🔗 Share this article

Despite all the established progress of contemporary medicine, certain people are attracted to non-traditional or “holistic” remedies and approaches. A number of these do no harm. As one cancer specialist observed recently, people undergoing cancer treatment will frequently try meditation or vitamins as well. When such a practice is in addition to, and not instead of, scientifically-backed treatment, this is typically not a concern. If it reduces distress, it can help.

The Rise of Digital Wellness Figures

But the proliferation of online health influencers presents challenges that governments and oversight bodies in many countries have not fully understood. An investigation into a particular organization offering membership and advice to pregnant mothers has revealed dozens cases of third-trimester stillbirths or other serious harm involving mothers or birth attendants linked 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 linked to higher levels of risk for mother and baby,” according to a professor of midwifery.

Examining the Dangers and Context

Childbirth without medical assistance, sometimes called free birth, is legal in countries including the UK and US. The risks are poorly documented due to a lack of reliable information. Childbirth can be a frightening prospect, and high-quality care is not guaranteed. In England, a shocking recently published report found two-thirds of hospital maternity services to be unsafe or in need of improvement.

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

Distrust and the Proliferation of Misinformation

But while mistrust of established systems may be rooted in experience, it has also become a fertile ground for other influencers looking for converts to their unorthodox methods and DIY ethos. During the pandemic, a “wellness” industry supposedly focused on healthy living was involved in spreading lies about vaccines and fuelling paranoia about official advice.

Worry is growing that such beliefs are acquiring more widespread purchase. One paper given at a cancer conference focused on misinformation, which it said had “acutely worsened in the past decade”. This investigation shows that behind the facade of an anti-establishment community lies an operation that trains women as social media influencers as well as birth attendants. The group does not present itself 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. Vast quantities of scientific research are published online and many people use these to beneficial effect. But there is also a critical necessity for protections from dangerous advice. It is well known that the algorithms used by tech companies promote more extreme content.

In the UK, necessary reforms to maternity services are urgently needed. They must include the choice of home birth and the provision of clear information to support women in making decisions. Policymakers and organizations including the World Health Organization should also create plans for the online information landscape so that evidence-based healthcare is not undermined.