Back in July, the Irish Men’s Sheds Association broke new ground by launching www.malehealth.ie – a men’s health website aimed at the general population, based on a template established by the Australian Men’s Sheds movement. The website, which features contributions from over 40 of Ireland’s leading health organisations, was launched with the support of the HSE and has since gone from strength to strength.

While the site’s core content – a topic-by-topic health map of the male body – is worth exploring in full, one recently added feature merits a closer look. Since September, the IMSA’s partner organisations have been contributing blog posts to the site’s resources section.

As the days shorten and drain the sky of light and warmth, it’s a good time for men to take a look at these important aspects of their health and wellbeing. The inaugural blog post from Irish Heart marked the beginning of a month-long, HSE-backed awareness campaign aimed at preventing stroke among men and women over the age of 40. It featured the startling revelation that 60% of over-45s in Ireland have high blood-pressure – a major risk factor for stroke.

Survey results from Irish Heart’s mobile health unit – a regular visitor to men’s sheds throughout Ireland – showed that two of every five men examined had high blood pressure, and that fewer men than women attended their GP when advised to do so by Irish Heart nurses. However, Irish Heart notes that “the good news is that 80% of premature strokes are preventable through lifestyle changes such as healthy eating and being active”. More information can be found on Irish Heart’s website, www.irishheart.ie.

The second update came from the Men’s Health Forum in Ireland. Its key message is that, despite the challenges and adverse statistics facing Irish men in the sphere of health, simple, pro-active measures can go a long way. Seek out the Men’s Health Forum’s Man Manual for practical advice at: www.mhfi.org.

The next partner featured is the National Council for the Blind in Ireland. Their contribution focuses on age-related macular degeneration, the leading cause of sight loss among the over-50s. Visit www.ncbi.ie for more help and support for a condition which affects thousands of people in Ireland.

Meanwhile, the page also hosts an important explainer from the National Cancer Control Programme on the nature, causes and prevention of cancer. The article highlights the importance of staying active, keeping weight and alcohol intake under control, not smoking and eating well to reduce your risk of cancer.

The transformative effects of lifestyle changes are also a key message of the HSE’s Ask About Alcohol campaign. Its blog post poses the provocative question: “In Ireland, we consider alcohol part of our culture, a way to relax and reward ourselves. So, do we ever stop to think whether our drinking is having a negative impact on our bodies and minds?”

October saw the blog return to the topic of eye health, with World Sight Day falling on the 12 October. As well as sound advice on diet and lifestyle, Fighting Blindness reminds men that regular screen breaks and a thorough knowledge of your family’s eye history are key to keeping those peepers in perfect working order.

The most recent blog posts come from Breakthrough Cancer Research (intriguingly titled “Your tight underwear does NOT cause cancer”), Get Ireland Walking and the Irish Cancer Society.

New posts are added each Wednesday. Visit http://malehealth.ie/resources/ for a weekly dose of sound advice, the latest research and a pit-stop on the road to better health. CL