🔗 Share this article

Despite all the proven advances of contemporary medicine, certain people are drawn to alternative or “holistic” remedies and approaches. Many of these are not dangerous. As one cancer specialist observed in the past year, people receiving cancer treatment will often try meditation or vitamins as well. When such a change is alongside, and not in place of, evidence-based treatment, this is typically not a concern. If it reduces distress, it can be beneficial.

The Rise of Digital Health Figures

But the explosion of online health influencers presents problems that authorities and regulators in many countries have not fully understood. A recent inquiry into one such organization offering membership and advice to pregnant mothers has exposed numerous cases of late-term stillbirths or other serious harm involving mothers or birth attendants associated with it. While the entity is headquartered in North Carolina, its influence is international.

“For 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.

Understanding the Risks and Background

Childbirth without medical assistance, known as free birth, is permitted in countries 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 recent report found two-thirds of maternity units to be unsafe or in need of improvement.

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

Skepticism and the Spread of Misinformation

But while distrust of established systems may be rooted in experience, it has also proved to be a breeding ground for other influencers looking for 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 fuelling paranoia about official advice.

Concern is rising that such ideas are gaining more general purchase. One paper 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 organization does not claim to be a certified medical provider.

The Requirement 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 made available online and many people use these to beneficial effect. But there is also a need for protections from poor advice. It is widely understood that the algorithms used by tech companies promote more extreme content.

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