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Despite all the proven advances of contemporary medicine, some people are attracted to non-traditional or “natural” remedies and practices. Many of these do no harm. As a cancer specialist noted in the past year, people undergoing cancer treatment will often try meditation or vitamins as well. When such a change is alongside, and not in place of, scientifically-backed treatment, this is usually not a concern. If it reduces distress, it can be beneficial.

The Proliferation of Online Wellness Figures

But the explosion of online health influencers poses problems that authorities and oversight bodies in many countries have not fully understood. An investigation into a particular organization offering membership and advice to pregnant mothers has exposed 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 influence is global.

“Across 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 Background

Giving birth without medical assistance, known as free birth, is legal in nations including the UK and US. The potential dangers are not well understood due to a absence of reliable information. Childbirth can be a frightening experience, and high-quality care is far from 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, persistent issues with maternity care are in many cases valid. Many of the women spoken to for the investigation had in the past undergone distressing births.

Skepticism and the Proliferation of Misinformation

But while distrust of institutions may be rooted in experience, it has also become a fertile ground for other influencers seeking converts to their unconventional methods and DIY ethos. During the pandemic, a “well-being” industry ostensibly focused on healthy living was implicated in spreading falsehoods about vaccines and fuelling suspicion about government advice.

Concern is rising that such ideas are gaining more general 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 anti-establishment sisterhood lies an operation that trains women as social media influencers as well as birth attendants. The group does not claim to be a qualified medical provider.

The Need 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 published online and many people use these to positive effect. But there is also a critical necessity for protections from poor advice. It is well known that the automated systems used by tech companies reward increasingly sensational content.

In the UK, improvements to maternity services are urgently needed. They should include the option of home birth and the provision of clear information to support women in making decisions. Ministers and bodies including the World Health Organization should also create strategies for the information ecosystem so that evidence-based healthcare is not undermined.