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Getting a cold is an inevitable part of the wintery months, and those first tell-tale signs of a gentle tickle in your throat and a runny nose seem largely like a rite of passage as we get nearer towards Christmas and the New Year. Alas, not all of us have time to put up with those bothersome traits and would much prefer the hours and days to get those last few Christmas gifts bought before everyone arrives for dinner, for those who just nodded their head slightly, we have a top tip for you – Lemsip.

An Infographic looking into the factors that make up the common cold

We’re all used to thinking of headaches, sore throats and coughs as colds most of the way through the year, but when the weather turns seasonal, we’re all quick to assume we’re coming down the with flu. But do you really know the difference between the two, and if not, how are we to get the medicine we need to effectively treat them?

Feeling unwell is one of the most distracting things in our already hectic lives. There are few points in our calendars that we wish we were suddenly struck down by an illness , so it’s always something of a bother when it does finally happen. Still, some things cannot be avoided and we have to make the best of a bad situation most of the time, but there’s nothing quite as frustrating as trying to sift through the myriad of different pain relief medications available on the market. In that spirit, here’s a helpful guide to separate those medications out and find which is best for you.

As the season draws near and everyone begins wrapping up warm for the oncoming colder weather, we become increasingly aware of the chorus of coughs and sneezes which echo around every building we step inside and seemingly everyone we meet is battling some kinds of symptom. True, these things tend to spread like wildfire and you may well think you’ve caught the flu yourself, but how do you know, and what can you do to battle it if you have influenza?

Well whatever next, we read in the news today that researchers had achieved good results in the use of Botox for the treatment of hayfever.

Botox has historically been used for the treatment of wrinkles, and more recently used to reduce muscle spasms.

This week we noticed an article relating to Calvin Lock, who had taken Ibuprofen to treat a sore throat. It is thought that Calvin then went on to suffer from a severe allergic reaction, resulting in him being put on a life support machine.  Thankfully, Calvin is now on the road to recovery.

This is an extreme reaction, but many of us do not realise or consider potential side effects when taking over the counter medicine – perhaps this is because they are so readily available these days, from places like supermarkets, petrol stations and newsagents.

Winter brings plenty of joy for the family; there are those crisp moments of aesthetic perfection where all of nature seems to have found its place. There’s days spent playing in the snow and evenings wrapped in a blanket, by the fire, watching a film. Winter brings all of these things in equal measure, but in between coughing fits, headaches and sore throats it’s hard to apply nostalgia to those moments. So what do we do? We go flocking to the nearest chemist only to find they’ve sold out of all the essentials long before you thought it correct to go and purchase them.  So you’re unlikely to make the same mistake you did last year, but what will you need?