many, many years covering this war and other stories. they know the region. they're going to be with us to break down what is happening in iraq, how it came to be, and what happens now. also just how dangerous this situation has become. do be sure to join us top of the hour 5:00 eastern, in the meantime i'm michael holmes at the cnn world headquarters in atlanta. >> and i'm ana cabrera in new york. right now keep it right here for "sanjay gupta, m.d." hey there, welcome to a very special edition of "sg md," i'm reporting from india all this week you can see the taj mahal behind me. beautiful. one of the seven wonders of the world. people come from all over the world to visit as you can see. it was built by an emperor and dedicated to the love of his life. it took an army of more than 20,000 artisans and architects more than 20 years to build. it was completed in 1653. i'll be showing my three daughters this for the first time.

ahead a story i can't wait to show you about a paralyzed soccer player who is kicking off at the world cup literally. you'll see this paralyzed person walk across the field and kick a soccer ball. how is this possible? let me give you a clue. it involves a mind control. also i love spicy foods. some of it can be quite good for your health, but how do you know which one? i decided to put together a guide today, spicy food as med sin. first earlier this week i was in pakistan where there's been this wave of awful violence it started with a big attack in the airport in karachi and i was sleeping not far away. my crew and i were woken up at about 1:00 a.m. there doesn't appear to be the passengers themselves, passengers waiting or arriving were targeted or any of them, of course, involved in the attack. grenades launched and suicide bombers and 30 people were killed and it lasted more than five hours coming to a stop just around the time of morning prayers and within a day cnn was coving yet a second wave of

attacks. i've seen this type of violence in so many places around the world and i've also seen how harmful this type of instability can be on the health of a nation. case in point the international campaign to wipe out polio. this area is one of the last parts of the world where this is still a problem. i've seen it first hand on one of my previous trips to india ten years ago. i spent time then with health care workers who were going door to door giving out drops of polio vaccine. this is northern indian and you can see some of the conditions here that might lead to the spread of polio, first of all the water. you can see how dirty it is. where are we going here? >> the household of the family. >> we also stopped at a clinic where a nurse was tending to a line of small children. first, a shot to prevent tetanus, diphtheria and whooping cough. and then the polio drops. to be effective the child needs to get the drops on at least

four separate occasions. it will take millions of dollars and people as well, what it comes down to is going house to house and taking these children and make sure they get the polio vaccine and then documenting in chalk outside their house the name of their house and the date which they were immunized, that's going to be the strategy to once and all eradicate polio from the world. at that time it was a big problem in india, but not now. there have been no new cases reported in three years. 99% of polio in the entire world has been wiped out, but it has recently made a comeback, most alarmingly in pakistan, that's the country i just left. and a big reason for that is that violence and also the threat of violence that targets health care workers. they call these people stoppers. as in stopping polio. you go door to door? >> yes. >> and when you go, and you knock on somebody's door and they answer, what do you say to them? >> when someone doesn't answer, i go back.

>> you'd think they'd be welcomed, protecting people against a virus that leaves children paralyzed or dead, but lately it's become dangerous work. >> we're attacked by lone gunmen. >> last year i spoke with a stopper who was shot and nearly killed near karachi. >> we just saw two guys on a motor bike. they just crossed us and started shooting at us. one guy was wounding two people in the hand. he was just shooting. >> when you turned around and started fleeing, were they pursuing you? they were trying to kill you? >> they were trying to kill us. >> they survived, but he took a bullet to the abdomen and spent months recovering. since then the attacks have only become more common. more than 30 health care workers killed in just the past two years. >> law and order situation is not good over here. because of this, they are feeling fear, and they can't reach every child at their

homes. this is the major problem. >> as i saw this week, violence is a threat even in pakistan's most developed cities. a report from the global coalition working to eradicate polio calls the situation here dire. polio, like other diseases, thrives on chaos. last year the virus spread from pakistan to syria, where an outbreak took hold in the midst of a civil war. another big polio trouble spot is nigeria which has been fighting off the boca haram terrorists. all told polio is still paralyzing children in ten countries. despite the dangers here in pakistan, the stoppers will be out in full force again this week with bravery and fresh determination. constone is no longer in pakistan but he is still on the job. what about your own safety? >> i know for sure god will save me.

