By SUSAN ASCHOFF and Times wires
Published July 29, 2003
MEDICAL MIRACLES is the way the Fox network is touting an hour-long special Thursday on people who survived "impalement, ingestion and insertion" of foreign objects, thanks to the resourcefulness of their doctors.
101 Things Removed from the Human Body, airing at 9 p.m., features a boating accident which occurred in Florida nine years ago. Maurice Cullinane of Maryland was cruising for a good fishing spot near the tip of Anna Maria Island with two friends. The boat hit a wave, and the anchor flipped and lodged in the back of Cullinane's skull. The anchor was removed after seven hours of surgery at Bayfront Medical Center, according to St. Petersburg Times files.
In cases presented on 101 Things, surgeons will detail how they proceeded on these once-in-a-lifetime medical catastrophes, and 3-D animation will illustrate what goes - or went - where.
ZAPPING DENTURES in the microwave can kill bacteria which soaking or brushing miss, according to a study published in General Dentistry, the journal of the Academy of General Dentistry.
Bacteria on dentures can cause a fungal infection of the mouth characterized by white or red sores, bleeding, swelling and burning.
But by combining soaking in an over-the-counter product with a two-minute microwave blast, denture wearers can eliminate most bacteria, says the study.
About one-fifth of adults over 50 wear some kind of dentures, which are made of porcelain and acrylic and worn when broken or decayed teeth must be removed.
To microwave complete dentures, follow these steps (partials probably contain metal, which cannot be microwaved):
Place dentures containing no metal in a microwave container at least twice as tall as the dentures, with vents in the cover.
Fill container with water and drop in one cleaning tablet.
Place paper towel over container to catch excess fluid.
Microwave on high for two minutes.
Allow dentures to cool completely, then rinse and wear.
Denture wearers should check with their dentist if they have questions about whether the cleaning method is safe for their set of teeth.
BOTTLED-UP ANGER literally can make your head throb.
Researchers at St. Louis University School of Medicine found that people who suffer from chronic headaches, after weeding out those who were battling depression and anxiety, are "anger-in" types who tend to suppress feelings of rage, the Los Angeles Times reports.
"Just like some people get ulcers and some grind their teeth, some people get headaches. Anger has to come out somehow," Dr. Merle Diamond, associate director of the Diamond Headache Clinic in Chicago, said in response to the findings.
The St. Louis study found that anger in general didn't seem to make a difference - it was what people did with their anger.
Anger already has been implicated in health ills from ulcers to high blood pressure and, more recently, arthritis and backaches, the Times reports. Relaxation breathing is frequently recommended to release tension.
But Diamond suggests that more vigorous activities, such as tae kwon do or kickboxing, would be more effective.
