BBC forced to pull Dragons Den episode over safety fears of product that made history

The BBC have been forced to take down a Dragons Den episode featuring a product which made history on the show amid safety fears.

The fiery multimillionaires were fighting to throw their cheque books at Giselle Boxer when she appeared on the hit programme to pitch her 'ear seeds' business, but the effectiveness of her product has since been thrown into disrepute.

The 31-year-old, from Sheffield, ended up making history after walking through the infamous lift doors and receiving a record-breaking six offers.

During her pitch, she explained that while working for a top advertising agency as a fit and active 26-year-old, she had been diagnosed with the incurable disease, M.E (myalgic encephalomyelitis).

According to the NHS, M.E, which is also known as chronic fatigue syndrome, is a 'long-term condition with a wide range of symptoms', but the most common one is extreme tiredness.

Other symptoms include sleeping problems, cognitive and memory issues, taking a long time to recover after physical activity and still feeling tired after resting or sleeping.

Some sufferers also experience muscle or joint pain, headaches, a sore throat, flu-like symptoms, feeling dizzy or sick and fast or irregular heartbeats (heart palpitations).

BBC

M.E is incurable and treatment only aims to relieve symptoms - with the NHS recommending that people try cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), energy management and pain or sleep medication.

While trying to entice the six Dragons - Deborah Meaden, Peter Jones, Touker Suleyman, Steven Bartlett, Sara Davies and Gary Neville - to invest in her company Acu Seeds, Boxer claimed that she had been left mostly housebound and 'unable to walk for more than five minutes without having to get back into bed'.

She said that doctors had informed her that she would never 'recover, work again or have children', prompting her to go on a 'personal healing journey' using diet, acupuncture, Chinese herbs and ear seeds.

The businesswoman explained: "Ear seeds are an ancient Chinese medicine tool, based on the principles of acupuncture, but without the needles. 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 had 'aided her recovery within 12 months' and soon after, she fell pregnant.

She was looking for a £50,000 investment in return for a 10 percent chunk of her business, but ended up shaking hands with the Diary of a CEO podcast host Steven Bartlett for a 12.5 percent return.

However, Acu Seeds is said to have been reported to the Advertising Standards Authority since the episode aired on 18 January, due to the 'unproven claims' which Boxer shared in her pitch.

BBC

UK based charity Action for ME 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 states that the product is not used to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

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 Dragons Den 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.

Controversy regarding Boxer's product also erupted on social media.

A BBC spokesperson told LADbible: "We’re taking the concerns raised seriously, so we are reviewing the episode and therefore it’s currently not available on iPlayer."