A picture of health

I’m sitting in a chair with a clip attached to my ear, breathing deeply.

Breathing exercises, two or three times a day for a few minutes, can help the body tune into new time zones more quickly. You sleep better and feel more refreshed. Ian Woosnam, the golfer, claims the technique, which helps you access a high-performance mental and emotional state called “coherence”, helps him fight off stress.

All this is revealed to me during a day-long health assessment by iHealth, which claims to offer the most advanced private health screening available in Britain. Wisbauer is managing director. For a fee ranging from £950 ($1,878, e1,277) to £3,500, participants are given a comprehensive health check-up, with instant results. Equipment and expertise is pulled together under one roof.

The iHealth service is a cut above the production-line approach offered by rival health screening providers. The iHealth service takes longer, typically four to six hours, and is far more personalised, including hour-long sessions with a GP.

The day begins with basic tests – hearing, vision and a heart ECG (electrocardiogram) – and moves on to a musculoskeletal screening session, which assesses posture, balance and strength.

This can be useful for middle-aged executives who suddenly feel the urge to go on a fitness drive. One 45-year-old banker was found to have a 40% limb strength imbalance – one leg was stronger than the other – and was told to correct it before embarking on an exercise regime.

Heart disease and strokes are typical risks confronting executives in their 50s; warning signs that come to light during the health screen can be investigated instantly. High blood pressure often leads to a thickening of the heart muscle. This can be identified using a cardiac ultrasound. Computerised tomography (CT) scans can pick up calcified plaque – another danger sign of an impending heart attack. The iHealth centre in Weybridge, Surrey, which I used, has a 64-slice CT scanner; a piece of kit that would be the envy of many NHS hospitals.

MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scans can flag up the risk of strokes and brain tumours. Often, complaints are imaginary and the tests relieve unnecessary worry. One iHealth patient suffered bad headaches. Once a scan had ruled out a brain tumour, the cause was traced back to stress, resulting in neck tension.