BBC were forced to pull historic Dragons' Den episode following fears over product involved
The BBC were once forced to remove a Dragons' Den episode featuring history-making product after campaigners raised safety fears.
Giselle Boxer became the first entrepreneur to ever receive an offer from all six Dragons during her appearance on the TV show back in January, but her success became shrouded by controversy.
She had managed to impress the multimillionaires while pitching her unique 'ear seeds' business, especially as she claimed they had completely transformed her life.
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The 31-year-old, from Sheffield, explained that five years earlier, she had been working for a top advertising agency when she was diagnosed with M.E (myalgic encephalomyelitis).
According to the NHS, the incurable disease - which is also known as chronic fatigue syndrome - is a 'long-term condition with a wide range of symptoms'.
The most common sign of M.E is extreme tiredness, but suffers also experience sleeping problems, cognitive and memory issues, muscle or joint pain and headaches.
Others complain of flu-like symptoms, a sore throat, feeling dizzy or sick and a fast or irregular heartbeat.
There is currently no cure for the condition, although treatments - such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), energy management and pain or sleep medication - can help relieve symptoms.
During her appearance on Dragons' Den, Boxer said that M.E had left her almost entirely housebound.
She explained she become 'unable to walk for more than five minutes without having to get back into bed' and that doctors told her she would never 'recover, work again or have children'.
The businesswoman said that in wake of this, she sought out alternative techniques and remedies so that she could start her own 'personal healing journey'.
According to Boxer, overhauling her diet and using acupuncture, Chinese herbs and ear seeds had completely turned her life around.
"Ear seeds are an ancient Chinese medicine tool, based on the principles of acupuncture, but without the needles," she told the six Dragons - Deborah Meaden, Peter Jones, Touker Suleyman, Steven Bartlett, Sara Davies and Gary Neville. "They are tiny beads, which stick onto the ear, applying pressure onto nerve endings.
"They send signals to the brain and body to relax the nervous system, release endorphins and naturally relieve pain."
Boxer said that her health journey - and her use of ear seeds - had 'aided her recovery within 12 months' and soon after, she fell pregnant.
All six Dragons submitted offers, but she ended up shaking hands with Diary of a CEO podcast host Steven Bartlett on a £50,000 investment for a 12.5 per cent stake in her business, Acu Seeds.
But after the Dragons' Den aired on 18 January this year, the BBC were bombarded by complaints about Boxer's ear seed company, which she claimed made a £64,000 profit in its first year.
UK based charity Action for ME said she had made a series of 'unproven claims' in her pitch about the product.
The organisation sent an open letter to the chairs of two House of Commons select committees explaining it was 'very concerned' about Boxer's promotion of her product, as it suggested that her ear seeds were 'responsible for her recovery and should therefore be considered an effective treatment'.
A disclaimer on the Acu Seeds website stated that the product is not used to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease, while Boxer also said that she 'never said the ear seeds are a cure', and that several methods aided her with her ME.
Both medical professionals and 'vulnerable sick people' submitted complaints saying that the product was giving M.E sufferers 'false hope', prompting the BBC to remove the episode from iPlayer.
The broadcaster said that 'products being featured on the programme should not be seen as an endorsement of them', but that it was taking concerns raised by campaign groups seriously.
A BBC spokesperson told LADbible at the time: "We’re taking the concerns raised seriously, so we are reviewing the episode and therefore it’s currently not available on iPlayer."
The episode featuring Boxer's pitch was later edited to feature a warning before it was made available to watch on the streaming platform again.
The BBC also said 'a clarification had been added to address the concerns raised' in reference to a text statement shown on screen during Boxer's pitch for viewers to read.
It says: "Acu Seeds are not intended as a cure for any medical condition and advice should always be sought from a qualified healthcare provider about any health concerns."
Olivia Burke