he's ready for the battle to save the children and make sure that polio is eradicated from the world. >> and many of the health care workers i have met, they're also angry about this episode they have said that made things even worse. this is quite a story you may not know but when u.s. forces tracked down osama bin laden two years ago, they were helped by a local doctor who was running a vaccination campaign. now, these weren't polio workers per se, but nevertheless many workers think it made them even more of a target for radical fighters. just imagine that. you're trying to help others, and you're coming under attack yourself. well, just last month the white house made public a letter which specifically spells this out -- the cia will not use vaccination campaigns as a cover for spying or for military operations. that's the promise. we'll see what happens. still a lot of trust to win back. one thing i should point out is the world health organization recommendation that anyone who leaves the country of pakistan be vaccinated against polio and

provide that documentation. well, next, i'm going to shift gears from the taj mahal you see behind me this monument of love to another object of passion and this is one for hundreds of millions of people around the world. of course, it's soccer. the amazing medical breakthrough behind the kickoff at this year's world cup. stay with us. (train horn) vo: wherever our trains go, the economy comes to life. norfolk southern. one line, infinite possibilities.

welcome back to a very special edition of "sg md" from india. that's the taj mahal behind me. now, no matter that india's team did not make the tournament in this year's world cup. everyone is still talking about soccer. in brazil the games are already under way, but for me i'll tell you the biggest thrill so far was the ceremonial kickoff. i don't know if you heard about this, but it is the culmination of some amazing work that i've been following now for the past two years. this man is paralyzed and only able to walk with the help of

this mind controlled exo skeleton. >> this is like a robotic vest the two legs that a paraplegic person could wear. >> the exo skeleton is the brainchild of dr. miguel miklalis, i first met aim at his duke university lab a year and a half before the world cup. what are we looking at here? >> this is actually a brainstorm. >> by brainstorm you mean a burst -- >> a burst of electrical signals coming from hundreds of neurons over time. this is the alphabet of the brain. >> and the alphabet becomes a language roughly translated that can be understood by the exo skeleton. paper thin electrodes transmit signals from the brain allowing it to communicate with the exo skeleton and make it move. >> you can read the signals and send them to devices and these devices will move according to the voluntary motor intention.

what we see here is the first prototype. >> when i visited the exoskeleton was working well with primates, the true test on the world's biggest stage would be an exoskeleton controlled by a human. with just days before the world cup opening ceremonies, the team were working furiously. >> we're in a race to try to get that demonstration going. >> you see it's not just about walking, but coordinating brain signals, muscle movements and spinal cord activity, and having all of that end with a kick. according to the doctor, the exoskeleton's next steps could be even more stunning. helping all kinds of patients who are immobile. >> somebody who is quadriplegic, for example. >> yes. or somebody that is quadriplegic, somebody with als,

people with other neu neurodegenerative disorders. in our lifetime we'll be walking new york or sao paulo and we will see a person walking on the street that could not walk before. in our lifetime we will see that. >> kind of gives me shivers. >> me, too. yeah, i've been waiting for that for 30 years, so i think we will be able to see it. you see something like that and, of course, it gives you hope, i mean, how can it not? but also part of the reason i wanted to share this story was because we all got a jolt this week when we heard that amy van dyken the six-time olympic swim medalist severed her spine in an atv accident and lost the use of her legs. the long-term prognosis isn't clear for her whether she has a chance of even walking again, but she's not giving up. in fact, she sent a photo of herself with a big smile on her face. but for amy and countless others, there is this woman out

