Bad Influence: How the Internet Hijacked Our Health
Deborah Cohen
Jan 2026 · Simon and Schuster
Ebook
304
Pages
family_home
Eligible
info
infoThis book will become available on January 22, 2026. You will not be charged until it is released.
About this ebook
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?
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?
About the author
Dr Deborah Cohen is an award-winning broadcaster, journalist and editor, who has worked across mainstream and academic print, digital, TV and radio. Previously Science Editor for ITV News and UK and Health Correspondent for BBC Newsnight, leading their COVID-19 coverage, she established the investigations unit at the BMJ, one of the world-leading medical and health policy journals.
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