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Ah yes it’s that time of the year again.
Pubs, parties, family and friends getting together.
Caring and SHARING, almost certainly SHARING as we reach into that bag of crisps and it’s munch munch. Or those loose crisps or peanuts on the bar to tempt us so that THEY know with the salt content we will drink more?!
Whilst we are not too happy the next day with the hangover, we may not be able to voice our opinions, more croak them. That sore throat?
You see, what we failed to understand and take onboard to safeguard our health, is how everytime someone, including YOU; reaches into that bag or the bar snacks, you deposit bits of your dead skin and along with it; bacteria.
If you’re unlucky others might have not washed their hands after that trip to the toilet.. extra’s thrown in with that crisp you’re now crunching away at, but even if they did wash their hands how many others didn’t ? As for the door handles to and from the toilet?
So the advice is simple. Sharing ? If you want to have a reasonable chance of surviving the holidays in simple terms -DON’T.
The same applies in SHARING drinks ! DON’T ! You remember that “Here taste this it’s delicious.” Likewise food on a fork, spoon et ! What your friend has been doing with her boyfriend as she runs her tongue across her lips sipping at the spoon before dipping it and handing it to you!
So you’re unlucky and you have a sore throat, maybe coughing and wheezing.
A few practical tips on how to ease your discomfort but first here’s what you should have as bare essentials. Have you?
In your bathroom keep a hand cleanser some paper disposable towels and a FOOT pedal bin to put the towels in. ALWAYS wash your hands after going to
the toilet - use the cleanser and then the towel to dry -using your foot to open the bin and deposit the towel. DONE.
Regularly spray with a light cleaner HANDLES et including the FLUSH handle.
Got a cough thats producing flem? A little chesty? Those old pot noodle pots - wash them and keep them.  Or use a plastic disposable cup. Pour a couple of drops of HYDROGEN PEROXIDE or a light antiseptic TCP et into the bottom and add about 1/2 cup of cold water. When you cough that muck, spit it into the pot. NEVER swallow the flem as it encourages build up on your chest and clogs the airways! Clear it out- change as required.
When finished with dispose of the pot.
Chesty and wheezy ? Investing in a vapour inhaler is well worth the money, especially if you’re with older folks such as mom or dad !  Fill it with BOILING water and add 1 or 2 ONLY 1 or 2 mentol crystals into the top spout and place on a tray covering with a medium to large towel.
They need to sit with their head under the towel, breathe in the vapours. Bout ten minutes a time is fine.
You can also get FRIARS BALSAM and use that - it lines the nasal passages and helps you breathe easier. Don’t worry bout the pot getting stained by the F B !
WARNING: NEVER leave kids or those who are aged and or weak - ALONE with this !!
ALWAYS supervised by a responsible ADULT!
So you’re off out for the evening to that wonderful buffet. Over the years I’ve learned one truth. in particular when it comes to dining out, that infamous buffet food or similar ? 
Eat it at your peril.
Now why do I say this? It’s not 100% because YOU have to decide on the situation, WHO has prepared the food and so on before making a final judgement. Just remember if you don’t know the people who prepared it the chances are you’re playing Russian Roulette.
All the peeling, cutting, dicing and shredding - you just need one or two who are not so fussy re hygiene to give you a night to remember, the next day and if you’re really unlucky for the next few days.
It may not be major food poisoning but it can still leave you
feeling ill.
AND whilst on the subject of party foods et A few more words of advice on TAKE AWAYS including KEBABS and PIZZAS ! Don’t SHARE chips, bites from that cheeseburger.. kebab or pizza 
I love sharing pizza with friends, family BUT ALWAYS have someone you can trust WHO IS hygienic pre CUT slices AND use a SLICE utensil to lift out the slice and place on a plate or serviette. None of this pizza slice handed to you ‘excuse fingers’ my !
COVER the remaining pizza with a clean serviette / tissue paper et or the original box cover DON’T leave unless its being eaten in full there and then, uncovered, any pizza that is likely to end up in the refrigerator, lying on the table exposed to dust germs et.
CURRIES ah yes.. we love our curries and rice.. the next day lets reheat it and finish off what’s left ?
If you want to be ill to seriously ill GO AHEAD.. in simple terms 
What is left over from that curry takeaway goes in the BIN
NOT the DOG !
Cold to stale rice produces a toxin that can give you a really nasty stomach upset.
DRINKING alcohol - home / friends / out for the evening et
We all know holiday time it can get manic ! A ways back the glasses were GLASS but now they’re thankfully mostly PLASTIC.. but the same rule of thought applies.
