Dragons’ Den is a British reality television business programme, presented by Evan Davis and based upon the original Japanese series. The show allows several entrepreneurs an opportunity to present their varying business ideas to a panel of five wealthy investors, the “Dragons” of the show’s title, and pitch for financial investment while offering a stake of the company in return.
It has been reported that Giselle Boxer began selling needle-free acupuncture kits for ears after being diagnosed with myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME). She said the technique had helped improve her own health. Ms Boxer worked for advertising agency before starting her business. A researcher on the show had contacted her to ask if she would like to take part.
Entrepreneur and former footballer Gary Neville was so impressed with her pitch he made her an offer in full before the Dragons had a chance to begin asking questions. She said the impact on the business since the show aired had been “bonkers”. “It’s just been a complete whirlwind,” she said.
The tiny beads are a needle-free form of auriculotherapy, designed to stimulate specific points of the ear to address physical and emotional health concerns. “It completely transformed my life alongside lots and lots of other things like diet, lifestyle changes, meditation, breathwork and movement,” said Ms Boxer. She has since had a child and claimed she was fully healed within a year. “It was like a full overhaul of my life,” Ms Boxer said. Her business, Acu Seeds, sells kits for people to use at home and made a £64,000 profit in its first year, she added.
On the Acu Seed website, we learn the following:
Ear seeds are a form of auriculotherapy, which is the stimulation of specific points of the ear to support physical and emotional health concerns. They are a needle-free form of acupuncture that have been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) for thousands of years. TCM teaches that the ear is a microsystem of the whole body, where certain points on the ear correspond to different organs or body parts. Energy pathways (or ‘qi’ or vital life energy) pass through the ear and ear seeds stimulate specific points which send an abundant flow of energy to the related organ or area that needs attention. Think of it like reflexology, but for the ears instead of feet.
Ear seeds also create continual, gentle pressure on nerve impulses in the ear which send messages to the brain that certain organs or systems need support. The brain will then send signals and chemicals to the rest of the body to support whatever ailments you’re experiencing, releasing endorphins into the bloodstream, relaxing the nervous system, and naturally soothing pain and discomfort. Some people use ear seeds alongside acupuncture treatments as they may help the effects of acupuncture last longer between sessions.
I am impressed by the lingo used here:
- support physical and emotional health concerns – the seeds support the concerns but not the health?
- a needle-free form of acupuncture – sorry, the seeds don’t puncture anything; they exert pressure; therefore it’s called acuPRESSURE.
- have been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) for thousands of years – no, it was invented just a few decades ago by Paul Nogier.
- TCM teaches that the ear is a microsystem of the whole body – TCM teaches plenty of nonsense but not this one.
- Energy pathways (or ‘qi’ or vital life energy) pass through the ear –Qi is nothing more than a figment of the imagination of TCM advocates.
- send an abundant flow of energy to the related organ or area – only if you believe in your own fictional form of physiology.
- Think of it like reflexology – which btw is also nonsense.
- nerve impulses in the ear send messages to the brain that certain organs or systems need support – only if you believe in your own fictional form of physiology.
- The brain will then send signals and chemicals to the rest of the body – only if you believe in your own fictional form of physiology.
- help the effects of acupuncture last longer – help the non-existing effects of acupuncture last longer?
One the website, we also learn what for which conditions the treatment is effective:
Ear seeds may support a broad spectrum of health concerns including anxiety, stress, headaches, digestion, immunity, focus, sleep and fatigue. Our ear seed kits include the protocol ear maps for these eight health concerns and each protocol uses between 3 to 5 ear seeds. Ear seeds have also been found to support with women’s health issues like menstrual issues, libido, fertility, postpartum issues, inflammation, menopause and weight loss. The ear maps for these issues are given in our women’s health ear seed kit bundles. The specific combination of seed placements will support your chosen health concern. Further issues that they may support with are addiction, pain, tinnitus, vertigo, thyroid health and more.
Here, I am afraid, we might have a major problem:
THERE IS NO GOOD EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT ANY OF THESE CLAIMS!
I thus do wonder whether the venture of Giselle Boxer might be a case for the Advertising Standards Authority.
35 Responses to Dragons’ Den contestant gets offer from all six Dragons for an Ear Acupressure Device
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See also: Why Dragon’s Den’s latest episode was so damaging
The ASA complaints form is here:
https://www.asa.org.uk/make-a-complaint.html
You know what to do folks.
I think we just learned that the dragons are remarkably gullible or have zero ethics and realise there’s good money in the snake oil market.
I’m pretty sure the £3 cost v £30 price tag was more of the deciding factor than the product. She was in advertising & has obviously used that skillset in promoting the product. The metal version of these seeds can be found on AliExpress between £3 – £4.50 for 200 (probably even cheaper in the quantities she buys) so 45p for a strip of 20 – she sells her refills £17/20! The “common” version on a brown plaster are under £2 for 600.
