Let me begin by wishing all my readers a Happy New Year. May 2009 bring peace in our island, prosperity for our people and good health for you and your family.

I have been writing this weekly column for the past five years, with the intention of putting a smile on your faces as you read your Sunday papers. I have written about a variety of topics – from One Day International cricket matches in Dambulla to cricket played by our neighbourhood boys using an old pakis-pettiya for a wicket, from Uncle Tarzie’s fear of cholera injections to my pal Tiny’s scheme for bumping off our maths master when we were in Grade Two, from my army sergeant who decided to become a Buddhist monk to how the old colonel’s wife developed appendicitis. So I was pleased when Vijitha Yapa decided to publish sixty of these articles in a book – and even more pleased when the book itself, entitled FRIENDS, was launched by the publishers last month. Being a first time case, I find it extremely gratifying to walk into a bookshop these days and see MY book displayed on the shelves!

For the New Year I thought I write about something different. Since the economy all over the world took a hammering last year and not even the best Central Bank economists can predict whether investments will go up or down during the coming year, I realised that the best advice about investing is what one of my old friends told me.

"The best investment a man can make, "he observed, "is investing in his own health. Banks may go bust, share prices may fall – but if you actively invest time and money to keep yourself in good health, you can continue working and providing for your family as you get older. Spending to stay in good health is one of the best investments anybody can make."

So during 2009 I will use this column to write about men’s health matters – because whichever way you look at it, Men’s Health does matter to all of us. If a man keeps himself in good health, it is beneficial for himself, for his family, for the community – and also for the country.

Men’s Health includes not only matters affecting the male reproductive organs such as Erectile dysfunction, Testicular cancer and Prostate disease – but also conditions like heart disease and diabetes, where the important thing is to get men interested in preventing these and managing them properly.

Men in the 21st century have poorer health outcomes compared to women. In most societies male life expectancy is about five years less than for females. Men are prone to ignore warning symptoms and deny health problems - and so die prematurely from heart attacks, kidney failure and cancer. The typical male in most cultures is brought up to deal with problems without asking for help (with the result that he doesn’t readily seek medical advice) and to not let pain or discomfort show (which means he ignores signs of ‘Dis-ease’).

Two problems when it comes to men’s health are to get men to seek medical advice when they develop symptoms, and to present for a regular check-up. If males can be taught to see their doctors for an annual check up, similar to the manner in which they take their cars for a regular service, then obviously the incidence of ‘breakdowns’ in Sri Lanka will be far less than it is now!

Since most people remember their own birthdays, a useful method is to arrange a check up during the month of your birthday. In addition to a basic clinical examination you should also have measurement of your "Four Bees" – Bara (weight), Bada (waistline), Blood pressure and Blood tests for glucose (blood sugar), lipids (cholesterol) and liver function. Further examinations and investigations may be indicated depending on the particular situation.

So why not, dear readers, make a new year resolution to take better care of your (or your husband’s ) health?