there who is trying to help by drawing on her own tough experiences. at 14 years old, sabrina cohen was your average teenager. she was building a social life simply trying to fit in. so, when a few older boys offered sabrina and her friends a ride to a party, they jumped at the chance. >> i just remember being concerned with things like not putting my seat belt on because i wouldn't have looked cool. >> getting into that car and not buckling up was a decision that would cost her dearly. >> within minutes they took off drag racing down one of miami beach's most dangerous streets about 90 miles per hour. the other car lost control, hit the car that i was in. we hit a tree. and i instantly became a quadriplegic. >> sabrina spent the first several months in denial. >> you know, i was more, like, i'm going to work out and i'm going to walk again. >> it wasn't until she saw others with her condition that the reality set in. after several months of grueling rehab and soul searching, sabrina decided to use her

experience to help others. >> my principal approached me and said to me, would you do our school a favor and talk to the seniors about reckless driving and that was -- that was the start of my mentorship in public speaking and motivational speaking. >> she graduated at the top of her class from high school, on time. then she went on to get a dual degree in advertising and psychology from the university of miami. a few years after college, she started the sabrina cohen foundation. >> my focus now is to basically allocate funds to people who can't afford to get the best therapy. >> she says leading by example especially when talking to children is key. >> i think i am an example that life can go on, and you can live a full life as i do. >> that's a great story, an amazing one, and also among other things a reminder you obviously need to wear your seat belt. now, this week i spent a lot of time on the road. india's a big country.

when i travel, identify always try and eat like the locals, the food, one of the best things about this country. the same goes for my friend anthony bourdain, in fact, we've got some tips on all this for you. that's next. [ female announcer ] there's a gap out there.

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well, reporting from india today as you can see behind me, the taj mahal, one of the seven wonders of the world. one of my favorite things about traveling in india is the food and i recently spoke with my good friend and fellow traveler anthony bourdain, host of cnn's

"parts unknown" he knows a thing or two when trying to eat on the streets. welcome to the program. i'm a huge fan of yours. i love the program. it's a fascinating job. i'm jealous at times to see those places that you go. how do you pick? >> i literally i sit around looking at a map with my camera people and we talk about where -- where's interesting, where can we go that we've been before and tell a story in a new way or where can we go that we've never been before. how can we look at places we think we know about in a different way. and also sometimes as simple as what would be fascinating and fun for us. if i'm not having fun, i see no reason for anyone else to have fun. >> right. are there certain foods when you go into these places, because you have such a variety of things, you go to a place like vietnam, how do you select what you want to share with the viewer? >> the thing we're always looking for first when we visit

a place is we'll ask locals what's the food you're proudest of, the food that if you were away from home for a few months that you would miss most ferociously. the sort of -- the most typical, everyday, beloved thing that expresses your personality, your personal history, your past. >> how many days -- when you're in full shooting mode, what is your travel schedule like? how often are you traveling? >> generally speaking for about the last decade or so i've been traveling about six to nine months out of the year. >> wow. >> generally about three weeks of travel per month. >> i'm sure you have routines. i mean, a travel a lot, not as much as you do, but you develop routines on the road just in terms of your own health starting off with staying fit. do you exercise on the road, and how do you find it in all these different places? >> i try to pace myself. a real rule of thumb that we all

follow on the crew is if the local people are eating it and a lot of them are eating it, meaning, if it's a street stall, it doesn't look particularly hygienic but it's packed with people all of them enthusiastically eating something unidentifiable and we'll eat that and we'll eat it with gusto and chances are it will be good and there will be no payback. we've found over many years experience that you are far more likely to get ill from the breakfast buffet at the western-style hotel or the tourist friendly restaurant that tries to be everything for everybody. you can have the local specialty but also nachos, that's -- that's going to be a problem. >> do you take anything ahead of time to -- i mean, vaccines, i guess, just the routine ones, i imagine. anything else just in terms of your stomach, things you do to protect yourself? >> extra time in the bathroom will happen, other than, you know, something to moderate that, we bring powerful antibiotics or cypro or

