Doctors and campaigners have complained to the BBC and MPs about “unfounded” claims in the TV program Dragons’ Den that Chinese medicine had helped a woman recover from myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), a disease for which there is no known cure.
An open letter to the chairs of two select committees was organized by Action for ME following an episode of the programme, in which entrepreneurs pitch their businesses to a panel of investors, broadcast on January 18, which contained “misleading and potentially dangerous information”.
Giselle Boxer, the founder of Acu Seeds, said she recovered from ME in 12 months using “diet, acupuncture, Chinese herbs and ear seeds”, and turned the latter into a business.
The organisations, including the ME Local Network, PhysiosforME and several support groups, said in the letter to Caroline Dinenage, chair of the culture, media and sport committee, and Steve Brine, chair of the health and social care committee: “Given the episode in issue was broadcast during primetime on BBC One, we are concerned that a wider audience will have heard this pitch, which amounts to an unsubstantiated claim that this form of alternative medicine can cure ME.”
The letter was also signed by Baroness Scott of Needham Market, who co-chairs a parliamentary group on the condition, and Dr Charles Shepherd, an adviser to the ME Association.
In her pitch, Boxer said she was diagnosed with ME four years ago and “went from working at a top advertising agency, with a busy social life and regular exercise, to being largely housebound and unable to walk more than five minutes without complaints. to go back to bed.”
She said: “The doctors told me I would never recover, work or have children again. I went on a personal healing journey using nutrition, acupuncture, Chinese herbs and ear seeds. I think using this combination has helped my recovery within 12 months.”
Boxer’s figures impressed the ‘dragons’ and she was offered an investment by each member of the panel. She chose to accept £50,000 from Steven Bartlett in return for 12.5% of her turnover, saying she was spiritual and had been told she would “meet a man called Steven and he would be very important become”.
Phil Youngs, who has had ME for 20 years, said Boxer’s story and her ear seed trade could lead to more stigma for a condition that some people already see as psychosomatic or fake.
He said: “As a community we are now being questioned as to why we are not getting better when such a simple solution exists – bearing in mind that we don’t even know what causes the disease, let alone how to cure it. .
“Imagine someone on television claiming that he or she can cure cancer, ALS or Alzheimer’s disease. They would be immediately questioned by everyone on the panel. There would be public outrage. We know there is no cure for these diseases; millions and billions of pounds are spent on research every year.”
A BBC spokesperson said: “Dragons’ Den features products from entrepreneurs and is not an endorsement of them. Dragons’ Den features real companies pitching to investors to lift the lid on what’s happening in the business world. In this episode, an entrepreneur shares his own personal experience that led to the creation of a company.”
Boxer did not respond to a request for comment.