Dr. Sanjay Gupta Jumps in the Arctic Ocean to Prove a Point

First he contracted swine flu in Afghanistan, now CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta is taking one for the team by jumping into the Arctic Ocean to test a medical theory.

Gupta has a jam-packed evening in New York tonight — he’s taping “The Colbert Report” then heading to the 92nd Street Y promoting his new book, Cheating Death. The book and a companion documentary are all about people who’ve survived extraordinary medical emergencies. It’s the first doc from new senior EP of CNN’s Health, Medical & Wellness unit Roni Selig.

For “Another Day: Cheating Death,” Gupta traveled to Norway to talk to an E.R. physician, who as a young medical school student, survived several hours in freezing water. She recovered despite her body temperature dipping to 56F. Her story supports the growing medical theory that, in some cases, hypothermia may actually help save lives since it allows the body’s metabolism to slow down enough to repair other damage.

And in taking one for the team, the recovering swine flu victim, even took a dip in the Arctic Ocean to demonstrate how quickly the body can become hypothermic.

“Another Day: Cheating Death,” premieres on CNN Saturday at 8pmET/PT. The book is out this week.

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