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Despite all the proven progress of modern medicine, some people are attracted to alternative or “holistic” remedies and approaches. A number of these are not dangerous. As a cancer specialist noted in the past year, people receiving cancer treatment will often try meditation or vitamins too. When such a change is alongside, and not instead of, scientifically-backed treatment, this is usually not a problem. If it reduces distress, it can help.

The Proliferation of Digital Health Figures

But the proliferation of online health influencers presents problems that authorities and regulators in many countries have not fully understood. An investigation into one such business offering membership and advice to expectant mothers has revealed dozens cases of late-term fetal deaths or other serious harm connected to mothers or birth attendants linked with it. While the entity is based in North Carolina, its reach is global.

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

Examining the Risks and Context

Giving birth without medical assistance, known as free birth, is legal in countries including the UK and US. The potential dangers are poorly documented due to a absence of data. Childbirth can be a daunting prospect, and excellent care is not guaranteed. In England, a shocking recent report found a large majority of hospital maternity services 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 spoken to for the investigation had in the past experienced distressing births.

Skepticism and the Spread of Falsehoods

But while distrust of established systems may be based on experience, it has also proved to be a fertile ground for other influencers looking for followers to their unconventional methods and DIY philosophy. During the pandemic, a “well-being” industry ostensibly focused on healthy living was involved in disseminating falsehoods about vaccines and fuelling suspicion about official advice.

Concern is rising that such beliefs are gaining more widespread purchase. One presentation 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 anti-establishment community lies an enterprise that coaches women as social media influencers as in addition to birth attendants. The group does not claim to be a qualified medical provider.

The Requirement for Safeguards and Improvements

There is no going back to a time when doctors were presumed to know best. Huge 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 poor advice. It is well known 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 provision of data to support women in making decisions. Policymakers and organizations such as the World Health Organization should also create strategies for the information ecosystem so that evidence-based healthcare is not undermined.