From Vernon Coleman, some great advice for anyone not wanting to be stuffed – and this applies equally to animals.

Here is an extract from the video with the questions you should ask your doctors and veterinary practitioners:

1. How dangerous is the disease for which the stuff is being given? (Exactly what are the chances that the disease will kill or cripple?)
2. How effective is the stuff?
3. How dangerous is the stuff? (Exactly what are the chances that it will kill or cripple?)
4. What side effects are associated with the stuff?
5. Which patients should not be given the stuff?
6. Will you guarantee that this stuff will protect me (my child)? If not – exactly what protection will it offer?
7. Will you guarantee that this stuff will not harm me (my child)? If not – exactly how risky is it?
8. Will you take full responsibility for any ill effects caused by this stuff?
9. Is the stuffing essential?

Finally, I suggested to readers of my book on stuffing that they should ask their doctor to sign a note confirming what he or she had told them.

`If your doctor or nurse wants to stuff you,’ I wrote `ask him or her to confirm in writing that the stuff is both essential and safe and that you are healthy enough to receive it.’

You may, I warned, notice his or her enthusiasm for the stuff (and, indeed, your company) suddenly diminish.

`Ask your doctor or nurse to give you written confirmation that he or she has personally investigated the risk-benefit ratio of any stuff they are recommending,’ I suggested, `and that, having looked at all the evidence, they believe that the stuff is safe and essential.’

How could any honest, caring, well-informed doctor or nurse object to signing such a confirmation – effectively, accepting responsibility if things go wrong?

Similarly, I suggested that parents who are worried about having their children stuffed should ask their doctor or nurse to sign a form taking legal responsibility for any adverse reaction.

I pointed out that they might find doctors and nurses slightly reluctant to do this.

It is important to remember that most of the doctors (including nearly all GPs) who write and speak in favour of stuffing are making money out of it.

On the other hand, doctors who oppose, or even question, stuffing, do not stand to gain anything but are, on the contrary, putting their careers at risk.

It is true that I’ve written a book about stuff. Writing books is what I’ve done for a living for many decades. But to be honest I wish I hadn’t written this one. Although I did my best to make it a fair book – albeit with a conclusion – it has brought me considerable amount of trouble and abuse. I have often thought about taking it off the market but decided that doing that would not stop the abuse I receive.

Daring to question the value of stuffing has led to all my books being banned in many countries. For example, my books are now not available at all in China where they had once been bestsellers.

In my book I suggest that readers ask the doctor responsible for the stuffing to tell them the batch number of the stuff. And I suggested that they keep the name of the doctor, the date and time and the batch number of the stuff. And the surgery or clinic address. Lawsuits against doctors, drug companies and the Government usually fail because people don’t have this information.