The King of Colds Discovers a Revolutionary Defence
Broadcaster and writer Adrian Chiles has declared himself the undisputed monarch of common cold suffering, but claims to have finally discovered a prevention method that actually works. The Guardian columnist, known for his particularly severe cold symptoms, reveals the extreme regime he learned from an unexpected source that kept him healthy throughout last winter.
A Singer's Secret Weapon Against Winter Bugs
Chiles recalls the pivotal moment during a television programme last winter when he found himself in a green room with three singers. After mentioning he'd attended a friend's 60th birthday party where "half the people were players in a symphony of coughs, sneezes, snuffles and nose-blows," the professional vocalists immediately shared their cold-avoidance obsession.
The mezzo-soprano, facing crucial Christmas performances, outlined her rigorous prevention strategy that Chiles immediately adopted. Her method involved applying hand sanitiser every hour throughout winter and taking special precautions before and after social gatherings.
The Extreme Regime That Actually Works
The core of the prevention technique involves using Vicks First Defence nasal spray both before and after potential exposure to cold viruses. The singer recommended "a couple of blasts up each nostril" before attending any social event, regardless of whether symptoms were present, followed by another application afterwards.
Chiles, who describes his own colds as particularly brutal with blocked noses that resist all conventional treatments and coughing fits that forced ITV colleagues to remove their headphones during football broadcasts, decided to embrace the extreme approach.
"I was in," Chiles writes. "And I have to say, I snuffled not once all last winter."
The Price of Protection
The method wasn't without its practical challenges. Chiles admits to repeatedly buying and misplacing countless bottles of First Defence and experiencing the "dispiriting moment you realise you've sat on the little vessel of hand gel you left in your back pocket and it's now splurging everywhere."
Nevertheless, he considers these minor inconveniences "a price worth paying" compared to the misery of his typical winter colds, which he claims are worse than anyone else's and last longer with more severe symptoms.
Having previously tried everything from his mother's prescription of "boiling plum brandy fumes" to a well-meaning Irish cleaner's raw onion remedy that only succeeded in upsetting his stomach, Chiles is convinced that prevention truly beats cure when it comes to common colds.
Now, as winter approaches again, Chiles reports he's "re-armed to the teeth" with the mezzo-soprano's recommended protection and ready for battle against the seasonal sniffles.
