There is a nutty story making the rounds today about a woman that drank hand sanitizer, you know the stuff that you rub on your hands as a disinfectant. The people in the know about how to find alcoholic beverages in strange places apparently know that hand sanitizer is mostly alcohol…and probably do not care that it is very dangerous to drink.

The 49-year-old Maryland inmate seemed seriously sick after he drank from a gallon-container of hand sanitizer. Described as “loony,” “red-eyed” and “combative,” officials whisked him to a nearby Baltimore hospital for treatment.

But they quickly discovered he wasn’t ill — just very, very drunk on Purell.

The October incident, detailed Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine as one of the first documented cases of its kind, has raised questions about the potential abuse of alcohol-based hand sanitizers by teenagers and other at-risk groups.

“The widespread use of hand sanitizer is fraught with a great deal of danger,” said Suzanne Doyon, medical director of the Maryland Poison Center, who co-authored a letter in the journal about the case. “From an infection control perspective they are excellent, but there is this risk involved.”

Purell, which is 70 per cent alcohol, is far more potent than conventional drinks such as beer (five per cent), wine (10 per cent) or hard liquor (40 per cent)

Since the October incident, the Maryland Poison Center has received reports from five or six other adults in the state who consumed hand sanitizer because “they were looking for a buzz,” Doyon said.

A spokeswoman for Johnson & Johnson, the maker of Purell, said when used as directed, Purell is “safe and effective.”

Looking to make a change and lose some weight? I have reviewed the top diet on the internet and you can go and read over 200 comments people have made about why this diet has worked well for them, as well as some of the problems.

Tags: Baltimore hospital, Johnson & Johnson, Maryland, Maryland Poison Center, medical director, New England Journal, Purell, spokeswoman, Suzanne Doyon, The New England Journal of Medicine

Fitness training is becoming more popular every year. Many health clubs ar now offering circuit training as the only way to work out in their gym. One such place is Curves, a weight loss program that includes a gym as well as a eating plan. Circuit training is good as it allows you to do weights for strength training and also you get a chance to get a good cardio workout as well because you are doing your weight sets at such a fast pace. Two for one and a quick workout too.

The boxing bell rings and Alan Katz starts pounding away at a punching bag. After 30 seconds the bell rings again and it’s off to arm curls at the next station. In 20 minutes, he’s completed a series of cardio and strength training stations that experts say is in an excellent way to stay in shape.

The Blitz in Tampa, Fla., where Katz exercises three times a week, is among the growing number of gyms promising an express circuit workout, which involves a laid-out course of about a dozen exercise stations. The concept – around for decades but popularized in the market by Curves for Women several years ago – is finding favor with the mass of Americans who say they just don’t have the time to exercise.

“What’s beautiful about it – you’re catching everything in 20 minutes. I come out of there and I know I’ve done everything. It’s a no-brainer,” said Katz, a 47-year-old suburban Tampa resident. As a working father of two teenage girls, time is a scarce commodity.

Despite the national obsession with fitness, about 85 percent of Americans do not belong to a gym, according to the International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association. The most frequently cited reason for not joining a gym? A lack of time and intimidation, said Brooke Correia, the industry group’s spokeswoman.

“The majority of these people are open game for the industry,” Correia said.

It’s no surprise that circuit workouts – cheap, low-key and easy to understand – are popping up in strip malls coast to coast. About a third of the country’s estimated 30,000 health clubs are now express workout facilities, according to IHRSA. While Curves found an audience among middle-aged and older women, the spinoffs are branching out to other groups.

Cuts Fitness for Men, which opened in 2003, now has 90 locations across the country. With a tan-and-blue color scheme and “Cheers”-like camaraderie, founder John Gennaro said members are typically between 30 and 60 and often watch a baseball game together after their workouts.

The Blitz, a boxing-themed circuit gym, has 75 locations nationwide. This fall, president Scott Smith is planning a foray into the 18 to 35 market with a coed, military-themed version called “Commandos.”

Even major chains like 24 Hour Fitness and Gold’s Gym have rolled out circuit workouts.

One circuit gym in southern California invites the entire family to work out. At Family Fitness Express in LaCanada, Calif., members are encouraged to bring along the kids, or even grandma and grandpa.

“It’s a great first step into fitness. And it’s a whole lot better than sitting at home and watching TV,” said Richard Cotton, spokesman for the American Council on Exercise.

The appeal of a circuit workout is easy to understand. The cost is typically between $20 to $40 for a monthly membership. For those who have never stepped foot in a gym before, the routine takes the guess work out of exercise.

Tags: Alan Katz, American Council on Exercise, baseball, Brooke Correia, California, Florida, founder, Gold's Gym, International Health, John Gennaro, president, Racquet and Sportsclub Association, Richard Cotton, Scott Smith, spokesman, spokeswoman, Tampa, USD

Mom’s dieting habits can have a bad influence on the children. Some research indicates youngsters learn attitudes about dieting through observation. For some youngsters, that might mean an unhealthy fixation on body image, experts warn.

“It’s like trying on Mom’s high heels. They’re trying on their diets, too,” said Carolyn Costin, spokeswoman for the National Eating Disorder Association.

As obesity rates climb among children, health officials are warning parents about the dangers of junk food and lack of exercise. Yet few speak about parents who meticulously count every calorie that crosses their lips.

That type of obsession can be just as destructive and eventually teaches kids to weigh their self-worth on the scale, said Christine Gerbstadt, spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association.

While fathers also play a crucial a role in shaping children’s attitudes about food, research has focused primarily on women and their daughters, since females are more likely to diet and worry about body image.

One study published this year by researchers at Harvard Medical School found that frequent dieting by mothers was associated with frequent dieting by their adolescent daughters. The study also found that girls with mothers who had weight concerns were more likely to develop anxieties about their own bodies.

A study in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association found that 5-year-old girls whose mothers dieted were twice as likely to be aware of dieting and weight-loss strategies as girls whose mothers didn’t diet.

“If their mothers diet, it’s a marker of how important weight is in the household,” said Alison Field, lead author of the Harvard study and an assistant professor of pediatrics.

Even small cues _ such as making self-deprecating remarks about bulging thighs or squealing in delight over a few lost pounds _ can send the message that thinness is to be prized above all else, Field said.

“Parents, especially moms, need to understand kids watch and hear things at an early age and are like little sponges,” Costin said.

Walking the line between encouraging healthy habits and not making an issue of weight can be tough, especially with parents already bearing the blame for rising obesity rates among children.

The best strategy is to lead by example, Costin said: If a fad diet isn’t right for the child, what makes it right for the parent?

One Albany mom, Donna Choiniere, does just that. She threw dieting out the window long ago and has made fitness a part of family life. The 52-year-old runs marathons, and her 15-year-old daughter, Katelyn, is on the track team.

She tries not to keep heavy-duty junk food in the house, but does not make a big deal about it, and is OK with things like pretzels and popcorn.

On the Net:

American Dietetic Association, http://www.eatright.org

Tags: Alison Field, American Dietetic Association, Carolyn Costin, Christine Gerbstadt, Donna Choiniere, food, Harvard, Harvard Medical School, heavy-duty junk food, junk food, Katelyn, lead author, National Eating Disorder Association, obesity, professor of pediatrics, spokeswoman