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Despite all the proven advances of contemporary medicine, certain people are attracted to non-traditional or “natural” remedies and approaches. Many of these are not dangerous. As one cancer specialist noted in the past year, people undergoing cancer treatment will often try meditation or vitamins as well. When such a change is in addition to, and not instead of, evidence-based treatment, this is typically not a concern. If it lessens distress, it can be beneficial.

The Proliferation of Digital Health Figures

But the explosion of online health influencers presents problems that authorities and regulators in many countries have yet to grasp. An investigation into one such organization providing membership and advice to expectant 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 reach is global.

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

Understanding the Risks and Context

Giving birth without medical assistance, known as free birth, is legal in nations including the UK and US. The potential dangers are poorly documented due to a lack of reliable information. Childbirth can be a frightening experience, and excellent care is not guaranteed. In England, a shocking recently published report found a large majority of maternity units to be unsafe or in need of improvement.

Criticisms of medical systems and specific, longstanding issues with maternity care are in many cases justified. A significant number of the women interviewed for the inquiry had previously undergone distressing births.

Skepticism and the Spread of Misinformation

But while distrust of established systems may be rooted in experience, it has also become a fertile ground for other influencers looking for followers to their unconventional methods and DIY ethos. During the pandemic, a “wellness” industry supposedly focused on healthy living was involved in disseminating falsehoods about vaccines and fuelling paranoia about official 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 “significantly deteriorated in the past decade”. The inquiry shows that behind the image of an rebellious community lies an operation that trains women as social media influencers as in addition to birth attendants. The organization 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. Huge quantities of scientific research are made available online and many people use these to positive effect. But there is also a critical necessity for protections from dangerous advice. It is widely understood that the algorithms used by tech companies reward increasingly sensational content.

In the UK, necessary reforms to maternity services cannot come soon enough. They should include the option of home birth and the availability of data to support women in making decisions. Ministers and organizations such as the World Health Organization should also create strategies for the information ecosystem so that evidence-based healthcare is not compromised.