A row has broken out between the usually peaceful worlds of charity work and complementary therapy.

Colin Barton, chairman of the Sussex ME/CFS Society, is angry after a new shop opened in Brighton called me!

Mr Barton believes sufferers of the chronic exhaustion condition myalgic encephalopathy (ME) will think the massage, acupuncture and aromatherapy shop is specifically for treatment of the condition.

Claire Knapp, owner of the store in Queen's Road, Brighton, said she had no intention of causing confusion - or of changing the name.

Mr Barton, chairman of the 800-member ME and chronic fatigue syndrome group, said he had been contacted by people asking if the shop was a clinic.

He said: "The name implies the shop is something to do with ME, particularly as many people with the condition seek alternative therapies."

Mr Barton, who has been affected by ME since 1981, has contacted trading standards officers and the ME/CFS Society's national office.

He said: "The name me! is a lot like that of our logo on our posters."

Mrs Knapp said she had registered the name as a trademark and it was advertised for three months, as required by law, with no objections.

The meaning of the name was that of the personal pronoun rather than an abbreviation for the condition.

She said: "I chose me! because everyone is called me. Everyone says 'Oh can you do this for me or get this for me'.

"I had no intention of upsetting or confusing anyone."

The Sussex ME/CFS Society has just secured £125,000 of National Lottery funding to open an office in Church Road, Hove.

The money will help pay for a development worker and a second staff member to help people with ME. More than 4,500 people in Sussex are affected by the condition.