🔗 Share this article

Despite all the proven progress of contemporary medicine, certain people are attracted to non-traditional or “natural” remedies and practices. Many of these do no harm. As a cancer specialist observed recently, people receiving cancer treatment will often try meditation or vitamins too. When such a change is alongside, and not in place of, scientifically-backed treatment, this is typically not a problem. If it lessens distress, it can be beneficial.

The Rise of Digital Health Figures

But the proliferation of online health influencers poses problems that authorities and regulators in many countries have yet to grasp. A recent inquiry into a particular business offering membership and advice to expectant mothers has revealed numerous cases of third-trimester fetal deaths or other serious harm involving mothers or birth attendants associated with it. While the company is based in North Carolina, its reach is global.

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

Understanding the Dangers and Context

Childbirth without medical assistance, sometimes called free birth, is legal 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 high-quality care is far from guaranteed. In England, a shocking recently published report found a large majority of hospital maternity services to be unsafe or in need of improvement.

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

Skepticism and the Proliferation of Misinformation

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

Worry is growing that such beliefs are gaining more general traction. One presentation given at a medical symposium focused on misinformation, which it said had “significantly deteriorated in the past decade”. The inquiry shows that behind the image of an rebellious community lies an enterprise that coaches women as social media influencers as well as birth attendants. The group does not present itself to be a qualified medical provider.

The Need for Protections and Improvements

There is no turning the clock back to a time when doctors were presumed 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 dangerous advice. It is well known that the automated systems used by tech companies reward more extreme content.

In the UK, improvements to childbirth care are urgently needed. They should include the choice of home birth and the provision of data to support women in choosing their care. Policymakers and bodies including the World Health Organization should also create strategies for the online information landscape so that evidence-based healthcare is not compromised.