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Despite all the established advances of modern medicine, certain people are drawn to non-traditional or “holistic” remedies and approaches. A number of these are not dangerous. As one cancer specialist observed recently, people undergoing cancer treatment will frequently try meditation or vitamins too. When such a change is alongside, and not in place of, evidence-based treatment, this is typically not a concern. If it reduces distress, it can help.

The Rise of Online Health Figures

But the explosion of online health influencers presents problems that governments and oversight bodies in many countries have yet to grasp. An investigation into one such organization providing membership and advice to expectant mothers has exposed dozens cases of late-term stillbirths or other serious harm connected to mothers or birth attendants linked with it. While the company is headquartered in North Carolina, its reach is global.

“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 Risks and Background

Giving birth without medical assistance, sometimes called free birth, is permitted in countries including the UK and US. The potential dangers are not well understood due to a lack of data. Childbirth can be a frightening experience, and high-quality care is not guaranteed. In England, a shocking recent report found two-thirds of maternity units to be unsafe or in need of improvement.

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

Distrust and the Proliferation of Misinformation

But while distrust of established systems 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 “well-being” industry supposedly focused on healthy living was implicated in disseminating lies about vaccines and feeding paranoia about government advice.

Worry is rising that such ideas are gaining more general purchase. 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 anti-establishment community lies an operation that coaches women as social media influencers as well as birth attendants. The group does not claim to be a certified medical provider.

The Requirement for Safeguards 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 need for safeguards from dangerous advice. It is widely understood that the automated systems used by tech companies reward more extreme content.

In the UK, necessary reforms to childbirth care cannot come soon enough. They must include the option of home birth and the availability of data to empower women in making decisions. Ministers and bodies including the World Health Organization should also create strategies for the information ecosystem so that evidence-based healthcare is not undermined.