🔗 Share this article

Despite all the established progress of modern medicine, some people are drawn to alternative or “holistic” cures and approaches. Many of these are not dangerous. As a cancer specialist observed recently, people receiving cancer treatment will often try meditation or vitamins too. When such a practice is alongside, and not instead of, evidence-based treatment, this is typically not a concern. If it lessens distress, it can help.

The Rise of Online Health Figures

But the explosion of online health influencers presents challenges that authorities and regulators in many countries have not fully understood. A recent inquiry into one such business offering membership and advice to expectant mothers has exposed dozens cases of late-term fetal deaths or other severe injury involving mothers or birth attendants linked with it. While the entity is based in North Carolina, its reach is global.

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

Examining the Risks and Context

Childbirth without medical assistance, known as free birth, is permitted in countries including the UK and US. The risks are poorly documented due to a absence of data. Childbirth can be a frightening prospect, and excellent care is not guaranteed. In England, a shocking recently published report found two-thirds of maternity units to be unsafe or in need of improvement.

Criticisms of medical systems and specific, longstanding issues with maternity care are in many cases justified. A significant number of the women spoken to for the investigation had previously experienced traumatic births.

Skepticism and the Spread of Falsehoods

But while distrust of institutions may be based on experience, it has also proved to be a fertile ground for other influencers seeking followers to their unconventional 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 suspicion about official advice.

Worry is rising that such ideas are acquiring more general traction. One presentation given at a medical symposium focused on misinformation, which it said had “acutely worsened in the past decade”. The inquiry shows that behind the image of an rebellious community lies an enterprise that trains women as social media influencers as in addition to birth attendants. The group does not claim to be a certified medical provider.

The Need for Safeguards and Reforms

There is no going back to a time when doctors were assumed to know best. Huge quantities of scientific research are made available online and many people use these to positive effect. But there is also a need for safeguards from dangerous advice. It is widely understood that the algorithms used by tech companies reward more extreme content.

In the UK, improvements to maternity services cannot come soon enough. They should include the option of home birth and the provision of data to support women in making decisions. Policymakers and bodies such as the World Health Organization should also develop plans for the online information landscape so that evidence-based healthcare is not undermined.