Imagine a life of broken bones... 200 bone fractures by the time you're 30, and the first one in infancy. Carte Blanche Medical investigates Osteogenesis Imperfecta - or Brittle Bone Syndrome - and finds that, for parents of children with this condition, dealing with the breaks is sometimes the least of their worries. They're often accused of child abuse by medical staff due to the frequency with which their children come into hospitals with broken bones. This genetic disorder can cause a serious bone fracture to occur from an incident as minor as tripping while walking.

In today's world of increasingly unhealthy lifestyles, people desperate to lose weight will try almost any method to shed some kilos. Those who need extra support or professional guidance often land at the door of weight loss clinics, trusting that this will be a healthy and safe option. But some who have tried this say although the weight has come off, the side-effects have been particularly worrying. Carte Blanche Medical investigates.

Moses, Aristotle, Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, Marilyn Monroe, Bruce Willis and Rowan Atkinson all have something in common. At some stage in their lives they stuttered. This anxiety-related condition makes social life complicated for those afflicted, because it disrupts the flow of speech. Alan Falck has had a life-long relationship with technology and speech disorders. From his first homemade amplifier, created to help a relative with cancer of the larynx, his latest research attempts to create a device able to assist half-a-million South African stutterers by manipulating the part of the brain responsible for speech. Falck's device is a tool - not a cure - that aims to promote fluency and build confidence.

Accidents can happen at any time, and most often, when you least expect them. But would you know what to do if someone got injured and ended up with a gaping wound? Uncontrolled bleeding can be life threatening and your actions could help save a life. Join Carte Blanche Medical to find out just what you should do.

You've seen her go from inactive and overweight to making radical dietary, exercise and lifestyle changes and asking for as much help as she can get to shed unwanted kilos. So have Vicci Blackwell's new training routine, sessions with a psychologist and better food choices had an impact on her fitness levels and weight? We bring you the next instalment in an on-camera weight loss journey that even enlists the help of an endocrinologist. Join Carte Blanche Medical as we find out whether Victoria has reached another milestone in her drive for better health and what major plans she has for 2011.

Does your child struggle to understand what you are saying, miss important sounds or signals others hear clearly, get messages wrong, or say inappropriate things at certain times? This sort of child could have Central Auditory Processing Disorder, APD, and, because of the similarity of symptoms, this condition is often misdiagnosed as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, ADHD. It's also referred to as a listening disability because the brain doesn't properly recognise and interpret sounds - most notably sounds related to speech. The disorder can also extend to reading and writing. And, as Carte Blanche Medical's investigation has found, people with APD are so accustomed to guessing, they may not even be aware that they have misunderstood something.

Menopause - a time of unwelcome change for some women. But there are ways to better manage this life stage. We talk to Dr Peter Koll.

For the neurosurgeon operating on a complicated brain tumour, being able to clearly see all the surrounding tissue and nerves could mean everything to the quality of life of a patient post-surgery. What if nearby nerve fibres stood out in a striking blue or green, or sensitive areas of the brain were bright orange or yellow, in contrast to a neon-pink tumour mass? And if the doctor could see all of this in 3D? Most Magnetic Resonance Imaging - or MRI - produces a 2-dimensional, black and white image of the brain or other internal parts of the body. Now - in a first for Africa - the Cape University's Brain Imaging Centre has added a state-of-the art 3D MRI scanner to its arsenal of brain-imaging technology. Carte Blanche Medical investigates cutting-edge technology that has elevated brain mapping to a third dimension.

Christmas is coming and the dash to the coast inevitably means carnage on our roads. Would you know how to react if you were first at the scene of an accident? Carte Blanche Medical brings you advice on who to call, whether or not to stop, where to stop, and how to help survivors before emergency services arrive.

A gloomy reality of summer, and it's already happening, is children who can't swim ending up in near-drowning incidents. It can happen in the blink of an eye and being deprived of oxygen can result in permanent brain-damage. But the process of cell death can be stopped in time. In 2005, Carte Blanche first met Garden City Clinic's Intensive Care Specialist and Paediatrician, Dr Miles Bartlett and his team. They had the only ICU in the country that offered hypothermic treatment to child victims of near-drowning, offering new hope to parents of children who had been clinically dead for as long as 40 minutes. Since then, not only have their methods become more sophisticated, but they have saved many little lives all the while ensuring as little brain damage as possible, or none at all.

Some people shake or tremble when nervous or scared. Research has found that this so-called tremoring could serve a critical function in the human body. The idea first occurred to Dr David Bercelli when he and eight other people were taking refuge in a bomb shelter. Dr Bercelli noticed that each exploding mortar shell made those with him jerk, tremble and instinctively curl into a foetal position. Recognising that this was defensive behaviour, he set out to research how tremors could restore a stressed body's internal balance. Now, even the US army is experimenting with Dr Bercelli's techniques to treat traumatised soldiers returning from Iraq. Carte Blanche Medical finds out more.

If someone you love is unlucky enough to literally break a leg - or any other bone - would you know what to do? Carte Blanche Medical brings you the next instalment in our Emergency Response series.

A tumour in his nasal cavities made proper speech and breathing impossible for Mustapha Boateng. But specialists at the Bränemark Institute have restored his quality of life. There are only three such institutes around the world and now the first on the African continent is opening in Johannesburg. Maxillo-facial surgeons, ear, nose and throat and prosthodontic specialists will work side-by-side to perform miracles on extremely difficult facial deformities and injuries. When Professor Bränemark pioneered the concept of Osseointegration in 1965, it was called one of the greatest discoveries in medical science. Using state of the art 3D printing, a prosthesis is modelled for the patient and implanted where deformities once disfigured the face. Carte Blanche Medical gets a glimpse of how Ossointegration is building miracles in the lives of ordinary people.

If we are what we eat then what sort of foods make us live longer? Carte Blanche Medical unpacks healthy nuts and seeds, explores how cultured milk products like yoghurt promote health, and show how eating watermelon seeds can fight free radical damage and ageing.

Globally, diabetes is on the rise as people increasingly opt for high fat and energy-rich foods. Knowing how to prevent and manage this condition could save lives. Carte Blanche Medical speaks to Dr Ngobeni Gabaza.

Many elderly people in need of open heart surgery aren't generally considered eligible, owing to the risks posed. But thanks to a revolutionary heart valve replacement procedure known as Trans-catheter aortic valve implants, or TAVI, very ill, elderly patients affected by aortic stenosis now have another life-saving alternative. Cardiologists describe it as a "break-through and paradigm shift" in heart surgery. Instead of performing heart surgery the conventional way - by opening the chest - medical specialists can choose this minimally invasive procedure removing diseased aortic valves through a small incision in the body. Carte Blanche Medical scrubs up for surgery

In a world obsessed with beauty and youth, going under the knife is no longer the only option for those looking to reverse signs of ageing. Dermal fillers and other newer techniques claim to treat sagging skin, wrinkles and sun damage and to restore faces and bodies to their former glory, without the need for surgery. They're marketed as 'lunch-time face lifts' because they don't require anaesthetic or recovery time and are over in about an hour. Carte Blanche Medical took 49-year-old Michael and 50-year-old Louise out for an expensive lunch.

Too thin? Eating badly? Crash dieting? Your lifestyle can promote strong and healthy bones, or put you at risk of Osteoporosis. Dr Alkesh Magan shares his expertise on this serious brittle bone condition.