Q. My son hates going back to school after the freedom of the holidays. Also he often ends up with head lice or a sore throat thanks to at least one of his schoolmates which just makes things worse. What can I do to get him to go back more willingly and keep him clear of bugs and beasties?

A. Going back to school is always a traumatic time for kids, both boys and girls, as they face the challenges of the year ahead, but yes, there are gentle remedies that can help.

Passiflora is a wonderful herbal remedy that may help to calm frayed nerves. If your son just lacks a little self confidence, you could try Indigo Essences, gentle essences, which are made in Ireland and help transform negative emotions such as shyness or low self esteem into positive ones.

Head lice are all-to-common undesired guests. As only one in five people with head lice have an itchy scalp the best way to find out if your family has them is by regular checking! How do you get rid of them? You want something that is gentle but also effective at ridding your life of lice. Neem shampoo is a natural head lice repellent that contains Neem seed extract, which is both gentle on the scalp and superbly effective. The beauty of it is that it doesn’t just get rid of the lice but also the eggs, which most chemical shampoos can’t do.

Children who are well nourished will have stronger immune systems and will be better able to throw off infections. It is not healthy to be overly protected from bugs and beasties – the immune system needs some challenges in order to mature. Feed your child well, make sure they run about in the fresh air regularly, and don’t worry about the occasional cold or runny nose. Turning the central heating up and dosing them with antibiotics will just weaken their immune function in the long term.

If your child is healthy all summer and then picks up a bug the minute he returns to school you can give them Echinacea and Vitamin C to help prevent them falling ill.

Sage is a very effective natural remedy to treat sore throats.