Thanks to celebrity endorsements and influencers, whole-body MRI scans are becoming the hottest wellness trend. Companies like Prenuvo have done over 150,000 scans to detect cancer and aneurysms early. Yet many doctors don’t buy the hype, saying they’re expensive, anxiety-provoking, and cause unnecessary procedures and stress.
Sure, you might detect a hidden issue early—like the woman whose MRI found a brain tumor after thinking her lost sense of smell was COVID-related—but many experts say the downsides outweigh the rare success stories. There’s also a risk of overdiagnosis and harmful medical interventions, not to mention mental health effects from finding issues that might not have affected you in the first place. Before you rush out to get one, doctors suggest investing in recommended screenings first.
