🔗 Share this article

Despite all the proven progress of contemporary medicine, some people are drawn to alternative or “natural” cures and approaches. Many of these are not dangerous. As one cancer specialist observed in the past year, people undergoing cancer treatment will often try meditation or vitamins too. When such a change is in addition to, and not in place of, evidence-based treatment, this is typically not a problem. If it lessens distress, it can be beneficial.

The Proliferation of Online Wellness Influencers

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

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

Understanding the Risks and Background

Giving birth 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 frightening experience, and high-quality care is not guaranteed. In England, a alarming recently published report found a large majority of hospital maternity services to be unsafe or in need of improvement.

Criticisms of medical systems and particular, longstanding issues with maternity care are in many cases valid. A significant number of the women spoken to for the investigation had previously experienced traumatic births.

Distrust and the Spread of Falsehoods

But while mistrust of established systems may be based on experience, it has also proved to be a fertile ground for other influencers looking for followers to their unorthodox methods and DIY ethos. During the pandemic, a “wellness” industry ostensibly focused on healthy living was involved in disseminating falsehoods about vaccines and fuelling paranoia about government advice.

Worry is growing that such beliefs are gaining more widespread traction. One paper given at a cancer conference focused on misinformation, which it said had “acutely worsened in the past decade”. This investigation shows that behind the image of an anti-establishment sisterhood lies an operation that trains 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 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 positive effect. But there is also a need for safeguards from dangerous advice. It is widely understood that the algorithms used by tech companies promote increasingly sensational content.

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