Broadcaster and writer Adrian Chiles has declared himself the undisputed king of the common cold, but he's finally discovered a defence strategy that works. After years of suffering through what he describes as the worst colds imaginable, a chance encounter with a professional singer provided him with an extreme prevention regime that saw him through an entire winter without a single sniffle.
The Cold Sufferer's Plight
Chiles makes a bold claim about his susceptibility to winter illnesses. He insists his colds are more severe than anyone else's, lasting longer with more blocked nasal passages, scratchier throats, and louder, more persistent coughing fits. His symptoms become so pronounced that family members and former television colleagues would actively avoid him when the warning signs appeared.
During his time presenting football on ITV, studio directors would famously shout 'Cans off!' to their team before Chiles' explosive sneezes could damage their headphone equipment. His search for relief led him to try numerous remedies, from various nasal sprays and drops to his mother's preferred treatment of inhaling boiling plum brandy fumes - all providing only temporary respite.
The Life-Changing Encounter
The breakthrough came unexpectedly last winter when Chiles found himself in a television green room with three singers: a Ghanaian heritage rapper, a major pop star, and a renowned mezzo-soprano. When he mentioned attending a crowded pub function where half the guests were displaying cold symptoms, the performers reacted with both alarm and enthusiasm.
The singers, whose livelihoods depend on maintaining vocal health, engaged in what Chiles describes as a 'feverishly enthusiastic discussion' about cold prevention. It was the mezzo-soprano, facing crucial Christmas performances, who outlined her rigorous protective routine that captured Chiles' attention.
The Mezzo-Soprano's Extreme Regime
The singer's method involves two key components that Chiles has now fully adopted. First is the rigorous application of hand sanitiser every hour throughout the winter months. The second, more novel approach involves strategic use of nasal sprays like Vicks First Defence.
Her protocol requires two blasts of the spray up each nostril before any social gathering, regardless of whether symptoms are present, followed by another application after the event. Chiles admits the approach seemed extreme but was immediately taken with the logic, particularly given his vulnerability to respiratory infections.
The broadcaster has embraced this dual approach wholeheartedly, despite some practical drawbacks. He notes the inconvenience of constantly misplacing and repurchasing bottles of nasal spray, and the occasional mishap of sitting on hand sanitiser containers left in back pockets. Nevertheless, he considers these minor inconveniences compared to the benefit of remaining cold-free throughout last winter.
Now, as another British winter approaches, Chiles has rearmed himself with his preventative arsenal, ready to implement the singer's advice once again. His personal experience suggests that for those particularly susceptible to winter colds, an ounce of prevention really is worth a pound of cure.
