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Despite all the established advances of modern medicine, certain people are attracted to non-traditional or “holistic” remedies and approaches. A number of these do no harm. As a cancer specialist observed in the past year, people receiving cancer treatment will frequently try meditation or vitamins as well. When such a change is alongside, and not instead of, scientifically-backed treatment, this is typically not a problem. If it reduces distress, it can be beneficial.

The Rise of Online Wellness Influencers

But the proliferation of online health influencers poses challenges that authorities and regulators in many countries have yet to grasp. An investigation into a particular organization offering membership and advice to pregnant mothers has exposed numerous cases of late-term stillbirths or other severe injury connected to mothers or birth attendants linked with it. While the entity is headquartered in North Carolina, its influence is international.

“For whole populations, going through labour and birth without skilled support is linked to higher levels of risk for mother and baby,” according to a professor of midwifery.

Examining the Risks and Context

Giving birth without medical assistance, sometimes called free birth, is permitted in countries including the UK and US. The potential dangers are poorly documented due to a lack of data. Childbirth can be a frightening experience, and high-quality care is not guaranteed. In England, a alarming recent report found a large majority of hospital maternity services to be unsafe or in need of improvement.

Criticisms of medical systems and particular, longstanding issues with maternity care are in many cases valid. A significant number of the women spoken to for the investigation had in the past undergone traumatic births.

Distrust and the Spread of Misinformation

But while distrust of established systems may be rooted in experience, it has also become a breeding ground for other influencers seeking followers to their unorthodox methods and DIY philosophy. During the pandemic, a “well-being” industry supposedly focused on healthy living was involved in disseminating falsehoods about vaccines and fuelling paranoia about government advice.

Concern is rising that such ideas are gaining more widespread purchase. One presentation given at a cancer conference focused on misinformation, which it said had “significantly deteriorated in the past decade”. The inquiry shows that behind the image of an rebellious sisterhood lies an enterprise that coaches women as social media influencers as in addition to birth attendants. The group does not claim to be a qualified medical provider.

The Need for Protections and Improvements

There is no going back to a time when doctors were presumed to know best. Vast quantities of scientific research are made available online and many people use these to beneficial effect. But there is also a critical necessity for safeguards from poor advice. It is well known that the algorithms used by tech companies promote more extreme content.

In the UK, improvements to childbirth care cannot come soon enough. They must include the choice of home birth and the availability of data to support women in choosing their care. Policymakers and organizations including the World Health Organization should also develop plans for the online information landscape so that evidence-based healthcare is not compromised.