Iridology
Iridology (also known as iris diagnosis[1]) is a technique whose proponents study the iris structure, iris markings, iris color, pigment markings, pupil size and shape and other characteristics of the iris to determine information about a patient's systemic health. Practitioners view combinations of iris markings and structure to determine a persons constitution, a term used by Iridologists to refer to a pattern of inherent strengths and weakness of body systems and organs that predispose an individual to particular aging processes. Iridologists also use an iris chart, developed by numerous Iridologists over the last 350 years, beginning with Phillippus Meyens [2]), who gave the basic understanding for the first iris chart (See History). The Iris Chart maps the location of different body organs as represented in the iris and is used, in combination with determining the individual constitutional type, to locate areas of the body that require additional support in the prevention of disease and in the aging process. [3] The Iris Chart was developed primarily by medical doctors who observed that their patients who shared the same diseases also shared strikingly similar iris characteristics.
Iridology has been criticized by the medical profession as a method that does not accurately diagnose disease, however Iridologists do not attempt to diagnose disease. The primary focus of Iridology is to assess system and organ strength and weakness, and the relationship between these strengths and weaknesses to the aging process, to be utilized in a pro-health vs anti-disease approach to wellness. For this reason, Iridology has attracted a great deal of interest from practitioners of natural medicine and healthy living, particularly naturopaths, nutritionists, herbalists, and natural healers, as a method to guide effective personalized cleansing and rejuvenation programs [3] In alternative medical circles the holistic view of the body, available through iris analysis, is considered invaluable. [4]
Methods
Iridologists generally use a flashlight and magnifying glass, cameras or slit-lamp microscopes to examine a patient's irises for tissue changes, as well as features such as specific pigment patterns and irregular stromal architecture. The markings and patterns determine the constitutional type and then, depending on the location of some markings, the iris is analyzed in relation to an iris chart that correlates zones of the iris with parts of the body. The iris chart is divided into sections corresponding to different body organs and systems. For example, the zone corresponding to the kidney is in the lower part of the iris, just before 6 o'clock. There are minor variations between charts' associations between body parts and areas of the iris, in particular the liver and pancreas zones, where developments in Iridology charts since the 1980's show that these organs cover a larger area in the iris when disease conditions are present Ellen Tart-Jensen Substantiated claim.[5].
According to Iridologists, details in the iris reflect changes in the tissues of the corresponding body organs. One prominent practitioner, Bernard Jensen, described it thus: "Nerve fibers in the iris respond to changes in body tissues by manifesting a reflex physiology that corresponds to specific tissue changes and locations."[6] First, the iris constitution presents inherent predisposition to certain aging processes. This constitution does not change and is represented by iris markings that do not change. Second, the iris fibers rise up, or sink lower, depending upon degree of enervation of the nerve fibers. This makes the iris fibers appear to be lighter or darker. Lighter fibers indicate acute inflammatory conditions, whereas darker fibers, and increasing dark spaces between fibers indicate lack of vitality, poor circulation and poor enervation in reflex areas in the body, indicating the development of chronic under-activity of that organ or body system. Farida Sharan substantiated claim.[3] School of Natural Medicine, USA
History
Earliest references to the concept of using the iris to determine health in various parts of the body are found in carved stone slabs, depicting the iris and its relationship to the rest of the body, created by the Chaldeans of Babylonia, 1000 BC and in painted ceramic eyes in the Cairo Museum that include iris markings.
The first explicit description of iridological principles such as homolaterality (without using the word iridology) are found in Chiromatica Medica, a famous work published in 1665 and reprinted in 1670 and 1691 by Philippus Meyens (Philip Meyen von Coburg).
The first use of the word Augendiagnostik ("eye diagnosis," loosely translated as iridology) began with Ignaz von Peczely, a 19th-century Hungarian physician. The most common story is that he got the idea for this diagnostic tool after seeing a dark area at six o'clock in the iris of a man that he was treating for a broken leg, having previously seen a dark area at the same location in the eye of an owl whose leg von Peczely had set after it was broken a few years before. This story may just be a 'myth,' however Iridology charts were gradually created, primarily by medical doctors, who saw certain iris markings, in repeatable locations, in their patients presenting the identical disease conditions.
