- Kris Jenner got a full-body MRI scan on the latest episode of "The Kardashians."
- It's the latest health treatment the family has espoused on the show.
- It's also pretty inaccessible to the average person.
Kris Jenner is getting her body scanned.
Encased in an MRI machine for the better part of an hour while watching Dateline, Jenner underwent a screening to check for health issues in advance of her 67th birthday. It happened to take place at Prenuvo, a startup that provides preventative MRI scans to screen for diseases like early-stage cancer, and included conversations with the company's co-founders Dr. Raj Attariwala and Andrew Lacy, and its head of strategic partnerships Alina Ioani.
Jenner's scan, depicted on Thursday's episode of "The Kardashians," was all-clear — in fact, according to Dr. Attariwala, her brain looked "perfect" and her body appeared to be that of a woman in her 40s, which Jenner obviously found thrilling. But that peace of mind could have cost up to $2,499 at Prenuvo for the 60-minute full-body scan she appears to have undergone.
A Prenuvo spokesperson told Insider that they cannot discuss "any patient's personal experience" nor confirm the service that Jenner received, but said that the company "doesn't pay for sponsorships."
This wasn't the first healthcare song and dance on "The Kardashians," and it probably won't be the last. But at a certain point, the family's obsession with showcasing bougie health treatments starts to wear on a viewer's patience.
I have no doubt that Jenner cares about her health, and I can't necessarily fault her for using her considerable wealth to do what she can to preserve it. But it's a lot easier to do everything to be proactive about your body when you have the money to back it up.
'The Kardashians' has filmed a variety of controversial health treatments
A full-body elective MRI isn't really out of character for "The Kardashians." In season one of the Hulu show, Kendall Jenner and Hailey Bieber got vitamin IV therapy treatment in Miami, something Kendall said they consider to be a "really fun day." Some experts are skeptical of the IV treatment's positive impacts and wary of its risks, BuzzFeed News reported; according to the publication, costs typically don't dip under $100 and typically fall between $350 and $800.
In another episode, Kendall takes Khloé Kardashian to get a SPECT brain scan, which measures blood flow to areas of the brain. It was conducted by controversial psychiatrist Dr. Daniel Amen, whose peers have criticized his methodology and accused him of profiting off fear. Amen, for his part, told Insider previously that he stands by his science, and says that it helps to destigmatize conditions like anxiety.
Criticism of Prenuvo is similar: Experts previously told Insider that this kind of preventative full-body scan could end up leading to further, unnecessary procedures — and that's for those for whom the care is financially accessible. A Prenuvo spokesperson told Insider that the company's goal has "always been to make this scan more affordable and accessible as possible," saying that the company feels "very confident" about its methodology and accuracy and that the scan's benefits outweigh its risks.
It's more about the messaging
"The Kardashians" isn't operating under false pretenses: It's about one of the richest and most influential families in the world, and there are plenty of things they do that are inaccessible to the average person, from private jet trips to lavish birthday parties. Seeing how the ultra-wealthy live is part of the show's appeal, and seeking preventative care that many people can't afford is just another example of that.
Kendall, to her credit, says in season one that her health had become her "number one priority" to the extent that she's "eating herself alive" at times fixating on it. For her, she said, treatments like the vitamin IV drip are comforting.
But Kris Jenner's confessional about being "proactive" with her healthcare, and preaching the importance of the scan itself, is just the latest instance of the family extolling the virtues of preventative and supplemental care that's mostly the purview of the elite. And it's getting to be a bit much.
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