Acu Seeds: Sheffield health firm founder inspired by chronic fatigue 'cure' to appear on Dragons' Den

A Sheffield woman who launched a health business after claiming she cured her own chronic fatigue is to appear on Dragons’ Den.

Giselle Boxer was 26 and working for a top advertising agency when she was diagnosed with M.E  (myalgic encephalomyelitis). It left her mostly housebound and unable to walk far, she said. Doctors told her she would never recover, work again or have children. 

But she says she made a full recovery within 12 months using diet, acupuncture, Chinese herbs and 'ear seeds'- tiny beads, based on acupuncture principles, which are applied to the ear to stimulate nerve endings.

It inspired her to set up her firm Acu Seeds in November 2021. She will appear seeking investment Dragons' Den on BBC One at 8pm on Thursday, January 18.

Giselle said she was not allowed to reveal how her pitch was received by the dragons - Sara Davies, Steven Bartlett, Deborah Meaden, Touker Suleyman and Peter Jones - who are famously critical of what they consider to be bad ideas.

She added: "I'm thrilled to share the journey of Acu Seeds on Dragons' Den and shed light on the transformative power of Chinese Medicine, particularly ear seed therapy. 

"My own recovery from M.E. through these methods motivated me to create Acu Seeds and offer these benefits to others seeking holistic wellness."

In the first full financial year, Giselle said she turned over £92,000 in revenue. 

Acu Seeds has built a social media following of 65,000 on Tiktok and 25,000 on Instagram, with more than 20 videos attaining between one and 15m views.

Giselle believes her entrepreneurial skills come from her late father, who passed away when she was only 16.

He was a Holocaust survivor who escaped Austria during his teenage years. He went on to start multiple successful businesses including importing gold magnetic healing jewellery from China. Giselle says this is "spookily similar" to Acu Seeds’ best selling product - 24k gold-plated ear seeds.

A spokesperson for Sheffield ME and Fibromyalgia Group stresses that there is no scientific evidence for any of the methods Giselle mentioned in curing ME/CFS (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis / Chronic Fatigue Syndrome).

The spokesperson added: "As there is no cure or effective treatment for ME/CFS it is understandable that people turn to alternative or complementary medicine such as ear seeds, which are a needle-free form of acupuncture or acupressure.

"Some studies have shown that acupuncture can give some people short-term relief from headaches and some forms of chronic pain, as well as nausea and vomiting. However, there is no evidence that it can cure ME/CFS.

"We are open to alternative approaches, however, our recommendations are limited to treatments supported by robust scientific evidence affirming their safety and effectiveness. Sometimes we feel it is necessary to warn others about highly speculative treatments and unevidenced treatments that incur significant costs and make bold claims."

Sheffield ME and Fibromyalgia Group offer local advice and support to people with ME/CFS, and their families and carers, who live in South Yorkshire and North Derbyshire.

In a statement issued after the Dragons' Den programme, Sheffield ME and Fibromyalgia Group said:

"Whilst we’re pleased to see that this business owner feels recovered from her symptoms, it is important to state that there is no scientific evidence for any of the listed methods in curing ME/CFS (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis / Chronic Fatigue Syndrome).

As there is no cure or effective treatment for ME/CFS it is understandable that people turn to alternative or complementary medicine such as ear seeds, which are a needle-free form of acupuncture or acupressure.

Some studies have shown that acupuncture can give some people short-term relief from headaches and some forms of chronic pain, as well as nausea and vomiting.

However, there is no evidence that it can cure ME/CFS.However, there is no evidence that it can cure ME/CFS and much experience among the community of people living with ME is that many alternative medicines have taken large amounts of money but resulted in no or little improvement.

It is crucial that people who are desperate to feel better are not used as a business opportunity for unproven remedies implied to 'cure' or improve symptoms.

We are open to alternative approaches, however, our recommendations are limited to treatments supported by robust scientific evidence affirming their safety and effectiveness.

Sometimes we feel it is necessary to warn others about highly speculative treatments and unevidenced treatments that incur significant costs and make bold claims.

There is no evidence that alternative or complementary medicine can cure ME/CFS.

Well-researched, evidence-based not-for-profit advice and support can be found at the ME Association, a national charity for people with ME/CFS.

We offer local advice and support to people with ME/CFS, and their families and carers, who live in South Yorkshire and North Derbyshire.