Despite all the proven advances of contemporary medicine, certain people are drawn to alternative or “natural” cures and approaches. A number of these do no harm. 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 alongside, and not instead of, scientifically-backed treatment, this is typically not a concern. If it reduces distress, it can help.
But the explosion of online health influencers poses challenges that authorities and oversight bodies in many countries have not fully understood. A recent inquiry into one such business offering membership and advice to expectant mothers has revealed numerous cases of third-trimester stillbirths or other serious harm involving mothers or birth attendants associated with it. While the entity is based in North Carolina, its reach is global.
“For whole populations, going through labour and birth without skilled support is linked to higher levels of risk for mother and baby,” according to a professor of midwifery.
Giving birth without medical assistance, sometimes called free birth, is legal in countries including the UK and US. The potential dangers are not well understood due to a absence of reliable information. Childbirth can be a frightening prospect, and high-quality care is far from guaranteed. In England, a shocking recently published report found two-thirds of maternity units to be unsafe or in need of improvement.
Concerns of medical systems and specific, longstanding issues with maternity care are in many cases justified. Many of the women spoken to for the investigation had previously undergone distressing births.
But while mistrust of established systems may be rooted in experience, it has also become a breeding ground for other influencers seeking followers to their unorthodox methods and DIY ethos. During the pandemic, a “well-being” industry ostensibly focused on healthy living was implicated in disseminating lies about vaccines and feeding suspicion about official advice.
Worry is rising that such ideas are gaining more general traction. One presentation given at a medical symposium focused on misinformation, which it said had “significantly deteriorated in the past decade”. This investigation shows that behind the facade of an anti-establishment community lies an enterprise that coaches women as social media influencers as in addition to birth attendants. The organization does not claim to be a qualified medical provider.
There is no going back to a time when doctors were assumed 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 poor advice. It is widely understood that the automated systems used by tech companies promote increasingly sensational content.
In the UK, necessary reforms to childbirth care cannot come soon enough. They should include the option of home birth and the provision of data to support women in making decisions. Ministers and bodies including the World Health Organization should also develop plans for the online information landscape so that science-based healthcare is not undermined.
A seasoned journalist with a passion for uncovering stories that matter in the Czech Republic and beyond.
