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Despite all the established advances of modern medicine, certain people are attracted to alternative or “natural” cures and approaches. Many of these are not dangerous. As a cancer specialist noted recently, people receiving cancer treatment will frequently try meditation or vitamins as well. When such a practice is alongside, and not instead of, scientifically-backed treatment, this is typically not a concern. If it reduces distress, it can be beneficial.

The Rise of Digital Wellness Influencers

But the explosion of online health influencers poses problems that authorities and regulators in many countries have yet to grasp. An investigation into a particular organization offering membership and advice to expectant mothers has revealed numerous cases of third-trimester stillbirths or other severe injury involving mothers or birth attendants associated with it. While the company is headquartered in North Carolina, its influence 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.

Understanding the Dangers and Background

Childbirth without medical assistance, sometimes called free birth, is legal in nations including the UK and US. The potential dangers are poorly documented due to a absence of data. Childbirth can be a frightening prospect, and high-quality 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.

Concerns of medical systems and specific, persistent issues with maternity care are in many cases justified. A significant number of the women interviewed for the investigation had previously undergone traumatic births.

Distrust and the Proliferation of Misinformation

But while mistrust of institutions may be based on experience, it has also proved to be a breeding ground for other influencers looking for followers to their unorthodox methods and DIY ethos. During the pandemic, a “wellness” industry supposedly focused on healthy living was implicated in spreading falsehoods about vaccines and feeding paranoia about official advice.

Worry is growing that such beliefs are acquiring more general 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 anti-establishment community 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 safeguards from dangerous advice. It is widely understood that the automated systems used by tech companies promote more extreme content.

In the UK, improvements 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. Ministers and organizations including the World Health Organization should also create plans for the online information landscape so that evidence-based healthcare is not compromised.