By John Bonifield
CNN Medical Producer

Elijah Wiertel has been sick with H1N1 flu for several days now. The 8-year-old thinks he's getting well, but would he know what to tell his mom and dad if he suddenly started getting worse? Elijah's pediatrician, Dr. Author Lavin, says parents can empower children who are sick with swine flu to help look for specific warning signs.

"A lot of times kids are actually the ones that come to their parents and say, 'I'm not feeling right. Something's not right. I hurt here. I'm having trouble breathing.' Or, 'Should my fingernails be looking like this?' Or, 'I can't move my neck anymore,'" Lavin says. "It's often the children who blow the whistle and let everyone know something's wrong."

So how can worried moms and dads talk to their sick kids about the flu? Here's how Elijah's doctor talked with him about what he should do as he continues to remain ill:

Dr. Lavin: If you start having trouble breathing, you'd tell your mom and dad, right?
Elijah: (Nods).
Dr. Lavin: If your neck got stiff and you couldn't move anymore, you'd tell your mom and dad about that?
Elijah: It never got stiff but –
Dr. Lavin: But what if it did?
Elijah: I'd tell my mom and dad.
Dr. Lavin: And then if your fingers got blue, you would notice that? You might not notice that...
Elijah: Yeah.
Dr. Lavin: You would notice that?
Elijah: I write a lot, so I have to put my hands on paper.
Dr. Lavin: They're usually pink, but what if they turned blue? What would you do?
Elijah: I'd tell my mom and dad.
Dr. Lavin: And what if something really hurts? Hurts so badly you had to cry? Who would you tell?
Elijah: My mom and dad.

Trouble breathing, a stiff neck, blue fingernails, and continuous pain in one spot are all warning signs that could signal a child's H1N1 flu has crossed the line to become a potentially deadly virus. Lavin says parents shouldn't rely solely on their child's observations to determine whether they're getting worse, but he says kids can be "a very important part of the equation."

For more advice to parents on H1N1 warning signs, be sure to check out Senior Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen's "Empowered Patient" column.

Editor's Note: Medical news is a popular but sensitive subject rooted in science. We receive many comments on this blog each day; not all are posted. Our hope is that much will be learned from the sharing of useful information and personal experiences based on the medical and health topics of the blog. We encourage you to focus your comments on those medical and health topics and we appreciate your input. Thank you for your participation.

By John Bonifield
CNN Medical News Producer

In college, I spent a summer in the Caribbean on an archaeology excavation. I remember submerging myself as deeply as I could in the ocean. I'd hold my breath as long as possible to admire the stunning underwater views of a shallow reef just off the beach at the site we were unearthing. I could never go more than about 45 seconds before surfacing for air. My lungs would burn as I hit the top of the water, gasping.

You probably know the feeling, too, if you've ever tried to hold your breath for as long as possible. Two or three minutes isn't unheard of for a lot of people. Expert breath-holders can go as long as seven minutes.

For Dr. Sanjay Gupta's upcoming documentary, "Another Day: Cheating Death," we've been taking a closer look at the human capacity to store oxygen. As it happens, oxygen is a double-edged sword when we die. Of course, we need it to sustain ourselves, but when a person's heart stops, the process of death is triggered. The body is designed to die, and to finish itself off; more oxygen is not what it wants. Get a cardiac arrest patient breathing again and you suddenly cheat death's plan. The body isn’t anticipating a new infusion of oxygen, and as the oxygen hits the cells and they begin to recover, they produce toxic molecules that are destructive.

Science is discovering innovative ways to mitigate the damage. Cooling patients down after a cardiac arrest seems to help. Chilled, their bodies can recover with less oxygen. New CPR techniques are also being utilized to keep the oxygen that's already in a victim's blood pumping through the body.

The concept is fascinating, and to make the point on television, we decided to spotlight synchronized swimmers. Their ethereal underwater dance is gorgeous to witness. They can remain submerged because there's a lot more oxygen in their blood than you might think, and they've trained themselves to utilize it efficiently. The synchronized swim team at Ohio State University is one of the best in the nation.

You'll see them featured in our program at 8 p.m. this Saturday and Sunday on CNN. When I visited the swimmers to watch a practice, they told me that although their routines sap them of air and energy, the performances actually help them to stay under longer. All that movement distracts them from thinking about how long they've gone without a breath. When I asked them to try it without moving, they still managed - impressively - some of them for more than two minutes - but it was harder, they said. Their trick: They went through the alphabet, letter by letter, associating words with each one until they could go no longer and had to surface for air.

Watch “Another Day: Cheating Death” at 8 and 11 p.m. ET Saturday and Sunday.

