When someone suffers from bad breath - or halitosis - getting up close and personal can become an ordeal. Around 40 percent of us have chronic bad breath and its severity depends on things like tooth decay and bacteria in the gum tissue. Bad breath experts say 10 percent of halitosis can come from parts of the body such as the oesophagus, stomach, or the nasal cavity, and may be a sign of disease, but that most of the smell comes from the mouth. Carte Blanche Medical speaks to an international expert for some causes and cures.

A few weeks ago we introduced you to Victoria Blackwell, a successful business woman and single mom who's vowed to shed a significant amount of her 120kg body weight after two decades of unsuccessful crash diets and quick fixes. We outlined the holistic approach she's undertaking - including radical diet and exercise intervention, as well as consulting a clinical psychologist and an endocrinologist, to hear some hard-hitting truths. And not only does she have to face these truths, but also other unexpected obstacles caused by tough days in the office and at home since her on-camera weight-loss journey began. But is it working? Carte Blanche Medical brings you the next edition in a series that will document her return to form and find out what it really takes to achieve sustainable weight loss.

High cholesterol affects around 16 million South Africans. And, 80 percent of those affected fall within what is termed 'moderately elevated cholesterol levels' with figures of between 5 and 8. Derek Watts looks to be in good shape, but where do his levels lie? Carte Blanche Medical got him tested, with some surprising results. We also meet business executive Neil Swartz, who at age 52, managed to lose 7kg in 10 weeks when he realised that his cholesterol reading was in the red. Medical and nutritional experts tell us there's no quick fix. It's all about diet, exercise and stress management.

You may think you're home and dry because you're on cholesterol-controlling drugs, but they could be stripping your body of certain vital compounds. Dr Ela Manga shares her expertise with us.

Imagine a child who doesn't have a favourite food, has never experienced new tastes or food textures.... a child who has lost the ability to eat and drink. Tayden Hershensohnn was 11 weeks old when an allergic reaction to a milk formula nearly cost him his life and, at nine months, doctors had to insert a feeding tube into his tummy. By 23 months, still fed in this way, he developed Feeding Tube Dependency - a distressing and unintended result of tube-feeding in infancy. Because of complications at birth, the same thing happened to baby Gideon Ruben, whose mother had to feed him via a tube inserted through his nostril into his stomach. Carte Blanche Medical investigates how babies can lessen their psychological and physical dependency on a tube and learn to associate food with hunger. Currently, the best place to treat them is at a hospital in Austria, where an intensive, but expensive programme restores normal eating habits.

Old age is not for sissies. Failing sight is insidious - and one of the inevitabilities of ageing. Often cataracts - a clouding over of the lens of the eye - are to blame. But it doesn't have to mean blindness. Meet Malcolm Russell... at age 70, he has cataracts in both eyes and needs them removed, if he hopes to keep his sight. Malcolm undergoes local anaesthetic and talks Carte Blanche Medical through his cataract surgery while in the capable hands of Dr Joanne Miller. Modern medicine can also see these clouded lenses replaced with permanent implants, giving the elderly youthful eyes again.

Glaucoma expert Professor Grant McLaren gives Carte Blanche Medical his take on this serious eye disease - nicknamed the silent thief of sight - and explains how glaucoma can lead to irreversible blindness.

Ten years ago, 17-year-old Chris Corlett lost his battle with leukaemia. A month before he died Carte Blanche brought South Africa his story of courage in the face of this devastating cancer of the blood. His death was a life changing event for his mother, Tina Botha, who set up the Sunflower Fund - now celebrating its 10th anniversary, with a registry of 64000 bone marrow donors. It's a simple process, resembling a blood transfusion. The Fund's phone never stops ringing with new requests for healthy bone marrow donors from people who - like her son Chris once did - pray for the miracle of a matching donor. Carte Blanche Medical catches up with Tina, whose goal is for leukaemia to no longer be a death sentence.

Often when a couple can't conceive people assume that the female partner's fertility must be to blame. However, male infertility is increasingly a contributing factor - particularly as awareness of this subject expands. And the causes can be multiple - anything from alcohol consumption, steroid use, smoking and drugs, to horse or bicycle riding. Even the use of everyday plastics can play a role. Carte Blanche Medical meets Chris Dorrington, with a zero sperm count, who hopes to stimulate his sperm production with hormone injections. And, instead of hundreds of thousands of sperm cells being necessary to attempt fertilisation, all he needs is his single best sperm.

What lifestyle factors reduce male fertility? Any tips for couples wanting to fall pregnant? Urologist, Dr Shingai Mutambirwa shares his expertise on Carte Blanche Medical.

Chronically disorganised? Easily bored and distracted? You could be among 5% of the adult population suffering from adult ADHD or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. It's a chronic neurological condition that has afflicted some of the world's most inspired minds like Winston Churchill, Bill Cosby and Richard Branson. Carte Blanche Medical speaks to adult ADHD sufferers whose condition has threatened their jobs, marriages and sanity. But there are lifestyle and drug options available to improve functioning.

Victoria Blackwell recently turned 41. And, she gave herself an unusual birthday present. The successful business woman and single mom promised herself that she would shed a significant amount of her 120kg body. Since her 20s she's fought a losing battle with the scale. Her weight ballooned to just under 140kg at its worst - about a year ago. After two decades of crash diets and exaggerated weight loss quick fixes, after which she always piled on the weight again, a desperate Victoria is attempting one last avenue to restore her body and health - a definitive weight loss programme like nothing she has tried before. Carte Blanche Medical brings you the first in a series of stories that will document her return to optimum weight.

Ginger, garlic, broccoli, berries and avocados. These are some of the fruit and vegetables attributed as being able to reduce arthritis and fight fluid retention, cancers and high blood pressure by bombarding the body with potent antioxidants. Carte Blanche Medical investigates anti-ageing foods.

A decade ago a car accident, that claimed the lives of her brother and her fiance, left Phillipa Johnson partially paralysed. Her dream of being an Olympics dressage rider hung in the balance. She set out to defy the odds and went on to win gold at the Hong Kong Paralympics. Phillipa's achievements have cast a spotlight on an unusual treatment therapy for disability - horse riding. Carte Blanche Medical investigates Hippo-therapy and its remarkable effect on motor coordination, flexibility and balance.

Would you know what to do if someone you were with suffered a sudden chest pain? Knowing how to deal with a suspected heart attack could save a life. Carte Blanche Medical brings you the first chapter in our emergency response series.

Can progressive blindness be cured? US Scientists believe they have come close. LCA or Leber's Congenital Amaurosis - inherited and caused by gene flaws - means severe loss of vision and abnormal eye movements in early infancy, usually leading to total blindness by the time the sufferer reaches 20 to 30 years of age. Carte Blanche Medical visited scientists at Pennsylvania University's School of Medicine to find out about the use of gene therapy to restore the eyesight of children and adults with this inherited form of creeping blindness.