Bad Influence

You used to see a doctor. Now you go online.

'This superb book is an essential guide to the wild world of internet health.' Chris van Tulleken, author of Ultra-Processed People

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 is regulating this?

As NHS waiting times grow ever longer and patients in the US are priced out of medical care altogether, influencers have filled the gap. From doctors promoting new therapies, to entrepreneurs selling solutions, these self-styled experts glow with good health and guarantee results.

But they are not familiar with 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?