People are being encouraged to get full-body scans just in case their seemingly healthy bodies actually have something to hide.
A cemetery is the bone-chilling backdrop to one full-body scan commercial, which aims to sell consumers on the idea that the quick and painless medical peek into the body, using CT (computed tomography) scanning, can keep them from an early grave.
It's true that the earlier the better when it comes to detecting the early signs of cancer, heart problems and other conditions that can kill. But at what price?
The price for the scans can be $1,000, which isn't covered by insurance. Seems like a small amount to pay for saving your life, but can the devices do that? Not likely if you're not experiencing any symptoms, say most medical experts.
Not only will they not save your life, the scans could generate unnecessary concerns about an organ speck that isn't serious and subject you to pointless radiation exposure. Your $1,000 might be better spent on recommended medical check-ups and screenings. Daniel Perry says his Alliance for Aging Research is "fairly bullish" on various preventive screenings, but he calls the full-body scans a "fad": "By and large, the scans are done on the 'worried well' looking for a one-stop shop to find out anything and everything that's wrong with them, but the technology is not a key to longevity."