I Had My Entire Body Scanned for Hidden Diseases – Here's What I Learnt

If you feel perfectly healthy, do you really want to know everything that's going on inside your body?

It's an uncomfortable question. There's a persuasive argument that ignorance is bliss – that it's better not to go looking for problems that might never have caused you any trouble in the first place. Yet, as preventative healthcare gathers momentum, more of us are being offered ways to peek beneath the surface before symptoms ever appear.

I'm reasonably on top of my health. I run, strength train, eat pretty well most of the time and, thankfully, rarely find myself in a doctor's waiting room. So when I was invited to try a full-body MRI scan from Ezra (now Function Health) – a service designed to identify early signs of cancer and hundreds of other conditions in people who may feel perfectly well – I had my reservations. There's comfort in the assumption that everything is probably fine.

But curiosity eventually got the better of me.

My appointment was at Ezra's Marylebone clinic. After changing into a pair of hospital pyjamas, I was led into the MRI suite, where the radiographer talked me through the process before fitting me with earbuds, placing a lightweight frame over my chest and handing me an emergency call button.

Mounted above my head was a mirror angled towards the front of the room, meaning that as you're slowly wheeled into the scanner, you can still see out. For anyone even slightly claustrophobic, it's a reassuring touch.

The scan lasted around 50 minutes. The machine clanged, buzzed and vibrated almost constantly, but before long I'd tuned out the noise. Instead, I found myself appreciating the rare opportunity to do... absolutely nothing. With no phone, no emails and nowhere else to be, lying perfectly still for the best part of an hour became meditative.

Then it was over. An hour after walking into the clinic, I was heading home.

Ezra says results are typically delivered within five to seven days, followed by a consultation with one of its clinicians.

I'd deliberately avoided thinking too much about them while I waited. But opening a report that's just examined almost every major organ in your body is an odd feeling, even if you feel perfectly healthy.

Fortunately, there was nothing unexpected.

A few days later, I spoke to Dr Dhara Pannick, a GP at Ezra, who talked me through the report. My brain, prostate, bladder, lymph nodes, bones and major blood vessels all looked healthy.

'Whatever you're doing, carry on,' she said. 'It's a really good scan.'

There was one small note in the report: a trace amount of fluid in my pelvis.

Left to my own devices, I'd probably have overthought it. But Dr Pannick explained it was the sort of incidental finding they often see in people who exercise regularly. In someone without symptoms, she said, it wouldn't usually be considered anything to worry about.

Unlike CT scans or X-rays, MRI scanners don't use ionising radiation.

'MRI uses magnetic force rather than radiation,' Dr Pannick explained. 'It can check whether something is water or fat or bone or a cancerous growth because different tissues have different densities.'

She was also keen to stress that a full-body MRI is a screening tool, not a diagnostic one.

If someone develops worrying symptoms – persistent headaches, for example – they still need a targeted MRI and medical assessment rather than relying on a whole-body scan. A screening scan is designed for people who feel well but want a broad overview of their health.

Ezra's AI technology helps sharpen images and reduce scanning time, allowing multiple organs to be assessed in around an hour before every image is reviewed by a consultant radiologist.

Dr Pannick shared several examples of conditions she'd seen picked up through Ezra's screening programme.

Some patients had cancers they didn't know existed.

Others discovered kidney disease, fatty liver, spinal problems requiring urgent treatment or ovarian cysts that ultimately led to a diagnosis of polycystic ovary syndrome. In one case, she told me, a patient was found to have bleeding on the brain while they were actually inside the scanner.

But Dr Pannick also made the point that technology isn't a substitute for healthy habits.

'You can go and get whatever fancy blood test you want and whatever scan you want, but if you haven't got the basics right, then you're not going to be in good health,' she told me. 'Are you sleeping well? Are you eating well? Are you exercising? Do you have good relationships? What's your stress level like? Those are the fundamental pillars.'

In other words, the scan shouldn't replace looking after yourself. It should complement it.

No scan can guarantee good health, and whole-body MRI screening won't be for everyone. At £1,299 for the company's new 22-minute scan – or £1,999 for the original 60-minute version with spinal imaging – it's a significant investment. It's also no substitute for NHS screening programmes or seeking medical advice if you develop symptoms.

But there was comfort in hearing that everything appeared to be functioning exactly as it should.

I went into the scan half expecting to be told I'd discover something I'd rather not know. Instead, I came away reassured that healthy habits appeared to be working.

Isaac Williams

Site Editor

Isaac Williams is Site Editor for both Women’s Health UK and Men’s Health UK, guiding and supporting the content teams to create content across all platforms. Isaac’s love of health and fitness began at Loughborough University, where he graduated with a History and English degree in 2014. His first job was at Men’s Running magazine, where he progressed from Staff Writer to Editor. Among his highlights of those four years include completing a 24-hour track race (never again), just about finishing a multi-day ultramarathon in the Azores, and chugging his way around a ‘beer mile’. Isaac ventured into the world of freelance journalism in 2018, interviewing some of the biggest names in sport – like Anthony Joshua and Ben Stokes – and writing features for the likes of The Guardian, Red Bull, ShortList and BBC Countryfile. He was also a regular contributor to an adventure series called ‘The Man Who’: speaking to some of the world’s most extreme explorers from the wilds of Caffè Nero. In late-2019, Isaac became Editor of Men’s Fitness UK. In his five years there, Isaac was responsible for editing the monthly magazine and managing website content, ultimately helping the brand transition to a ‘digital-first’ approach. He joined Hearst UK as Multiplatform Editor in December 2024, where he manages day-to-day digital output, edits content and writes articles on all things health and fitness. When he’s not hammering at his keyboard, Isaac enjoys exercise and trying –  unsuccessfully, so far – to teach his baby son to kick a football. You can follow Isaac on Instagram @isaacw1993.