🔗 Share this article

Despite all the established advances of modern medicine, certain people are drawn to non-traditional or “natural” remedies and approaches. A number of these are not dangerous. As a cancer specialist noted in the past year, people undergoing cancer treatment will often try meditation or vitamins too. When such a practice is alongside, and not instead of, evidence-based treatment, this is usually not a concern. If it lessens distress, it can help.

The Rise of Online Wellness Influencers

But the proliferation of online health influencers presents problems that authorities and oversight bodies in many countries have yet to grasp. An investigation into a particular business offering membership and advice to expectant mothers has exposed numerous cases of third-trimester stillbirths or other serious harm connected to mothers or birth attendants associated with it. While the company is based in North Carolina, its influence is global.

“For whole populations, going through labour and birth without skilled support is linked to higher levels of risk for mother and baby,” as stated by 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 risks are not well understood due to a absence of data. Childbirth can be a daunting experience, and excellent care is not guaranteed. In England, a shocking recent report found a large majority of maternity units to be unsafe or in need of improvement.

Criticisms of medical systems and specific, persistent issues with maternity care are in many cases justified. Many of the women interviewed for the investigation had in the past undergone traumatic births.

Distrust and the Proliferation of Misinformation

But while mistrust of established systems may be rooted in experience, it has also become a breeding ground for other influencers looking for followers to their unorthodox methods and DIY ethos. During the pandemic, a “well-being” industry ostensibly focused on healthy living was implicated in spreading lies about vaccines and fuelling paranoia about official advice.

Worry is rising that such ideas are gaining more widespread traction. 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 facade of an anti-establishment sisterhood lies an enterprise that coaches women as social media influencers as well as birth attendants. The organization does not present itself to be a certified medical provider.

The Requirement for Protections and Improvements

There is no turning the clock back to a time when doctors were presumed to know best. Vast 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 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 data to empower women in choosing their care. Ministers and organizations such as the World Health Organization should also create plans for the online information landscape so that science-based healthcare is not compromised.