The German contribution in the field of natural healing is due to a minister Pastor Emanuel Felke, who developed a form of homeopathy for treating specific illnesses and described new iris signs in the early 1900s. The Felke Institute in Gerlingen, Germany was established as a leading center of iridological research and training.
Iridology became better known in the United States in the 1950s, when Dr. Bernard Jensen and Dr. John R. Christopher, both highly regarded in the field of Iridology, began giving classes in this method. This is in direct relationship with P. Johannes Thiel, Eduard Lahn (who became an American under the name of Edward Lane) and J Haskell Kritzer. The emphasis with both Dr. Jensen and Dr. Christopher, was the use of Iridology to guide health programs that cleansed the body of accumulated fecal matter and other toxins in the digestive system, tissue cleansing, lymphatic cleansing and blood purification. Jensen emphasized the importance of the body's exposure to toxins, and the use of natural foods, fasting, cleansing and herbal medicine as detoxifiers.
Until the 1980's most Iridologists developed their methods in relative isolation. In 1977 Farida Sharan founded the School of Iridology and Holistic Healing (later the School of Natural Medicine) in Cambrige, England and sponsored Iridologists from around the world to attend Iridology Symposiums to share their research and approaches to Iris Diagnosis. Between 1977 and 1988 Farida Sharan brought Dr. Bernard Jensen, Harri Wolf, Dr. John R. Christopher, and Dorothy Hall, amongst others, together, and worked to create a supportive community for continued research. [7] One of the key developments in Iridology during this time was the recognition of the link between physical conditions represented in the iris and emotional and psychological correlations in patients. Dorothy Hall in her book <re name="Dorothy Hall" Iridology, 1981 </ref> outlines the relationship between iris structure and personality type in detail. Although these ideas were initially rejected by Iridologists, these ideas are now well established as a consequence of ongoing research into the iris constitutions. [8] In 1987 Farida Sharan wrote The Iridology Manifesto, to protect the development of holistic Iridology and mind/body/spirit methodology.
Criticism
The majority of criticism of Iridology focuses on statements that Iridology can not accurately diagnose disease, however this is a statement that Iridologists agree with. Iridology does not diagnose disease, and studies that seek to discredit Iridology by proving this fact, are not based on an understanding of what Iridology is.
Some medical doctors reject all the claims of all branches of iridology and label them as pseudoscience or even quackery.[9] Arguments against Iridology include statements that Iridology can not diagnose disease and that Iridologists are rarely physicians. Also Iridology is only studied at private institutions, and it is not taught at medical schools.[citation needed]
Critics, including practitioners of mainstream medicine, dismiss Iridology given that published studies have indicated a lack of success for its claims. To date, Clinical data does not support correlation between illness in the body and coinciding observable changes in the iris. In controlled experiments,[10] practitioners of iridology have performed statistically no better than chance in determining the presence of a disease or condition solely through observation of the iris.
It has been pointed out that the premise of Iridology is at odds with the fact that the iris does not undergo substantial changes in an individual's life. Iris texture is a phenotypical feature that develops during gestation and remains unchanged after birth. There is no evidence for changes in the iris pattern other than variations in pigmentation in the first year of life, eventual freckles, and variations caused by glaucoma treatment. This stability of iris structures is at the foundation of iris recognition for identification purposes.[11][12]
However, Iridologists would not disagree with this statement. The structure of the iris does remain the same throughout a persons life time and this is the basis of the constitutional type of the individual. The premise of Iridology is that this constitutional type, or pattern of inherent strengths and weaknesses, indicates an individual's aging process and disease tendencies, and that it is the lightening and/or darkening of iris fibers that show degree of vitality, health and wellness in these areas.
