When it comes to maintaining good health, the more you know, the better. That’s why having a full body health check is so important.
Having your body assessed on a regular basis provides you with the opportunity to catch any abnormalities as early on as possible, empowering you to take actionable steps that improve your overall health.
In this article, we will be taking a detailed look at what you can expect during a full body check-up, while also highlighting some of the key benefits you can expect from having one with us at Echelon Health.
What is a full body check-up?
As its name suggests, a full body check-up — or full body MOT — is a comprehensive approach that’s used to assess your current health and wellbeing via a series of tests. This includes a physical examination and electrocardiogram (ECG), as well as various imaging techniques like a computerised tomography (CT) scan and ultrasound.
Before your visit, a healthcare professional will ask you to complete a thorough medical questionnaire about your medical history. This will allow them to gather a more detailed understanding of your current health and tailor the assessment around your exact needs.
On the day of the assessment itself, blood tests and an ECG will be performed to analyse certain key parameters, including your levels of iron and cholesterol, blood pressure and overall heart activity.
One, or all, of a series of advanced diagnostic imaging techniques — including a CT scan, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan and ultrasound — will then be used to view the inside of your body and identify any potential areas of concern.
Several specialists will review all of these scans, looking for any abnormalities, with up to seven consultants offering their expertise.
A follow-up consultation will then be arranged with you to discuss your results during a face-to-face appointment with one of our senior physicians.
Why are different imaging techniques used?
Carrying out a full body health check requires several diagnostic imaging techniques to be used as different modalities are better at detecting specific conditions.
MRI scanners, for example, offer an excellent way of capturing images of your brain, spine and bones, but aren’t as useful at visualising the arteries or lungs as a CT scan would be. That’s why it’s so important to use a combination of techniques, in order to provide a much more detailed profile of your overall health.
At Echelon Health, we only ever use state-of-the-art medical equipment that objectively surpasses those used within the NHS. This includes:
- Aquilion ONE CT scanner – our highly advanced CT scanner can image lung nodules as small as 1 – 2mm in size.
- 3 Tesla MRI – much more powerful than the NHS’ 1.5 Tesla MRI, we can achieve detailed images with higher resolution and improved accuracy.
- Canon Apollo ultrasound scanner – often used to record images of the thyroid, testes, ovaries and blood vessels in the neck, our ultrasound scanner offers exceptional clarity.
- EOS scanner – using Nobel Prize-winning ultrasensitive detector technology, this unique equipment creates detailed images of patients and offers a highly effective way of assessing skeletal-related aspects like bone rotation, posture and spinal alignment.
Further details on the key differences between imaging techniques and modalities can be found on our dedicated page.
What happens if an abnormality is detected?
Our screening procedures offer incredible insights into your body and strive to provide you with complete peace of mind that any potential risks won’t be missed or go unnoticed.
One of the main purposes of having a preventative health check is to identify potential abnormalities as early on as possible. Therefore, if an underlying condition or symptom is spotted during your assessment, this is generally a good thing, as it ensures it can be dealt with and treated before becoming a bigger problem.
However, we completely understand that the presence of an abnormality can be a distressing thing to hear. That’s why we’re always on hand to provide you with the help and support you need throughout your assessment with us.
While we may focus on disease detection rather than administering specific treatments, your health is our priority. Therefore, we can offer our assistance for whichever treatment pathway you decide to follow should this happen — whether that be being referred to a renowned private specialist for treatments or back to your existing general practitioner.
Why are full body health checks important?
Preventative healthcare is critical if you want to live a long and healthy life.
While diagnostic imaging techniques are often used in healthcare environments like the NHS, they are generally only carried out when patients are already experiencing symptoms. In other words, by the time they are offered to patients, it is often at a point where a condition is much harder to treat.
Having a full-body MOT, however, can uncover any potential issues before they progress into more severe health problems.
Our Platinum Assessment, for example, can detect over 92% of early death causes. This can then offer an opportunity to intervene and treat any underlying health conditions before any symptoms start to appear.
In doing so, this also corresponds with the advice of The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which emphasises the need for prevention: “It is far better to prevent disease than to treat people after they get sick”.
The benefits of a private health check
As well as being able to identify underlying conditions earlier on, having a full-body health check-up can offer a number of benefits.
Back in 2021, for instance, Cancer Research UK published data that showed early-stage diagnosis also significantly improved the survival rates for various cancers.
Patients diagnosed with bowel cancer at the earliest stage were shown to have over a 90% survival rate, while almost all women diagnosed with breast cancer earlier on survived the disease for at least five years.
Even for patients with lung cancer, early detection raised survival rates from one in five to almost nine in ten, underlining the importance of having a preventative health assessment.
Some of the other key benefits of having a private health check can include:
- Improved understanding of your family history and risk of developing certain conditions
- Specialised health assessment tailored around you
- Earlier risk detection of various diseases
- Recommendations on lifestyle changes to improve your wellbeing
- Ongoing preventative healthcare
Echelon Health: trust the experts
Whether you have any underlying health concerns or simply want to take a proactive approach to your well-being, having a full body check-up is an ideal way to alleviate worries and prevent any potential health problems.
Here at Echelon Health, we take great pride in offering a personalised approach that focuses on your individual requirements instead of relying on statistical models.
By conducting thorough examinations via our state-of-the-art MRI, CT and ultrasound scanners, we can gather an accurate overview of your health and identify any potential areas of concern before they manifest into a bigger problem.
If you have any further questions or concerns about our range of health assessment packages, please do not hesitate to contact us at your earliest convenience.
Simply give us a call on 020 7580 7688 or email us at [email protected] and we’d be more than happy to help.
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