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Despite all the established advances of modern medicine, some people are drawn to alternative or “natural” remedies and practices. Many of these do no harm. As a cancer specialist noted recently, people undergoing cancer treatment will often try meditation or vitamins as well. 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 Digital Health Influencers

But the proliferation of online health influencers poses challenges that governments and regulators in many countries have not fully understood. An investigation into one such business offering membership and advice to expectant mothers has revealed dozens cases of late-term stillbirths or other serious harm involving mothers or birth attendants linked with it. While the entity is headquartered in North Carolina, its reach is international.

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

Examining the Risks and Background

Childbirth without medical assistance, sometimes called free birth, is permitted in nations 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 alarming recently published report found two-thirds of hospital maternity services to be unsafe or in need of improvement.

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

Skepticism and the Proliferation of Falsehoods

But while mistrust of institutions may be rooted in experience, it has also become a breeding ground for other influencers looking for followers to their unorthodox methods and DIY philosophy. During the pandemic, a “wellness” industry ostensibly focused on healthy living was implicated in spreading lies about vaccines and fuelling paranoia about official advice.

Worry is growing that such ideas are gaining more widespread purchase. One presentation given at a cancer conference focused on misinformation, which it said had “acutely worsened in the past decade”. The inquiry shows that behind the facade of an anti-establishment sisterhood lies an operation that coaches women as social media influencers as well as birth attendants. The organization does not claim to be a certified medical provider.

The Need for Safeguards and Improvements

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

In the UK, necessary reforms to childbirth care are urgently needed. They must include the choice of home birth and the availability of data to empower women in making decisions. Policymakers and bodies including the World Health Organization should also create strategies for the information ecosystem so that evidence-based healthcare is not undermined.