Recently there has been a lot of controversy surrounding an episode of dragons den.
The women pitching stated a combination of acupuncture,ear seeds, diet and Chinese herbs aided in her recovery from ME/CFS.
Since the episode aired there has been much debate around what she has said with many people stating that she's saying earseeds and traditional therapies have cured her ME/CFS.
I would like to highlight the fact that there is a big difference between Recovery and Cure.
In a health perspective recovery can be defined as 'the process off becoming well again after illness or injury.' It is possible for people to feel well again without being cured. Recovery means diffrent things to different people.
Many people find that traditional therapies such as acupuncture and other complementary therapies can help in their recovery from ME/CFS however this is by treating the body holistically which in turn can help in managing the symptoms of the illness as opposed to curing a disease.
Using ear seeds will not cure anything but can be used effectively in certain situations to help with symptom management, they are commonly applied by an acupuncturist inbetween appointments usually to help with pain, sleep or anxiety.
Acupuncturists usually don't charge anything to apply ear seeds as they are so inexpensive. You can buy them in bulk for little cost.
A concern of mine is that on the Episode we are told that the product costs £3 to produce but retails for £30. Of course dragons den is all about investing in businesses that will make a good profit however charging extortionate prices and marketing it towards vulnerable people when earseeds can be purchased for much less just dosent sit right with me.
We also need to bear in mind that ME/CFS is a complex health condition and while their are a lot of similarities between those who suffer with it there are also a lot of differences. What works for some people may not work for others and each individuals journey is diffrent and that's ok
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