Family health

The online poll on the Irish Health website found 36 per cent of voters believe cannabis should be available to anyone over 18. The well-designed, up-to-date site also offers Irish and international health news on issues such as the child organ inquiry together with a searchable database, divided into 17 topic areas, such as child health, adolescent health, older people, complementary medicine, dental health and embarrassing problems. At www.irishhealth.com

There are thousands of health websites and it can be difficult to know where to start looking for information. The Patient's Guide to Healthcare Information on the Internet provides a comprehensive step-by-step guide to searching the Net, plus help with medical terminology, and links to medical dictionaries and reputable international health sites. At www3.bc.sympatico.ca/me/patientsguide/index.html

The Irish Medical Directory is a useful resource for patients and their families, with contact details of patients' support groups, from acne and cot death to osteoporosis and meningitis. Also with links to hospitals, Health Boards, GPs' e-mail addresses and a section on medical humour. At www.imd.ie

Teenagers can be too embarrassed to ask parents or friends about health problems. The solution is Go Ask Alice! produced by Columbia University's Health Education Program. Frank and down-to-earth, Alice answers questions about relationships, sexuality, drugs, emotional health, fitness, nutrition and general health. Search the archive of more than 1,700 previously posted questions and answers or e-mail your own question. At www.goaskalice.columbia.edu

How to get your children to eat more fruit is just one of the topics on the magazine-style website from the VHI. With common-sense advice and easy-to-navigate sections, it covers subjects such as pregnancy, seniors (sexuality, ageing, fitness etc), travel with kids and, for nervous men, details of the prostate examination. At www.vhihealthe.com