The primary benefit of a whole-body scan is to detect diseases as early as possible before you have acute symptoms or potentially a life changing/ending event. There are a number of factors that can contribute to chronic diseases which should be considered. If you are over 40 years of age and have one or more of these risk factors, the risk of having one of these diseases increases. Although certain restrictions apply, understanding these known risk factors, along with a review of appropriateness, a whole body scan may be your best choice to know for sure.

• Family History: Genetic Predisposition
• Age
• History of smoking, excessive alcohol, or substance abuse
• Environmental exposures to chemicals or pollutants
• Body Mass (obesity)
• Diabetes
• Sleep apnea and excessive snoring
• Chronic Stress
• Diet
• Ethnicity
• Lack of exercise
• Immune deficiencies
• Cancer treatments
• Covid-19 infection

Although saving a life is the primary goal, there are other “real life” factors to also be considered. Will you be able to enjoy life as you used to? Can you remain active and participate in the things you love to do? Will you be disabled or disfigured? What will life look like after an event? These are all real concerns, but there is yet another consideration not often discussed and that is the financial implications of being out of work, rehabilitation and possibly burdened with $1000’s of on-covered medical expenses. Just a short hospital stay can cost upwards of $24,000, not including the ambulance or ER charges. If surgery is required, it can cost up to $200,000. Even with insurance, treatments and rehabilitation can be very expensive and burdensome on the individual and their family’s finances. The more aggressive the treatments and rehabilitation the higher the cost. Layer these costs with the possibility of not being able to work and it’s no wonder the #1 reason for personal bankruptcy in the United States is unexpected medical expenses.