By John Bonifield
CNN Medical News Producer

It's a loaded issue - will health reform include coverage for illegal immigrants? President Obama has said no, with a possible exception for children, and the plans being drafted by Congress bar illegal immigrants. However, opponents say that the House bill leaves loopholes that may allow undocumented residents to benefit.

"There's no system for verification," said Ira Mehlman, media director of the Federation for American Immigration Reform, a lobbying group that aims to reduce immigration.

"On the one hand, they have language in there that says illegal aliens are not going to be eligible, but at the same time they're getting a lot of heat from the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, from the Hispanic leadership groups, that say we want everybody covered including illegal aliens," Mehlman said. "They're trying to have it both ways here. They're saying to the public, 'Don't worry. Illegal aliens aren't being covered,' and they're turning around to these special interests and saying, 'Well, don't worry. There really is no system to prevent them.'"

In July, Democrats voted down an amendment to the House bill that would have required mechanisms to verify citizenship. The Congressional Hispanic Caucus, which advocates on behalf of Latinos, said in a statement to CNN that health reform should include legal immigrants who have followed the rules.

"The issue of undocumented immigrants is a separate one that is too often used to confuse the health-care debate. When it comes to undocumented immigrants, the caucus' priority is seeing comprehensive immigration reform enacted," said Rep. Nydia Velázquez, a Democrat from New York, chairwoman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.

That's something Obama has said he'd like to see as well - immigration reform that would provide a pathway to citizenship - and legal access to the health plan.

It's estimated that illegal immigrants and their children make up about 17 percent of uninsured people in the U.S., according to recent data by the Pew Hispanic Center. Long-term estimates by the Congressional Budget Office predict that 17 million people will remain uninsured under the reforms of the House bill. Nearly half of them are projected to be illegal immigrants.

Tell us what you think. Should health reform include coverage for illegal immigrants?

Editor’s Note: Medical news is a popular but sensitive subject rooted in science. We receive many comments on this blog each day; not all are posted. Our hope is that much will be learned from the sharing of useful information and personal experiences based on the medical and health topics of the blog. We encourage you to focus your comments on those medical and health topics and we appreciate your input. Thank you for your participation.

By John Bonifield
CNN Medical News Producer

Rev. Leland Jones resigned from his church to fight in Iraq. When he returned home in November 2007, he was injured and using a walker. Ten days later his wife told him that she wanted a divorce.

Jones, the pastor of Greater New Light Missionary Baptist Church in Atlanta, was in a dark place.

Reverend Leland Jones, Greater New Light Missionary Baptist Church, Atlanta, GA.

"I felt the walls of my soul beginning to close in," Jones told an audience of health care providers, local clergy and residents during a recent forum on mental well-being hosted by the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

A therapist diagnosed the reverend with depression.

"Even though I was getting back to an integrated mindset as to how to operate in this world, everything that was important to me was no longer there for me," Rev. Jones said.

In any two-week period more than 1 in 20 Americans experience depression, according to a survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Rates are higher among blacks than whites, and yet a report by the surgeon general found that the percentage of blacks who actually get mental health care is only half that of whites.

Instead, it's the black church that's become the place for emotional triage. Rev. Jones, who is black, says too frequently African-American churches contribute to the access problem.

"Biblically we have looked at mental health as being infused with demons," Jones said. "Don't get me wrong. There are demons. But is that the diagnosis for everyone who is exhibiting behavior outside the norm? No, it is not."

Allen Carter, an African-American psychologist who has worked extensively with Atlanta's black community, agrees.

"Church is still the most powerful instrument in the black community," Carter said. "For very minor depression, talking to a pastor could be sufficient, but not for very major depression."

Rev. Jones and members of the Concerned Black Clergy of Atlanta have teamed up with National Alliance on Mental Illness to educate African-American congregations about the signs and symptoms of mental illness.

Efforts to change attitudes are underway elsewhere as well.

Dianne Young, a Memphis pastor at the Healing Center Full Gospel Baptist Church, leads a coalition of ten local congregations that are placing the black church on the front line in addressing mental health concerns.

Working with the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Magellan Health Services, the churches have created "emotional fitness centers" to help faith leaders screen for signs of mental illness when parishioners come to them for support. A licensed professional counselor refers struggling church-goers to mental health care centers when appropriate. In a four month period, the program screened 477 people and referred 315 people to professional providers.

"You can have faith and get help," Young said. "We are the only one like this, but we want to see them all over the country."

The depression that Rev. Jones experienced has spurred him to speak up.

"The first thing we need to do is literally just listen. Find out what's going on. But at the same time, prayerfully–and praying with them–find out if they will allow us to then take it to the next step if possible," Jones said. "If someone is not rational, we need to find someone who is a caretaker or a caregiver for that person. But we need to seek the help that's necessary."

