Your annual visit with your doctor is often accompanied by questions on your health history, a temperature test, and the cold touch of the stethoscope to ensure that your overall health and wellness are in prime condition.
A routine checkup is designed to catch common health issues early on, so during your annual physical examination, you’re most likely given a metaphorical “thumbs-up” from your physician and then sent on your way. But what if something more serious is developing beneath the surface – something your physical can’t detect?
A whole-body MRI scan aims to go beyond the stethoscope, revealing hidden conditions, early-stage diseases, and potential health risks long before symptoms appear.
But how do you know when it’s right for you? Keep reading to find out!
What is an Annual Physical Exam?
For many, a doctor’s visit is often due to feeling unwell, whether that be from a stuffy nose, a broken arm, or something in between. And if we are feeling well, why fix what isn’t broken? As the age-old saying goes.
In the spirit of clichés, just as you can’t judge a book by its cover, you can’t base your health on how you feel and look on the surface. The act of taking a proactive approach to your healthcare is on the rise, and one of the most common means has been overlooked for quite some time – the annual physical examination.
A physical exam is nothing but a checkup of your overall health. During a physical, your physician will evaluate organ function, update your vaccinations, review your health history, and address any health concerns or questions you may have.
Examinations may vary slightly depending on your age and the reason for your appointment, but they will typically follow a similar baseline structure as described above.
What is a Full-Body MRI?
A whole-body MRI is an imaging scan that produces detailed images of the body’s internal structure using magnetic energy. Unlike CT scans, X-rays, and PET scans, our full-body MRI scanner does not use ionizing radiation, which can be associated with certain health risks when used over time.
At MRI Wellness, we can screen for nearly 500 health conditions across your 13 organ systems – even identifying abnormalities within your body that may be asymptomatic until their later stages.
What a Full Body Scan May Show that an Annual Physical Can’t
How often have you felt perfectly fine one day, but end up getting sick the next? While an annual physical can be critical in gaining insight into changes in your blood pressure, heart rate, and other bodily functions, your doctor cannot see the changes happening within your body.
A whole-body MRI can be a life-altering tool for those at high risk of developing certain conditions, including silent cancer killers that may show no symptoms until it’s too late.
Full-body MRI scans are still a new technology in the healthcare space, but one that has the potential to save lives through early detection and prevention. By helping to provide a personalized baseline for high-risk patients, detecting changes over time can enable intervention if – or when – the time comes.
Schedule Your Scan Today with MRI Wellness
Full-body MRIs are a powerful tool in modern healthcare, allowing you to feel empowered by taking a proactive approach to your health rather than being in the backseat to treatment.
Schedule a full-body MRI scan near you with MRI Wellness today, or learn more about what a full-body MRI scan entails today!
