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Despite all the proven advances of contemporary medicine, some people are attracted to non-traditional or “natural” remedies and practices. Many of these do no harm. As one cancer specialist noted in the past year, people receiving 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 typically not a concern. If it reduces distress, it can be beneficial.

The Rise of Online Wellness Influencers

But the explosion of online health influencers poses problems that authorities and oversight bodies in many countries have yet to grasp. An investigation into a particular organization offering membership and advice to pregnant mothers has exposed dozens cases of late-term stillbirths or other severe injury connected to mothers or birth attendants associated with it. While the company is based in North Carolina, its reach 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.

Examining the Dangers and Background

Childbirth without medical assistance, sometimes called free birth, is legal in nations including the UK and US. The risks are not well understood due to a lack of reliable information. Childbirth can be a frightening prospect, and excellent care is not guaranteed. In England, a shocking recently published report found a large majority of hospital maternity services to be unsafe or in need of improvement.

Criticisms of medical systems and specific, persistent 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 Proliferation of Falsehoods

But while distrust of institutions may be rooted in experience, it has also proved to be a fertile ground for other influencers seeking followers to their unorthodox methods and DIY ethos. During the pandemic, a “wellness” industry supposedly focused on healthy living was implicated in disseminating lies about vaccines and feeding paranoia about government advice.

Worry is growing that such ideas are gaining more widespread purchase. One paper given at a cancer conference focused on misinformation, which it said had “acutely worsened in the past decade”. The inquiry shows that behind the image of an rebellious sisterhood lies an operation that trains women as social media influencers as in addition to birth attendants. The group does not present itself to be a certified medical provider.

The Requirement for Safeguards and Reforms

There is no going back to a time when doctors were assumed to know best. Huge quantities of scientific research are published online and many people use these to beneficial effect. But there is also a need for safeguards from poor advice. It is well known that the automated systems used by tech companies reward more extreme content.

In the UK, necessary reforms to maternity services are urgently needed. They should include the option of home birth and the provision of clear information to empower women in choosing their care. Policymakers and bodies such as the World Health Organization should also create plans for the online information landscape so that science-based healthcare is not undermined.