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Despite all the established advances of contemporary medicine, certain people are drawn to alternative or “holistic” cures and practices. Many of these are not dangerous. As a cancer specialist noted 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, scientifically-backed treatment, this is typically not a problem. If it lessens distress, it can be beneficial.

The Proliferation of Digital Health Figures

But the explosion of online health influencers presents challenges that governments and oversight bodies in many countries have not fully understood. A recent inquiry into a particular organization offering membership and advice to pregnant mothers has exposed dozens cases of late-term fetal deaths or other serious harm involving mothers or birth attendants associated with it. While the entity is based in North Carolina, its influence is international.

“Across 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 Risks and Context

Childbirth without medical assistance, known as free birth, is permitted in nations including the UK and US. The risks are poorly documented due to a absence of data. Childbirth can be a frightening experience, and high-quality care is far from 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, longstanding issues with maternity care are in many cases justified. A significant number of the women interviewed for the inquiry had in the past undergone distressing births.

Skepticism and the Spread of Falsehoods

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

Concern is growing that such beliefs are gaining more general purchase. One presentation given at a medical symposium focused on misinformation, which it said had “acutely worsened in the past decade”. This investigation shows that behind the image of an anti-establishment community lies an enterprise that trains women as social media influencers as in addition to birth attendants. The group does not claim to be a certified medical provider.

The Need for Safeguards and Reforms

There is no turning the clock back to a time when doctors were assumed to know best. Vast quantities of scientific research are made available online and many people use these to beneficial effect. But there is also a critical necessity for safeguards from dangerous advice. It is well known that the algorithms used by tech companies reward more extreme content.

In the UK, improvements to maternity services are urgently needed. They must include the choice of home birth and the availability of clear information to support women in making decisions. Policymakers and organizations such as the World Health Organization should also develop plans for the online information landscape so that science-based healthcare is not undermined.