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Despite all the established advances of contemporary medicine, some people are drawn to alternative or “natural” cures and practices. A number of these do no harm. As a cancer specialist observed in the past year, people undergoing cancer treatment will frequently try meditation or vitamins as well. When such a practice is alongside, and not instead of, evidence-based treatment, this is usually not a problem. If it lessens distress, it can be beneficial.

The Proliferation of Online Wellness Figures

But the proliferation of online health influencers poses problems that authorities and regulators in many countries have not fully understood. An investigation into a particular business providing membership and advice to expectant mothers has exposed dozens cases of third-trimester stillbirths or other severe injury connected to mothers or birth attendants linked with it. While the company is based in North Carolina, its reach is international.

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

Understanding the Risks and Context

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

Concerns of medical systems and specific, persistent issues with maternity care are in many cases justified. A significant number of the women interviewed for the investigation had in the past undergone distressing births.

Distrust and the Spread of Misinformation

But while distrust of institutions may be based on experience, it has also become a breeding ground for other influencers looking for followers to their unconventional methods and DIY ethos. During the pandemic, a “well-being” industry supposedly focused on healthy living was involved in disseminating lies about vaccines and fuelling paranoia about government advice.

Worry is rising that such ideas are gaining more general purchase. One presentation given at a medical symposium focused on misinformation, which it said had “significantly deteriorated in the past decade”. This investigation shows that behind the image of an rebellious sisterhood lies an enterprise that trains women as social media influencers as well as birth attendants. The organization does not claim to be a qualified medical provider.

The Requirement for Protections and Improvements

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 need for safeguards from poor advice. It is widely understood that the automated systems used by tech companies promote increasingly sensational content.

In the UK, improvements to childbirth care are urgently needed. They should include the choice of home birth and the availability of data to support women in making decisions. Policymakers and organizations including the World Health Organization should also develop plans for the information ecosystem so that science-based healthcare is not undermined.