If you sliced your body in half, this is what you'd see
This $2,500 full body MRI could be the future of healthcare
My very first MRI was back in December 2019.
But this wasn’t just any ordinary MRI. This was a super duper MRI that touted it could capture in ~50 minutes what normally takes hours of MRIs and multiple body X-rays to accomplish.
Don’t worry, I didn’t subject myself to massive doses of radiation or anything.
Instead, this was a new kind of body scanning technology from Prenuvo, which launched in Vancouver, British Columbia. (I wasn’t compensated to write this.)
It’s now slowly making its way throughout the U.S., with locations in Silicon Valley (where I had my second scan in February 2021), Florida, and soon New York. Shit, even Paris Hilton got one recently. That’s hot.
What Prenuvo body scans are like
Being in the machine itself isn’t too different from MRI standard operating procedure. You lie there and stay as still as possible when told.
They’ll even play your music playlist, which makes a rather clinical (or even unnerving, for people prone to claustrophobia 🙋🏻♀️) experience a bit more tolerable, as you try to tune out the usual loud clicks, ticks, and banging sounds as the machine does its business.
Afterward, they upload all your images and you have an easygoing consultation with a doctor who points out areas of concern.
This is where the fun begins.
The first time I saw my scans I was utterly in awe.
Think of it as being sliced in two and split apart. Then, like an out-of-body experience, you’re presented with pictures of your insides, top to bottom.
Dr. Raj, the main doctor at Prenuvo, walked me through cross section images of my brain and body, and I had a newfound understanding of my physical self like never before.
Most recently, I saw an early case of “tech neck.”
To avoid exacerbating the problem, I’ll have to prop my phone up more, and do neck massages and strengthening exercises.
My very mild scoliosis, which I didn’t even know I had until my first scan, luckily hadn’t progressed.
If you’re excited by how narratives can be made out of images, data, and statistics, then you’ll be be intrigued and amused by this level of transparency into your body’s inner workings.
Is it ‘useful’ or is it ‘just cool’
Could this be the future of healthcare? Well, it’s certainly a nice supplement to annual checkups. The results, accessible via a personal account in an app and web portal, can be reviewed with your primary physician.
My initial thought is why this level of preventative healthcare isn’t accessible to everyone. An obvious reason: cost.
At time of writing, full body Prenuvo scans cost $2,499. I don’t work in the medical field but judging from what I hear among doctor friends who own surgery centers and private practices, healthcare is a beast of compliance and standards, and far from being “democratized”. Like most elective things, these scans aren’t covered by insurance.
What they could also help alleviate are wait times for MRIs at hospitals, or availability in case people don’t live close to hospitals with MRI equipment. Just imagine how many could be helped by annual early screening and detection for cancers, illnesses, and disease. That’s untold billions (trillions?) saved in treatments and drugs, but the corporate healthcare complex likely doesn’t want to hear that.
Shouldn’t healthcare include more preventative procedures, like early detection measures, and pictures of your insides? I don’t know—I’m thinking out loud.
And then, just like your personal data, shouldn’t you be the first to access it?
So is this useful, or just cool? The guys over on the “My First Million” podcast debated this.
To me, these scans are both. On top of, of course, prioritizing healthcare by eating healthy and exercising.
Observations
Ahh, Halloween. It’s the best time of the year! But since when did “pumpkin stacking” as outdoor decor, become a thing? See you next week!
***
Thanks for reading and until next time,
Shindy
Follow! Instagram @shindychen + TikTok @realshindychen
***
Thanks for reading Left Brain, Right Brain 🧠! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.