I suppose in one sense we can’t complain – the show seems to have done precisely what it was supposed to do. Select a sure fire winner and invest in it. And bullshit pseudoscience certainly does sell.
I haven’t watched it for years, my tolerance of overconfident hucksters is limited, but I don’t recall an ethics policy figuring in the brief.
I’m just going through the studies cited here:
https://acuseeds.co.uk/blogs/articles/what-are-ear-seeds-and-how-do-they-work
So far they don’t look very robust. What do others think?
flimsy and cherry-picked
e.g.:
https://edzardernst.com/2022/02/auriculotherapy-for-premenstrual-syndrome-pms-a-case-of-scientific-misconduct/
https://www.skeptic.org.uk/2023/12/auriculotherapy-why-poking-needles-into-your-earlobe-is-essentially-pointless/
many studies report postitive results but are unreliable
most studies don’t use pressure seeds
To be fair, when I fell and cracked a rib my ear definitely detected a problem and send a message to my brain – a sort of crunching sound. And my brain responded by sending helpful chemicals, mostly cognac and paracetamol.
But that’s just anecdote.
Cognac – Armagnac, even – can be good medicine.
But that’s just another anecdote.
Mostly bollocks, as far as I can see, Les: small samples, no controls, vague outcome measures, lack of clear diagnoses, all the usual gubbins.
I note, however, that she’s managed to include the Quack Miranda at the bottom of the blog post with all the links to the, errr, research.
So, do the white gold hoops I’m currently wearing in my ear lobes count as being helpful? Or do I need to go back to the more yellow, Greek gold ones? Or those nice silver and black ony studs I got in Skye a couple of years back? Or a new pair of rose gold hoops to replace the pair I lost in Harris last year? Problems, problems, eh?
I was astonished when watching the ear-seed business owner pitch her investment opportunity that not one of the Dragons asked the obvious question: Where are the double blind, randomised, placebo controlled studies published in a recognised medical journal? The only ‘study’ I could find during a quick search is linked below.
It seems Giselle Boxer made claims about her own recovery from various health issues that were not backed up with any clinical evidence during her pitch. In any event, there are numerous online sellers of ear seeds, so this was just another product in an already crowded market – nothing new here.
I have to say, this example of do-it-yourself alternative medicine didn’t persuade me to buy the product and I certainly wouldn’t have made an investment!
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6604909/
It’s capitalism – whether something works is irrelevant. All that matters is will it sell. And I’m sure it will
I have already brought these concerns about the therapeutic claims being made on both the Acu Beads Website and the Facebook page to the attention of the Advertising Standards Authority and will be writing to the BBC tomorrow (Monday)
There are several very lively and informed discussions taking place on the ME Association Facebook Page relating to all the different aspects of what has happened on Dragons Den
Dr Charles Shepherd
ME Association
The Acu Seeds instagram page (which is probably far more impactful than the website) goes far further, with claims around auto-immune diseases and all sorts of other conditions.
It is unconscionable that the BBC presented this.
could it be that these claims were made AFTER the BBC filmed the episode?
The claims go back to 2021, and continue after the episode was filmed in June 2023.
https://www.instagram.com/acuseeds/
By unfortunate coincidence Acu Seeds started just weeks after NICE published its guideline on ME/CFS with an evidence review of acupuncture for ME/CFS which found: “There was no clinically important difference between acupuncture and sham acupuncture for quality of life (SF12), fatigue (Chalder fatigue scale), or psychological status (GHQ12).”
I remember when the today program used to bring in wingnuts from right wing American think-tanks to provide the ‘other side’ to climate change scientists. That was truely unconscionable.
But dragons den comes under the light entertainment section where no-one expects any sort of truth.
The device is getting some bad publicity in the press now…
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-12995703/Dragons-Den-entrepreneur-6-offers-device-cured-reported-advertising-standards-selling-snake-oil-doctors-slam-BBC-misleading-desperate-patients.html
“Dr. Edzard Ernst, an MD and PhD who specialising in research around alternative medicines said there is ‘no good evidence’ to support any of her claims. ‘There is no sound evidence that these acupressure devices are effective for ME or other conditions. ‘To give severely suffering patients false hope is unethical; to take money from it is despicable, in my view. ‘I am disappointed that the BBC uses a light entertainment programme for misleading gullible consumers and desperate patients. I hope in future the BBC might do a minimum of research before broadcasting overt medical nonsense’.”
But in 2020, the year of the recovery, it was lunar living that helped, right? No mention of ear seeds supposedly helping though… wasn’t 2020 when the business was set up?
https://www.pressreader.com/uk/womens-health-uk/20200401/281646782186727
Update:
Entrepreneur accused of ‘selling snake oil’ claims producers recruited her to take part – as it emerges Steven Bartlett’s brother is director of her firm.
