Doctors warn that Kim Kardashian’s $2500 full body MRI scans might do more harm than good
Reality legend, and all-round business queen, Kim Kardashian has taken to Instagram to promote an MRI scan to her 363 million followers that she claims has saved the lives of some of her friends. However, the post tagged as “NotAnAd” has attracted the ire of even the most devout Kardashian stans.
The Instagram post shows Kardashian posing with the Prenuvo magnetic resonance imaging machine (MRI), a device that uses magnets and radio waves to take detailed imaging of the inside of the body. It’s a common procedure for those with under the surface issues that need a thorough look at.
Prenuvo’s MRI scan however is an upscaled and private version of the procedure, one that celebrities seem to have been taking preventatively in the hopes of spotting any medical issues early before other symptoms have manifested and one is referred for an MRI scan by their doctor. All they are asking is for you to fork over the small sum of $2500—oh and no, they won’t take insurance. Totally reasonable right?
Needless to say it’s another luxury that the normal, working world just can’t afford, and the Kardashian’s strange promotion of the overpriced scan was quick to send gen Zers into a fury in the comments. One user left a scathing critique of the tone deaf post, saying: “Bragging about getting preventative cancer screenings in a time when people can’t afford medications from their pharmacy isn’t it Kim.”
If that wasn’t enough to make your eyes roll, apparently getting an MRI scan can do more harm than good. Dr Matthew Davenport, vice chair of the American College of Radiology’s Quality and Safety Commission, told Insider that unnecessary diagnostic scans like this are a “terrible idea.” MRI scans are incredibly sensitive and are therefore more likely to pick up things that look abnormal but actually aren’t.
Patients may find themselves seeking more invasive, risky biopsy procedures to follow up on abnormalities, when there was nothing wrong with them in the first place. There is a severe lack of evidence on the Prenuvo website too to support claims that their overpriced diagnosing service can actually catch and prevent anything before symptoms have surfaced.
It seems like this is one brand that we won’t be making an impulse purchase on thanks to an instagram ad or promo, and not just because of the extortionate asking price. Thank god for the NHS right?
