Iridology Uncovered

Did you know an extensive branch of alternative medicine is based on the interpretation of nooks and crannies in the iris?  It is called iridology, and has amassed a considerable cultish following.  Iridologists believe that alterations in iris texture, color, and structure can portend imminent changes in one's physical, mental, and spiritual well-being.  Much like augors who read the future in the entrails of sacrificial animals or coffee dregs, iridologists claim to portend "tissue weaknesses, inflammation or toxicity in organs or tissues". They use magnifying loops and a penlight (sometimes a video camera) to document their findings, while referring to iris maps such as this one, originally developed by Bernard Jensen in 1981 (from http://www.truevitality.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/iridology-eyechart.jpg)

Although I like to give everyone the benefit of the doubt, even when it comes to quacks, I came upon an interesting site entitled "Confessions of a Former Iridologist"  that convinced me otherwise (http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/confessions.html).  Mr. Mather is a recovering iridologist who expresses dissenting views (infidel!) on the profession he once held at high esteem. His apprenticeship in western medicine and appreciation for evidence-based proof led him to re-examine the field using controlled conditions. He concluded that "not only did the light placement affect the appearance of structures; the slow draining of the batteries in the penlight changed the appearance of the eye color" and that iridology, therefore, has "no basis in real anatomy and physiology and . . . failed well-done trials and studies."  Still, the Iridology charts would make for cool coasters.



http://www.herbsbylisa.com/iridology.html http://www.truevitality.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/iridology-eyechart.jpg