More…
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13000613/bbc-dragons-den-fake-entrepreneur-accused-recruited-show.html
Nice!
Coverage in The Times: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/b634af30-d8cb-44aa-b3ae-06435b0d313c?shareToken=494f45681e7a39ac52849f838aa57eda&fbclid=IwAR1edg5g15glGriCSChOaRjTIstI5HIJ_yoye0d0NK_TfBxNA_RusrWyBAg
thanks
I see that there has now been coverage in The Guardian newspaper too:
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/health/other/doctors-complain-to-bbc-over-dragons-den-contestant-s-claim-to-have-cured-me/ar-BB1hcvns?ocid=msedgntp&pc=HCTS&cvid=f620a490cf58481db237e71161deb970&ei=28
The response of “a BBC spokesman” quoted in the newspaper reports, seems to me to be entirely mealy-mouthed.
We know that Dragons Den agreements do not proceed simply on the basis of what we see on the TV screen. “Due Diligence” investigation takes place after the verbal agreement on-screen, to make sure that all is OK and in line with what it’s been represented to be. The “Due Diligence” process is not shown on television.
Hopefully in this case, Due Diligence may lead to the conclusion that the product is not quite what it’s been represented as.
Perhaps some good may come out of this in respect of SCAM, since Dragons Den is such a popular television show. Maybe this can raise awareness of the need for proper evidence.
I smiled a little at this, in The Guardian report:
“She chose to accept £50,000 from Steven Bartlett in exchange for 12.5% of her business, saying she was spiritual and had been told she would “meet a man called Steven and that he was going to be really important”.”
It doesn’t specify who told her she “would meet a man called Steven…”. The juxtaposition in the sentence of “saying she was spiritual” suggests, perhaps, a voice from the spirit world.
But it could be more prosaic: Steven Bartlett’s brother could have told her “Get on the show and you’ll meet my brother Steven”……
It’s in the newspapers this morning that the BBC has taken down this episode of Dragons Den because of concerns raised over this matter.
good!
What follows on from ear acupuncture? Could it be arse acupunture? Who knows Edzard may even find someone practising this therapy as he trawls the net.
Ear acupunture may not work and may even have some risks but it is EBM that needs a priority focus if you want to stop the general public going elsewhere.
The illusion of evidence based medicine. Jureidini J, McHenry LB. BMJ. 2022;376:0.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10035760/#REF41
Somebody criticized EBM!!? STOP THE PRESSES!!!!!
Prof. Ernst, Your expertise be damned, you should get on the “criticize EBM” bandwagon, to placate the trolls. I suggest a new name for your blog “EE Criticizes EBM”
It seems that the episode has been restored to BBC iPlayer, but with a content warning.
The warning reads:
“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.”
I think it would be more interesting to force them to say what Acu Seeds ARE intended for……
DavidB wrote
‘I think it would be more interesting to force them to say what Acu Seeds ARE intended for……’
Plant an Acu Seed and if no plant is produced then you may have justification for a complaint to the ASA who could refer to TS for prosecution for this company who you could claim are supplying seeds with no prospect of germination.
Should though you though by some miracle grow a plant and get a subsequent crop of Acu Seeds then you could be quids in.
There is on this blog a Mr. Björn who is a dragon from Iceland and he maybe able to help with export.
It appears that the Advertising Standards Authority are actively involved and will rule that advertising guidelines were breached, and that the BBC failed in “due diligence”:
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/other/dragons-den-ear-seeds-scandal-hopeful-likely-broke-advertising-rules-claims-watchdog/ar-BB1hzvJc?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=U531&cvid=e4f12e4d0cac4f78bec2061ece849fd3&ei=41
The BBC’s mealy-mouthed comment is exasperating: “The BBC said Dragons’ Den is an “entertainment programme which features products created by entrepreneurs but is not an endorsement of them””
Really? Really? The dragons invest tens of thousands in a product or service, but do not endorse it? How about asking each Dragon whether he or she endorses any of the things they’ve invested in? Will they say no?
The BBC ‘clarification’ apparently on the re-instituted episode on iPlayer is equally pusillanimous: “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.”
Well if it’s not intended as a cure for any medical condition, what’s it for? Who says “I don’t have any medical condition, so I should buy some ear seeds”?
There will be sneaky semantical sophistry, no doubt, about the word “cure”. They should be asked to spell out specifically whether the ear seeds are, or are not, intended to TREAT any medical condition…….
I saw most of last night’s episode of Dragons Den, the last in the present season. A married couple made a pitch to get a Dragon on board with their vitamin/mineral drink supplement, designed to augment libido. It seemed noteworthy that the Dragons homed in very clearly on the fact that there was no clinical evidence base. Perhaps lessons have been learned. The couple did not get any of the Dragons on board.