The implication from this groundbreaking research is that vocal students, teachers of voice and singing performers at any level would benefit greatly from taking “First Defence” to avoid catching colds.

Insert the spray head carefully and not too deep into the nose. Tilt the head forward and spray one puff into one nostril while holding the other nostril closed.

Adults, the elderly and children 16 years and over: One sachet every 4–6 hours as required. Do not take more than 4 sachets in 24 hours. Boots Pharmaceuticals Cold & Flu Defence Nasal Spray is an easy to use nasal spray with antiviral properties containing clinically proven Carragelose to defend against colds and flu, as well as help shorten the duration and severity of both colds and flu.” Other medicines. Some drugs may affect the way in which paracetamol works, including those used to i treat blood cholesterol (cholestyramine) and nausea and vomiting (metoclopramide and domperidone). To be used at the first signs of a cold, try our new Lemsip First Action nasal spray. It is a clinically proven medical device that helps reduce the risk of cold symptoms from developing into a full blown cold. Containing Carragelose, it gets to work in three simple steps.

But can it at least treat a common cold? That would be pretty impressive if it could. The common cold has proved remarkably resilient to anything medical science can throw at it. A treatment that actually worked against the common cold would indeed be good news. But I agree with another commenter that Adam has more to learn about human psychology than he does about statistics (perhaps like many numbers-focused stats guys). The tenor of his post is one of cynicism throughout (rather than healthy scepticism), with every effort made to minimise reporting of the positive outcomes. This actually makes many readers in turn cynical towards Adam’s conclusions (not to mention his responses to such readers) – as you can see from the comments. script>