Bad Influence: How the Internet Hijacked Our Health
Deborah Cohen
Jan 2026 · Simon and Schuster
Ebook
384
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
You used to 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 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?
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?
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 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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