
“This also sends a conflicting message to the consumer and creates confusion.”
Dr. Marc Siegel, Clinical Professor of Medicine at NYU Langone Health and Fox News’ High Medical Analyst, also does not recommend these scans for patients.
“With the current level of technology, I am against full -body scans in favor of the most directed works initiated by expert doctors who know what they are looking for,” he told Fox News Digital.
“If you make a full -body scan, you will tend to follow any positive findings, whether they are really important or not.”
Siegel also noted high costs and the fact that full -body scans are “often redundant”.
“They can take the place of more directed, accurate studies and review tests that are best suited for symptoms, history and genetic tests in particular patients,” Siegel warned.
The doctor also noted the current relocation to the most personalized health care approaches, “added not only by genetics but also by artificial intelligence.”
“This will lead to more directed work, not for more full -body scans.”
The most significant dangers that come with these full -body scans, according to Dr. Mike, are issues that arise with false positive, overlap and overlap.
There are also mental risks, including anxiety during the procedure (claustrophobia), stress from random findings, and an increase in health -related concerns, the doctor noted.
“Some supporters say it can relieve health -related anxiety; however, I’m pretty skeptical of this claim,” he said. “Based on my clinical experience, even getting a clear scanning would provide peace of mind only temporarily.”
Research published in 2020 found that image abnormalities are expected in about 95% of the subjects displayed, according to the doctor.
“This means that most of the scanned ones will have some kind of finding presented to them,” he said. “I can’t imagine how useful this would be for someone already prone to health worries.”
During the interview in Podcast of Dr. Mike with Lacy, CEO of Prenuvo said long -term data on these review scans are not yet available.
“So, currently, we do not know if we are saving more people by catching disease early or damaging more people with congestion, positive positive and overcoming,” said Dr. Mike.
“Emergency ban, if I do not have clear data on the damage and benefits of an intervention, especially what is supposed to be used in healthy people, I cannot recommend extensively.”
Prenuvo quoted a recent study of over 1,000 patients who were followed over a period of one year.
“In this sample, we found pathologically proven cancer in 2.2% of Penuvo patients,” Durand Fox News Digital told. “Most importantly, most of these cancers were at an early stage, and most were the types of cancer for which there is no widely accepted exam.”
Guidelines of health agencies
The latest guidance from the FDA echoes the concerns of doctors.
“At this time, the FDA does not know any scientific evidence showing that scanning of the whole body of individuals without symptoms provides more benefits than harm to people being controlled,” the agency said on its website.
The FDA also warned of “relatively high radiation exposure” from CT scans. While this risk of exposure is “exceeded” by the benefits of diagnostic and therapeutic scans, the agency said that for the examination of the whole body of asymptomatic people, “benefits are controversial”.
“Before you have a CT review procedure, carefully investigate and consider the potential risks and benefits and discuss them with your doctor,” FDA advised.
The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) also recommends against full -body scans for early tumor detection in asymptomatic patients.
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