You can watch Rev. Jones on House Call with Dr. Sanjay Gupta this Saturday and Sunday at 7:30A ET on CNN.

And tell us what you think. Would you go to a leader within your faith if you were experiencing a mental health issue? What would your expectations be?

Editor's Note: Medical news is a popular but sensitive subject rooted in science. We receive many comments on this blog each day; not all are posted. Our hope is that much will be learned from the sharing of useful information and personal experiences based on the medical and health topics of the blog. We encourage you to focus your comments on those medical and health topics and we appreciate your input. Thank you for your participation.

By John Bonifield
CNN Medical Producer

In the spring of 2008, CNN reported the story of Mark Windsor, a cancer patient who was dying for lack of insurance. Windsor passed away Monday after a 26-year battle with chondrosarcoma, a rare bone cancer. He was 53 years old.

"After 16 major surgeries, radiation treatments and chemo treatments, the medical profession did not have the skill, or in too many cases, the desire to work with him further," said Windsor's brother, Allen Windsor, in a statement. "Mark believed, as he stated twice on CNN, money was the biggest factor in his untimely passing. Had he received the treatments he needed timely over the many years, his type of cancer could have been controlled for a longer time span."

In the months leading up to Windsor's death, he said in e-mails that he would have liked to live longer.

"I couldn't get benefits I needed at any price until it was too late," Windsor said. "Life could have been so beautiful."

Capturing the beauty of life was Windsor's initial hope. When Windsor was just 27, doctors removed a large, cancerous tumor from his neck. Windsor thought he was cured. A few years later, he had a wrenching choice to make: pursue his dream to become a photographer and leave a good job with company-paid health insurance, or stay and stay insured.

Windsor followed his passions. He never anticipated that the cancer would return. When it did, Windsor was uninsurable.

"I wish I would have seen all this coming. I just never figured I would be turned away from health care with tumors on my spinal cord, " Windsor said. "I think I served my country well during this short life."

Editor's Note: Medical news is a popular but sensitive subject rooted in science. We receive many comments on this blog each day; not all are posted. Our hope is that much will be learned from the sharing of useful information and personal experiences based on the medical and health topics of the blog. We encourage you to focus your comments on those medical and health topics and we appreciate your input. Thank you for your participation.

By John Bonifield
CNN Medical Producer

It’s Memorial Day Weekend—the unofficial start of summer! I’m hitting the beach and taking plenty of sunscreen with me.

Many of you will be spending hours in the sun in the months ahead. Sadly this year, more than a million of you will also learn that you have skin cancer.

We all know sun blocks can work to prevent burns and disease, but how do you pick the right one?

The American Academy of Dermatology recommends using a broad-spectrum sunscreen. When we talk about sun damage, we’re actually talking about damage to the skin that’s caused by ultraviolet light: UVB and UVA rays.

UVB rays lead to sunburns. When you buy sun block that provides SPF protection, you’re protecting yourself against UVB rays. SPF indicates the level of protection.

UVA rays penetrate deep into the middle layer of your skin. They can lead to wrinkles and age spots. They can also diminish your body’s ability to protect against cancer by weakening the immune system.

Both UVB and UVA rays can cause skin cancer, but not all sun blocks protect against UVA rays. For broad-spectrum protection, you want to buy one that does.

Now, a lot of people wonder about strength: SPF 85 sounds like a lot more protection than SPF 30 or SPF 15, but the difference between them actually starts to get pretty small.

For example, an SPF 15 sun block lets in about 6 percent of the sun’s UVB rays. An SPF 30 lets in only about 3 percentof those rays. An SPF 85 lets in a little more than 1 percent.

So, you’re going to get only slightly more protection with the higher SPFs, but that doesn’t mean you should let yourself bake in the sun longer. The recommended minimum is an SPF 15.

Whatever SPF you pick, be sure to slather on enough sunscreen—a shot glass-full is about right, the recommended one ounce. Reapply frequently, especially after swimming or if you've been sweating profusely.

On “House Call with Dr. Sanjay Gupta” this weekend, we’re kicking off a three-part series called “Saving Your Skin.” We’ll tell you more about picking the right sunscreen.

Also, let us know: what are your skin concerns this summer?

Editor's Note: Medical news is a popular but sensitive subject rooted in science. We receive many comments on this blog each day; not all are posted. Our hope is that much will be learned from the sharing of useful information and personal experiences based on the medical and health topics of the blog. We encourage you to focus your comments on those medical and health topics and we appreciate your input. Thank you for your participation.