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In spite of all the proven progress of modern medicine, certain people are attracted to non-traditional or “natural” cures and approaches. Many of these are not dangerous. As a cancer specialist noted recently, people receiving cancer treatment will often try meditation or vitamins too. When such a change is in addition to, and not instead of, evidence-based treatment, this is typically not a concern. If it reduces distress, it can be beneficial.

The Proliferation of Online Health Figures

But the proliferation of online health influencers poses problems that governments and regulators in many countries have yet to grasp. An investigation into one such business offering membership and advice to expectant mothers has exposed dozens cases of third-trimester stillbirths or other severe injury involving mothers or birth attendants linked with it. While the company is headquartered in North Carolina, its influence is global.

“For whole populations, going through labour and birth without professional support is associated with higher levels of risk for mother and baby,” as stated by a expert of midwifery.

Examining the Risks and Context

Childbirth without medical assistance, known as free birth, is legal in countries including the UK and US. The potential dangers are not well understood due to a absence of data. Childbirth can be a frightening experience, and excellent care is far from guaranteed. In England, a alarming recently published report found two-thirds of hospital maternity services to be unsafe or in need of improvement.

Concerns of medical systems and particular, persistent issues with maternity care are in many cases valid. Many of the women spoken to for the inquiry had previously undergone distressing births.

Distrust and the Proliferation of Misinformation

But while mistrust of established systems 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 “well-being” industry supposedly focused on healthy living was involved in spreading lies about vaccines and feeding suspicion about official advice.

Concern is rising that such ideas are gaining more general traction. One paper given at a cancer conference 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 operation that trains women as social media influencers as well as birth attendants. The group does not claim to be a certified medical provider.

The Requirement for Protections and Reforms

There is no turning the clock back to a time when doctors were presumed to know best. Huge quantities of scientific research are made available online and many people use these to beneficial effect. But there is also a critical necessity for protections from dangerous advice. It is widely understood that the automated systems used by tech companies promote increasingly sensational content.

In the UK, improvements to childbirth care cannot come soon enough. They should include the choice of home birth and the provision of data to empower women in choosing their care. Ministers and bodies including the World Health Organization should also create strategies for the online information landscape so that science-based healthcare is not undermined.