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In spite of all the proven progress of modern medicine, certain people are drawn to non-traditional or “natural” cures and practices. Many of these are not dangerous. As one cancer specialist observed recently, people undergoing cancer treatment will frequently try meditation or vitamins too. When such a practice is alongside, and not in place of, scientifically-backed treatment, this is typically not a problem. If it lessens distress, it can help.

The Proliferation of Digital Health Influencers

But the explosion of online health influencers presents challenges that authorities and oversight bodies in many countries have yet to grasp. An investigation into one such business providing membership and advice to pregnant mothers has exposed dozens cases of late-term stillbirths or other severe injury connected to mothers or birth attendants associated with it. While the entity is headquartered in North Carolina, its influence is international.

“Across whole populations, going through labour and birth without professional support is associated with 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 risks are not well understood due to a absence of reliable information. Childbirth can be a frightening experience, and excellent care is not guaranteed. In England, a alarming recently published report found two-thirds 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 inquiry had in the past undergone traumatic births.

Distrust and the Proliferation of Misinformation

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

Concern is rising that such ideas are gaining more widespread traction. One paper 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 anti-establishment sisterhood lies an operation that trains women as social media influencers as in addition to birth attendants. The organization does not present itself to be a qualified medical provider.

The Requirement for Protections and Reforms

There is no turning the clock back to a time when doctors were assumed 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 protections from dangerous advice. It is well known that the algorithms used by tech companies reward increasingly sensational 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 clear information to support women in making decisions. Ministers 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.