Should you get a full-body health scan?

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Proactive health screenings are trendy but doctors have doubts By Jamie Ducharme Health Correspondent As someone who writes about health for a living, I’ve long been interested in learning more about my own body. I’ve spat into tubes, pricked my fingers, and tracked nearly every aspect of my diet and fitness routine in the name of self-discovery (and journalism). But I draw the line at the $2,500 full-body MRI scan that Kim Kardashian recommended this week. As it turns out, not many doctors recommend them either. Healthy people who take these extensive tests run the risk of getting confusing or anxiety-producing (but ultimately harmless) results and may be more likely to opt into invasive and unnecessary follow-up care, experts say. Overall, doctors aren't as eager as the public about proactive health testing, including the kind of at-home blood and saliva tests I’ve done. But in a wellness-obsessed culture, they’re unlikely to go anywhere anytime soon. READ MORE  Share This Story

What Else to Read How to Actually Change Someone’s Mind By Angela Haupt Go in calm, practice empathy, and open the door to introspection. Read More » The Best Stove for Your Health and the Environment By Madison Dapcevich Gas vs. electric vs. induction. Read More » Are Onions and Garlic Healthy? Here’s What Experts Say By Jamie Ducharme They don't just add flavor. (Originally published in 2019.) Read More » Bladder Cancer Takes a Toll on Mental Health. Here’s How to Cope By Elizabeth Millard Connecting with other patients can help. Read More » How to Help Those Affected by the Maui Wildfires By Olivia B. Waxman How to help people affected by the Maui wildfires. Read More »

An Expert Voice "Right now, [psychologists] are inundated with people who don’t really need care as much as other people, and we’re having a hard time getting to people who really need it. So I hesitate to say everybody should go to a psychologist." — Margaret Sibley, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the University of Washington School of Medicine

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