When you are out in that crowd the place may start to run low on ‘glasses’. Behind the bar is that bowl with soapy water where the glass is dipped, wiped and refilled. It’s not always run through a dishwasher cos they’re waiting on it to finish or they don’t have the staff or the patience et What happens in that tepid soapy water is your glass being immersed in a bowl of bacteria / viruses
NOT good when you get it handed to you and you’re swallowing back alll the extra’s with your drink.
So here’s a tip ladies and gents.
IF the ladies are on glasses of wine and us guys on beer WE insist on keeping the same glass from earlier in the evening. NOT changing but a case of ‘REFILL this glass please’ Believe me you’ve just upped your odds against ending up a victim.
Guys or gals NEVER EVER leave your glass unattended WITHOUT someone you know who’s trustworthy keeping their eye on it if you’ve gone to powder your nose or on the dance floor. That way the sharks don’t steal drinks and you don’t end up with your drinks spiked.
DRIVING and DRINK. Preferably arrange for someone to drive you to the venue and pick you up OR whoever is NOT going to drink DRIVES. OR take a cab. Simple. There are NO excuses and the police forces make it clear.. for ANYONE to DRINK and DRIVE ! 
Likewise re your health and wellbeing - when it comes to those taking ILLEGAL drugs / ILLEGAL highs.
I’m like Sarah Michelle Gellar Prinz when it comes to those who want to take drugs.. drunk, antisocial misfits.
GO do it somewhere else NOT around me.
OK a few more last minute tips
You’ll find a vast array of pharmacy cures for this n that but most of them are like comfort foods - psychologically you think by taking them that you actually feel better and in some cases maybe some element of truth but RARELY do they work any better than a few simpler and often CHEAPER methods.
Studies, such as one conducted at Penn State College of Medicine, have found that honey can work more efficiently to calm a cough than over-the-counter drugs
I love and keep it in reserve if I get a tickly throat or it’s likely to get worse - a jar of HONEY not your usual but MANUKA honey.
Hot water a teapoon of the honey and a drop of lemon juice. TOTALLY soothing and I found it ALWAYS works far better than those throat lozenges et
Harvey Nichols sell a jar of this for about £8 http://www.harveynichols.com
EXTRA STRONG MINTS I found those WORKED better than throat lozenges et CHEAP and EFFECTIVE.
Camomile tea is also a real good aid to relaxing. GREEN tea is also recommended.
Did you know - a light salt water mouth wash is worth considering. It has been proven that BACTERIA will not grow on
salt. Why it is such a good preservative.
Final tip? I avoid doctors surgeries like the plague ! Get into the reception area of most over the season and oh yes, coughing, spluttering, wheezing and and !
OK chances are you’re out for the evening and the temperature has dropped dramatically.
Don’t be dumb by ending up numb.. ALWAYS wrap up well when going out.. that walk home may not seem far but if the temperature drops by the time you start out your body temp will also drop -
Losing, discarding or too drunk to put your coat or jacket on or simply going out in i.e a shirt trousers no jacket et before venturing home ?! http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-gloucestershire-31144623
A salutory tale to take note of.
Ladies ! Wearing heels? 
ALWAYS take a FLAT comfortable pair of shoes with you in reserve or live to regret it later! If you don’t want to change from flat shoes at the venue into your heels, get your guy to drop you off at the door to the venue et
If you are NOT used to wearing heels READ THIS!
Guys have little idea of what it takes for a female to wear heels.
Perhaps if some of them read this, they would appreciate the sacrifices made by a lot of women asthetically in some cases where they wear heels to please their guy. Don’t be pressured girls into wearing heels that you don’t feel comfortable AND secure wearing.
To quote my USA girl, falling, tearing your achilles tendon or twisting your ankle from wearing heels can be excrutiatingly painful.
NEVER ever wear heels on the night unless you are used to wearing them BEFORE the event, even in the house for short periods.
Get the fit right. Bear in mind what you will be wearing WITH your heels, tights, stockings et. DON’T buy online unless you wear heels on a regular basis and are more than confident to do this. Go to a local store, try BEFORE you buy and ensure they fit correctly.
Heel size! Your guy may drool at the thought of you wearing 6 inch heels
plus ! DON’T unless you regularly wear heels above 4 inch or have worn them and felt comfortable wearing them; CAN wear them, wear them.
Celebs like Lady Gaga spend thousands on top designer fetish style heels. Produced as a speciality item sculptured to their feet, can afford to have regular foot specialists on call, so be warned!
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