IS THIS CRAZE A FULL-BODY SCAM?
Men's Health US|January - February 2024
The latest big-ticket celebrity wellness trend-an ultra-high-tech body scan-is tempting. We found some surprises inside the promise.
HILARY ACHAUER
IS THIS CRAZE A FULL-BODY SCAM?

IN AUGUST, Kim Kardashian and designer Zac Posen each posted photos on Instagram wearing dark-gray scrubs while sitting on the light-blue bed of an MRI machine. These weren't doctor-ordered visits to investigate a worrisome lump or a persistent headache. Both Kardashian and Posen were getting full-body MRI scans at Prenuvo, a Redwood City, California-based company with locations around North America-scans that cost $2,499 for your full body ($1,799 for head and torso, $999 for just the torso).

The procedure is marketed as a noninvasive, total-body service that can check for hidden cancers, aneurysms, and cysts, among other hidden menaces that might keep you up at night. Alongside Prenuvo, companies like Ezra and Simon Med have moved into the "wellness MRI" market.

As Instagram commenters quickly pointed out, though, this type of out-of-pocket scan is out of reach for most Americans, many of whom struggle to pay for basic health care. (Just one remark: "wow thanks so much for sharing something 90 percent of the population can't afford.") While Kardashian claimed her post was #NotAnAd, Posen's had a discount code, so it's not totally clear if the celebrities are being driven by endorsements or an interest in wellness.

Doctors worry that these scans might lead to unnecessary tests and even surgeries, when most of the public would be better off focusing on lifestyle changes to prevent diseases and using targeted MRI scans only to address specific concerns. Still, the promise of detecting deadly disease early is intriguing.

So is it worth the price?

WHAT A WELLNESS MRI ACTUALLY IS

Denne historien er fra January - February 2024-utgaven av Men's Health US.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra January - February 2024-utgaven av Men's Health US.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA MEN'S HEALTH USSe alt
Say What? - Hearing loss isn't just a thing that happens to your parents. Nearly one in five people in their 20s show signs of it already. And it puts your brain and well-being in danger, too. Luckily, new tech can help. Listen up.
Men's Health US

Say What? - Hearing loss isn't just a thing that happens to your parents. Nearly one in five people in their 20s show signs of it already. And it puts your brain and well-being in danger, too. Luckily, new tech can help. Listen up.

Hearing loss isn't just a thing that happens to your parents. Nearly one in five people in their 20s show signs of it already. And it puts your brain and well-being in danger, too. Luckily, new tech can help. Listen up. An estimated 15 percent of American adults-that's about 38 million peoplehave some level of hearing loss, according to the CDC. Research increasingly suggests that untreated hearing loss can lead to other significant health issues, including depression and Alzheimer's disease.

time-read
5 mins  |
September - October 2024
Back-Round Check! - Tap into next-level total-body strength and supercharge muscle gains by learning when and how) to round your back in the gym.
Men's Health US

Back-Round Check! - Tap into next-level total-body strength and supercharge muscle gains by learning when and how) to round your back in the gym.

Lift with your legs, not with your back. It's a cue many trainers use anytime you bend down to lift something heavy. It makes sense, too, since conventional wisdom holds that rounding your back with heavy weight leads to injury. But if you look closely at a strongman like Tom Stoltman hoisting a 300-kilogram (661-pound) Atlas stone, you'll notice that his spine isn't ramrod straight at all. Instead, he's almost hunching forward, curling his entire spine around the stone. And if you scroll fitness social media long enough, you may come across an exercise called the Jefferson curl, which asks you to stand holding a light barbell, then lower the barbell while simultaneously rounding your back as much as possible.

time-read
5 mins  |
September - October 2024
Christian Mccaffrey is Him - He's entering his eighth season in the NFL, but the league's most electric running back is not slowing down.
Men's Health US

Christian Mccaffrey is Him - He's entering his eighth season in the NFL, but the league's most electric running back is not slowing down.

Every off-season for the past seven years, Christian McCaffrey, the San Francisco 49ers' All-Pro running back, has met up with Brian Kula, C.S.C.S., a trainer he's worked with since eighth grade. They talk about any injuries and any niggling pain from the previous season, do a battery of strength and movement tests, and then create a program "to turn CMC back on."

time-read
10 mins  |
September - October 2024
A Merciless Sun
Men's Health US

A Merciless Sun

Just over a year ago, Kekoa Lansford watched from a hilltop as the Maui wildfires incinerated his hometown.

time-read
10+ mins  |
September - October 2024
TREN NATION
Men's Health US

TREN NATION

HOW AN OBSCURE BUVINE STEROID BECAME GYM GEN Z'S FAVORITE SOCIAL-MEDIA MUSCLE FLEX.

time-read
10+ mins  |
September - October 2024
ARE YOU THERE, GOD? IT'S ME, JAKE
Men's Health US

ARE YOU THERE, GOD? IT'S ME, JAKE

How societal menace and serial disrupter JAKE PAUL is trying to change the sport of boxing, influence influencer culture, and, gulp, maybe change the world, too.

time-read
10+ mins  |
September - October 2024
THE REINVENTED QUARTERBACK
Men's Health US

THE REINVENTED QUARTERBACK

A 2023 bookended by injuries pushed the Bengals' JOE BURROW to reconstruct his entire approach to fitness and nutrition.

time-read
3 mins  |
September - October 2024
THE WRECKING BALL WIDEOUT
Men's Health US

THE WRECKING BALL WIDEOUT

DK METCALF pursues an old-school path to hardcore strength: PUSH. YOUR. LIMITS.

time-read
7 mins  |
September - October 2024
FATHERHOOD BUT WITH QUESTION MARKS
Men's Health US

FATHERHOOD BUT WITH QUESTION MARKS

I've always wondered if I'm a good dad. So I did something drastic: I asked my kids.

time-read
2 mins  |
September - October 2024
CAN MARVEL REGAIN ITS SUPERPOWERS?
Men's Health US

CAN MARVEL REGAIN ITS SUPERPOWERS?

Critical savaging. Box-office meh-ness. Cultural irrelevance. How did the MCU lose its dominance over all screens, and what will it take to restore it?

time-read
5 mins  |
September - October 2024