Regular MRIs would help Move Medicine into the 21st Century

   Have you had your semi-annual MRI?
   Yesterday, I suggested that full-body MRIs might be a small improvement to our medical system. Today, though, I change my mind. MRIs could be a very significant improvement. Look at what they can detect or help detect: Strokes, tumors, heart problems, pinched nerves, multiple sclerosis, and dementia. And, that's just a partial list. If patients received regular MRIs, many, many of our maladies would be diagnosed quicker. extending life and extending health.
  While many of us get an annual physical, I wonder that now we are in the 21st Century if we shouldn't be getting a semi-annual MRI, and I mean full-body MRI. The capacity for detecting health problems through an MRI is . . .
   Significant might not be strong enough of a word.
   Often, successful treatment of cancer depends on early detection. If we had MRIs every six months, how many more times would we catch the cancer? How many lives would we save? It is the same with other maladies: Catch them early and it makes a difference. So, if you think having an MRI every six months is a little much, think again. There is no harm to often MRIs, so do them often.
   Now, we both can guess why MRIs are not a common thing. They are too expensive. I understand the average cost of one -- before insurance kicks in -- is $2600. We should be pushing to get the price down, to make this great health tool affordable. Just like seeking a cure for cancer is a goal, so should be reducing the price of an MRI.
   The MRI should be the physical of the 21st Century. If we are to move medicine into the 21st Century, this is one of the things we should do.