🔗 Share this article

Despite all the proven progress of modern medicine, certain people are drawn to non-traditional or “natural” remedies and practices. Many of these do no harm. As one cancer specialist observed recently, people undergoing cancer treatment will often try meditation or vitamins too. When such a practice is alongside, and not instead of, evidence-based treatment, this is usually not a concern. If it reduces distress, it can be beneficial.

The Proliferation of Online Health Influencers

But the proliferation of online health influencers presents problems that governments and oversight bodies in many countries have not fully understood. An investigation into one such business offering membership and advice to pregnant mothers has revealed numerous cases of third-trimester stillbirths or other severe injury involving mothers or birth attendants linked with it. While the company is based in North Carolina, its reach is international.

“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 not well understood due to a lack of reliable information. Childbirth can be a daunting prospect, and excellent 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, persistent issues with maternity care are in many cases valid. Many of the women interviewed for the inquiry had previously experienced traumatic births.

Skepticism and the Proliferation of Misinformation

But while mistrust of established systems may be rooted in experience, it has also proved to be a fertile ground for other influencers looking for followers to their unorthodox methods and DIY ethos. During the pandemic, a “wellness” industry supposedly focused on healthy living was implicated in spreading falsehoods about vaccines and fuelling paranoia about official advice.

Concern is growing that such beliefs are gaining more widespread purchase. One paper given at a cancer conference focused on misinformation, which it said had “acutely worsened in the past decade”. This investigation shows that behind the image of an rebellious sisterhood lies an operation that coaches women as social media influencers as in addition to birth attendants. The group does not present itself to be a qualified 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 published online and many people use these to beneficial effect. But there is also a critical necessity for safeguards from poor advice. It is widely understood that the algorithms used by tech companies reward more extreme content.

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