If you’re a regular consumer of TikTok, you might have noticed that one of the things that’s come into vogue is people doing TikTok’s about full body MRI’s and their benefits. But are there real tangible benefits for spending the kind of money you need to spend on a full body MRI?  

I remember many years ago during the height of the Oprah Winfrey Show, she was talking about giving full body scans to her wealthy friends as Christmas presents. 

Maybe it’s just the curmudgeon in me, but I’m not sure I need a full body MRI just because I’m curious. 

Do you need a full body MRI? 

According to seattletimes.com,
‘At this moment in time, for a healthy individual without any specific symptoms, there just isn’t enough evidence that the benefits of full-body MRI scans justify the astronomical costs (since they’re elective and not covered by insurance, they can cost hundreds to even thousands of dollars, depending on the company and the protocol) and the potential risks. In fact, the American College of Radiology explicitly recommends against total body screening for people without clinical symptoms, risk factors or a family history to suggest they may have an underlying disease or injury.” 

The great thing about an MRI is that no radiation is involved. MRI stands for Magnetic Resonance Imagery. Other types of scans like a CT scan are using different forms of X-rays in order to get their imaging. 

The FDA confirms this, in fact. On their website, the FDA says.
‘At this time the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) knows of no scientific evidence demonstrating that whole-body scanning of individuals without symptoms provides more benefit than harm to people being screened’ 

It was many years ago that I had to have my abdomen scanned. Honestly I don’t remember if it was a CT or an MRI, but I do remember that when they took a look they found a few other things they weren’t looking for like a couple of kidney stones. (They said they were not a problem.) And they did find a really angry gallbladder that had to go. (Yes, we took care of it.)  

How much does it cost in Wenatchee? 

At Confluence Health in Wenatchee, Currently ( the price is $491.40 For a full body MRI. 

But to reiterate. If you’re not feeling sick, you probably have no reason to get an MRI full body scan. I’m sure that the clinic would love to take your money, but you probably don’t need to spend it.