Bad Influence

Not long ago, if you were ill, you’d see a doctor. Now, you go online.

Want to track your blood sugar? Your heart rate? Your sleep? You can. Need to focus? Want to lose weight fast? Everything is a click away.

But who, if anyone, is regulating this?

As NHS waiting times grow ever longer and patients in the US are priced out of medical care altogether, online health hacks have become indispensable. From mental wellbeing influencers promoting untested therapies, to entrepreneurs peddling their own alternative remedies, the advice seems to really make sense.

These self-styled experts glow with good health and they guarantee results but they don’t know us or our medical history. They don''t owe us a duty of care. And they''re rarely either qualified or impartial. So why do we trust them?