Fat Scan Just One Of Many Tests Performed In Executive Physical
Posted October 19, 2007 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
It’s hidden inside your body waiting – or maybe weighting – to pounce. It’s hidden fat and it may be lurking in your system without you even knowing it. Which is where Wellpoint Health Services comes in. They provide something called an executive wellness physical, which looks into every nook and cranny of your body .
And what find they can be a huge and not always pleasant surprise. That’s what 21-year-old Leah Gabriel discovered when she and her family ventured into the facility for the complete scan. “My mom wanted to sign the whole family up, and she wanted to see how healthy we were,” she explains.
What did the trim and thin model find out? “That I have a lot of fat, body fat,” she shudders. Not that it shows. “It’s in my organs. It’s in my arteries.”
The physical leaves little room for doubt. It consists of a two-dimensional ultrasound, a CAT scan, an electrocardiogram and a stress test. “What we’re finding is that the testing will actually show us how we’re doing on the inside, and it can be surprising,” confirms Dr. Sanjeev Sharma.
Ironically, Leah’s desire to stay thin may have contributed to all that internal hidden fat. “If you don’t eat, then the body stores whatever food you put into it as fat,” she outlines.
Dr. Sharma maintains these tests can help people like Leah prevent serious illness. “What we try to do is empower our patients through proactive preventative testing so that they can take control today of potential future health concerns.”
It’s worked for Gabriel. “I’m seeing a dietitian. You get the results. You can do something about it.”
But the tests will also pull some fat out of your wallet. They’re not covered by OHIP and it takes about four hours before you’re done. The entire cost: $1,500.
Here’s a list of some of the services the facility offers:
- Complete history and medical examination
- Haematology
- Biochemistry profile
- PSA (prostate specific antigen)
- Hormonal evaluation
- Fertility assessment (if required)
- Pulmonary function
- Nutritional assessment
- Screening for faecal occult blood
- Resting electrocardiogram
- Stress electrocardiogram
- Measure of stress level and recommendations for psychological well-being
For more information, check out their website.