something like that if someone does get really badly poisoned but it almost never happens. india being an example of places i've been many times, we just filmed in pun jab punjab, the food is excellent, i've never been ill in india and i've always eaten well. and that's a place i never have any worries. >> you're talking about the deli belly, of course, which some people have suffered from and will know what i'm talking about. anthony bourdain, thanks -- it goes without saying, i'm a big fan and just love having you here and will continue to watch. thank you. >> thanks. it was fun. >> thank you. what immediately hits you when you're here is the rich spiciness of the food and those spices aren't just about flavor, they're also about your health. i'm here in the spice market of old deli and it's just filled with these distinctive smells, something that i grew up with. my mom cooked a lot of indian food in the house and served it to us and often with a healthy

dose of it's good for you, well, it turns out mom may have been right. decades of research now show the benefits of these spices. take these cumin seeds, for example, that's a really distinctive indian flavor and also in mexican food and it could help potentially with digestion and the active ingredient in some asthma medications as well. something else you see in a lot of indian food red hot chile peppers. for a lot of people that makes you cringe right away just thinking about it but even if you don't want the added kick to your food you can take the active ingredient known as capasaicin and they use it in creams to hem alleviate pain. what about this, turmeric, this may be one of the most potent anti-oxidants around and been help boost brain power and help ward off alzheimer's disease. this i may take home with me simple ginger but an important spice when it comes to your health especially when it comes to warding off nausea and motion

sickness something that you may know i'm prone to getting. but the point is your food can be your medicine. it's a motto i live by and you can as well. here's a little tidbit from an indian, my favorite indian dish is cottage cheese and peas. the food isn't the only thing that's hot around here. the thermometer hit nearly 120 degrees this week. you can tell by looking at my face. sometimes it's just impossible to stay cool, so the single most important thing you can do anywhere in the world. stay with us. on my count. the one where you step up and save the day? make it happen. (crowd) oh no... introducing verizon xlte. hey guys, i got it right here! we've doubled our 4g lte bandwidth in cities coast to coast. so take on more. with xlte. for best results, use verizon. you wouldn't have it she any other way.our toes.

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maxwell house. trwith secure wifie for your business. it also comes with public wifi for your customers. not so with internet from the phone company. i would email the phone company to inquire as to why they have shortchanged these customers. but that would require wifi. switch to comcast business internet and get two wifi networks included. comcast business built for business. the temperatures here in northern india are something we haven't seen in a long time, haven't had a heat wave like

this in nearly two decades. temperatures getting up to 120 degrees. you can see the taj mahal behind me here. people walking around in this heat is very, very challenging for them. the smart ones are back here as you can see in the shade trying to do anything to try and stay cool. but i can tell you this is no joking matter. it's astonishing how quickly your body temperature can rise. you develop crams. you start to develop heat exhaustion and even heat stroke. the single most important thing you can do, this is very important, is to stay hydrated. we talk about this all the time. if you wait until you're thirsty, you've waited too long. make sure you are drinking kontion stantly. and take your weight in pounds and divide it in half, that's the number of ounces of water you should be drinking. you weigh 200 pounds it's 100 ounces. a couple other things you can do. check your pulse. it will rise 30 beats for every temperature rise of 1 degree celsius. pretty incredible. again, a huge impact. and keep in mind, if you stop

sweating, i haven't done that yet, but if you do, that means your body's cooling system has already malfunctioned. as i mentioned i'm at the taj mahal and my daughter rebecca and my three daughters, and we're going to take our water and see the taj mahal. that's it for "sg md." we'll see you next week. say good-bye, girls. >> it's so hot. hello, everyone, you're in the "cnn newsroom." i'm michael holmes here at cnn world headquarters in atlanta. now, for the next 60 minutes here on cnn, no newscast or not as you know it anyway. what we've got is a plain language discussion about a part of the world that american and coalition forces worked, fought and died to rebuild and stabilize. we're talking about iraq, of course, and it is falling apart again. happening so fast the rest of the world can barely keep up.