Vital Signs
SHOW #10 (airs Thurs Aug 27th)
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
EXAMINATION: HIV/AIDS IN BRAZIL
The "Brazilian response" to HIV/AIDS is the envy of the global health world. But as more and more Brazilians receive free anti-retroviral treatment is the program becoming a victim of its own success? Dr. Sanjay Gupta looks at the program two decades since its inception and finds the face of the epidemic is changing once again. Will new challenges mean new policy in the fight against HIV/AIDS? Or will the "Brazilian response" continue to keep the country on top of the global epidemic?
ON AIR AWARENESS
When it comes to popularity hinging on a national obsession, football of course comes to mind, and then there are Brazil's telenovelas. Every night, an estimated sixty to eighty million people tune in to the leading network's prime-time offerings. Their popularity never in question, novelas have always entertained viewers. Now new research shows they may be responsible for more, influencing Brazilian's lifestyle choices and even leading to social change...
MEDICAL MYTHBUSTERS
The acai berry: a deep-red fruit grown from palms in the Amazon and shipped south. It's consumed mainly in smoothies, but it's even made it's way into cosmetics. Many in Brazil swear by it and its popularity is catching on throughout the world; the health claims abound. Websites market the berry as an anti-aging, weight-loss wonder, but just how super is this so called super food? Dr. Sanjay Gupta debunks the myths and focuses on the facts in another edition of Medical Mythbusters.
IN THE LAND OF TWINS
Deep in the south of Brazil is an area dubbed "The Land of Twins." The Vital Signs team takes the long journey in hopes of solving the mystery behind the unusually high concentration of twins. Are genetics at play or as the locals say; is there really something in the water?
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