Iridology - is it Possible to Diagnos Illness Through the Iris?

Iridology is a technique in alternative medicine that is also known as Iiridodiagnosis. Advocates of Iridology believe that a person's systemic health can be determined by the colors, patterns and characteristics of their Iris. The Iris is the colored portion of a person's eye; that which surrounds the black center, or pupil. These advocates are called Iridologists. Iridology is not taught at medical schools and Iridologists are seldom physicians. One wishing an education in Iridology would have to obtain that education at a private facility.

Iridology is not a treatment form, rather it is the method by which diagnosis is made and a treatment method is determined. Iridologists often study alternative medicine practices such as Naturopathy and will apply these methods for healing.

The Iridologists work from charts that show divisions of the iris that they believe correspond to organs and functions of the body. By comparing these charts to what they observe in the iris, they feel that they are able to determine the patient's health. The charts depict an iris that has been divided into 80-90 different zones. Each zone represents or correlates to, different parts or organs in the human body.

While Iridologists feel that there are clear changes that occur in the iris when the body is distressed, most medical practitioners consider iridology to be pseudoscience. They feel that iridology lacks plausibility because of the failure to supply supporting evidence. There is no published support for Iridology.

Using special lamp microscopes, magnifying glasses and flashlights, the Iridologist will examine the iris for tissue changes or deviations from the charts. Dr. Bernard Jensen, very well known Iridologist stated, "Nerve fibers in the iris respond to changes in body tissues by manifesting a reflex physiology that corresponds to specific tissue changes and locations." This statement implies that distress in the body is reflected in the tissue of the iris. Iridologists feel for example, that a kidney infection will show up in changes in the zones that represent the kidney related tissue of the iris.

Medical studies dispute the evidence of a correlation, based on the fact that the Iris does not change substantially during the course of life. The texture of the iris develops during the gestational period and the iris will develop pigmentation during the first year of life. With the exception of freckles and medical treatments, the iris remains unchanged. It is because of this that the iris is used in many modern day identification systems.

In defense of Iridology, it has been around in various forms since 1665.