Celebrities Are Getting Full-Body Health Scans —Should You?

Convincing Americans to get their recommended health screenings can be an uphill battle. Data show that lots of people skip suggested cancer screenings even though they’re typically covered by insurance. And yet, even as lots of people forgo routine care, a certain type of wellness-minded consumer is hungry for as much health data as they can find, giving rise to a market for pricey proactive tests, scans, and screenings done mostly for curiosity or peace of mind—and sometimes against the recommendations of medical experts. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] In recent years, millions of people have bought direct-to-consumer tests to screen their saliva, blood, or urine for markers of future disease, and companies—including the now-infamous Theranos—have raked in millions of dollars in funding to provide such services. Some people have spent thousands of dollars for “executive” or “white glove” physical exams that include a battery of tests. And celebrities, most recently Kim Kardashian, have preached the benefits of expensive full-body MRI scans, which promise to detect health problems early. The pandemic likely plays a part in this trend—survey data suggest many Americans feel more health-conscious now than before it—but it predates COVID-19. When standard care isn’t sufficient For some people, proactive services may fill a void left by standard U.S. medical care, with its long waits,...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized healthscienceclimate Source Type: news