Scientific research into Iridology
When considering scientific research into Iridology it is important to note whether the research study involves the actual uses that Iridologists make of the method of Iridology, or whether the research explores the validity of uses for Iridology that Iridologists themselves do not practice. Many available 'scientific' studies of Iridology show lack of understanding of what Iridology is and what it is used for in practice. The following are examples of this faulty approach to assessing the efficacy of Iridology.
In a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (Simon et al.[13] 1979), three Iridologists incorrectly identified kidney disease in photographs of irises and often disagreed with each other. The researchers concluded: "Iridology was neither selective nor specific, and the likelihood of correct detection was statistically no better than chance." Of note is that Iridologists do not claim to be able to detect kidney disease.
Another study was published in the British Medical Journal (Knipschild 1988)[14] by Paul Knipschild MD, of the University of Limburg in Maastricht, selected 39 patients who were due to have their gall bladder removed the following day, because of suspected gallstones. He also selected a group of people who did not have diseased gall bladders to act as a control. A group of 5 Iridologists examined a series of slides of both groups' irises. The Iridologists could not correctly identify which patients had gall bladder problems and which had healthy gall bladders. For example, one of the Iridologists diagnosed 49% of the patients with gall stones as having them and 51% as not having them. Dr Knipschild concluded:, "...this study showed that Iridology is not a useful diagnostic aid." Iridologists defended themselves and attacked the study's methodology. Of note is that a properly trained Iridologist would not chose to be involved in a double blind study of this nature, as Iridology can not determine gall bladder disease, nor can it detect gallstones.
Edzard Ernst raised the question in 2000: "Does Iridology work? [...] This search strategy resulted in 77 publications on the subject of Iridology. [...] All of the uncontrolled studies and several of the unmasked experiments suggested that Iridology was a valid diagnostic tool. The discussion that follows refers to the 4 controlled, masked evaluations of the diagnostic validity of Iridology. [...] In conclusion, few controlled studies with masked evaluation of diagnostic validity have been published. None have found any benefit from Iridology."[10]
Regulation, licensure, and certification
There are no government regulated or accredited Iridology courses available in the United States, Canada or the EU. As Iridology is not a method to diagnose disease conditions, as recognized by mainstream medicine, there is little interest in creating licensing for this method of analysis. However, there are three schools that are recognized as the world leaders in the education and practice of Iridology. These include: Dr. John R. Christophers School of Natural Healing, Farida Sharans School of Natural Medicine and Dr.Bernard Jensens Bernard Jensen International.
References
- ^ author, Iris Diagnosis, 1919
- ^ Chiromatic Media, 1670
- ^ a b c author, Iridology - A complete guide to diagnosing through the iris and to related forms of treatment, 1989. Cite error: The named reference "Farida Sharan" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ School of Natural Healing, Christopher Publications, 1971.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Ellen Tart-Jensenwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Jensen B; "Iridology Simplified". 2nd ed., Escondido 1980.
- ^ Link text.
- ^ School of Natural Medicine
- ^ Iridology Is Nonsense, a web page with further references
- ^ a b Ernst E (2000). "Iridology: not useful and potentially harmful". Arch. Ophthalmol. 118 (1): 120–1. PMID 10636425.
{{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help) - ^ Inside Iris Recognition
- ^ Iris Recognition
- ^ Simon A, Worthen DM, Mitas JA (1979). "An evaluation of iridology". JAMA. 242 (13): 1385–9. doi:10.1001/jama.242.13.1385. PMID 480560.
{{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Knipschild P (1988). "Looking for gall bladder disease in the patient's iris". BMJ. 297 (6663): 1578–81. doi:10.1136/bmj.297.6663.1578. PMC 1835305. PMID 3147081.
{{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help)
Related practices
See also
External links
Pro
- [1] (Iridology Constitutions)
- [2] (What is Iridology)
- [3] (archive of articles on Iridology from 1977 to the present)
- [4] (Iridology studies)
- [5] (What Iridology does and does not do)
- [6] (regarding Iridology research practices)
- [7] (pioneer in Iridology research and creator of popular Iridology Chart)