The clocks have gone back and I’ve just bought a pair of woolly bed socks, which means we’re either knocking on the door of winter, or I’ve turned into my nan.

Here are a few tips that have helped me keep the coughs and sneezes away over the last few winters:

• I drink lots of water, on average around four pints a day.
• Between October and March, I have 15 drops a day of Echinacea tincture, which I dissolve in one of the pints of water I drink.
• I increase my usual daily intake of vitamin C by including satsumas or clementines and grapefruit into my meals, and have a squeeze of lime in each of the pints of water I drink.
• At the first sign of a cold, e.g. sores in or around the mouth, dry or painful throat, I apply Propolis to the affected area with a ear bud until I feel I’ve recovered.
• I try to get as much sleep as my body needs.  In my case, at least eight hours.  Trouble sleeping?  This might help you.
• I get out in the fresh air as much as I can, either walking or cycling.
• I wear more layers than I need.  Better to be too warm than too cold, is my philosophy.
• If I feel like my core body temperature has dropped for any length of time, I try to have a hot bath as soon as possible.

To close, here’s a favourite “cold” track…