Iridologist Job Duties
Those considering careers in iridology should note that iridology is not recognized by the mainstream medical community in the U.S. A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association showed evidence that iridology has no therapeutic value, and most U.S. insurance companies do not cover iridology.According to the International Iridology Practitioners Association (IIPA), iridologists conduct close examinations of the human iris, the colored portion of the eye, using tools such as flashlights, magnifying glasses and cameras . After taking close-up images of the iris, iridologists examine factors such as eye color, spots and noticeable rings. They also look at the white portion of the eyes, known as the sclera. Iridologists then compare images of the patient’s eyes to various charts that indicate correlations between markers on the iris and sclera with potential health conditions.During consultations with patients, iridologists explain any abnormalities found on the patient’s iris or sclera. For example, certain iris colors have been linked to digestive problems or allergies. Iridologists may instruct patients on homeopathic ways of dealing with health problems, such as taking supplements, making dietary changes or increasing physical activity.
What is Iridology diagnosis?
Some scientists postulated that emotions originated in the body, but soon discovered that emotions are both cognitive and visceral and originate simultaneously in brain and body. Science has shown that both the gut and the physical brain receive all the same neurotransmitters, neuropeptides and their receptors. The neuropeptides in the brain not only contain their receptors in the corresponding organs, but high concentrations of almost every neuropeptide receptor exists in other anatomical locations called “nodal points”such as the back side of the spinal cord, which is the first synapse within the nervous system where all somatosensory information is processed, and is most dense in the limbic system. The limbic system is comprised of several brain structures associated with memory and emotion and was first observed by neurosurgeon Wilder Penfield (1891-1976). The limbic system is located in the inner part of the brain. The information is carried by axons and dendrites from many nerve cell bodies that are passing or making synaptic contact with each other. The science of Iridology is a good example that demonstrates the evidence of this mind-body communication network via the connection of the autonomic nervous system and the exposed nerve endings of the iris.
Ignacz von Peczely
Hippocrates, the Father of Medicine first described it, and it was rediscovered in 1860 by Ignacz von Peczely, a Hungarian Doctor who devoted his life to its study. Peczely became a great physician of his time. He published several books on Iridology and gained much notoriety, but was limited in his observations of the iris, because of the optical equipment available to him. Now we have sophisticated cameras and microscopes with powerful magnifying capabilities. This helps enormously when identifying individual nerve fibers and tiny iris markings.
As written by the Guild of Naturopathic Iridologists International; a trained Iridologist sees the exposed nerve endings as a ‘map’, revealing information about:
the body’s genetic strengths and weaknesses
levels of inflammation and toxemia
the efficiency of the eliminative systems and organs
In the hands of those who are well versed in the pathology of the pathways of disease, as well as anatomy and physiology, this provides a veritable microchip of information. Iridology can help you understand what ‘optimum health’ means for an individual person. The iris displays a unique insight into our health potential and disease dispositions. Iris patterns and pigmentation reveal the history of our inherited health. Iridology or iris diagnosis as it is often called is a method used in alternative medicine to analyze the health status of one by studying specific colors, patterns, locations, markings and signs in the iris of the eye. In one eye it is called iris; in both eyes it is termed iride (I-rid).
Training and Education
What You’ll Study in Iridology School
Iridology training generally includes study of anatomy and physiology, health and nutrition, pathology, diagnostic methods, and herbal medicine. You’ll also take specific iridology classes that teach about the history of iridology, the iridology chart, eye anatomy, types of irises, how to analyze the iris, and how to formulate treatment plans.
Average Length of Study
Basic iridology training may be completed through traditionally structured programs or via intensive workshops; usually these result in practitioner-level certification and take about 15 to 25 credit hours over the course of 1 to 2 years. Doctoral degrees in iridology take about 68 credit hours to finish, over and above the time spent on basic training.
Average Tuition
Tuition for iridology certification courses may cost anywhere from $1,250 to $4,500, depending on the level of iridology training you are pursuing. A doctoral degree may cost another $2,500 or more.
Career Outlook
Iridology is hailed by its proponents as an important diagnostic tool in the area of preventive medicine. With preventive medicine and public health promotion taking a front seat in the ongoing changes to health care in the United States, practitioners with iridology training may see an upswing in interest from patients seeking out less invasive diagnostic methods and more holistic approaches to their health.
Iridology Salary
Once you’ve completed your iridology training, your annual salary may vary depending on your specific job title—naturopathic doctor, holistic nurse, and so on. However, most iridologists earn about $75 for an in-office iris analysis and consultation. Analysis of slides or digital images may cost more—usually between $75 and $125.
Iridology: Do the Eyes Have It?
C. Eugene Emery, Jr.
The eyes are sometimes called the window to the soul. We watch them to determine whether a person is sincere or lying. When we encounter people, we usually notice their eyes first. So perhaps it’s not surprising that some people believe that eyes provide a window to a person’s health as well.
Signs of a few diseases—most notably atherosclerosis and Wilson’s disease (a disorder of copper metabolism)—can appear in the colored portion of the eye (the iris). But iridologists profess that the iris can be used to diagnose virtually any disease. They claim that examination of eye markings can reveal not only current health problems but indications of past problems. Typically, they consider themselves “holistic” and recommend dietary supplements to correct whatever problems they see.
I first heard of this practice when a local television station aired a story featuring claims by a local iridologist who, according to the TV reporter, had successfully diagnosed someone’s back problems. Another iridologist in nearby Westerly, Rhode Island, was getting coverage in the New London Day newspaper. Subsequently, I discovered that a medical doctor also was dabbling in the field. I decided to investigate.
My first stop was an interview in Westerly with Joseph M. O’Reilly, Jr., a former judo and yoga teacher who called himself a “registered nutrition consultant” and said he had a “Ph. D.” in nutrition from Donsbach University (a nonaccredited correspondence school). Before getting into the nutrition field, O’Reilly said, he had been a parole officer in Florida and a certified sex educator.
O’Reilly told me that iridology could detect cancer with 99% accuracy. He said the shape of the eye and pupil could reveal psychological problems and be used to determine when a person is near death. He also reported that he discourages the use of drugs because “when you put drugs in the body, it just drives the illness deeper into the tissues and cells. You’re just masking the symptoms. You’re not getting to the cause. ”
When he examined my eyes, O’Reilly saw “caffeine spots from too much coffee,” but said the spots could also be caused by too much alcohol. (I never drink coffee and, at most, drink one can of beer per month.)
The iridologist featured in the TV broadcast, Rosemary Hill, also taught at a local holistic health center. During her interview, she stressed that she doesn’t diagnose diseases but “reads conditions in organs that could be construed as a weakness for a disease.” But if you have a heart condition, she said, it would be obvious in the eyes. She also reported that she was in the process of changing her eye color from an unhealthy brown to a healthy blue.
When Hill examined my eyes, she reported some constipation (wrong), cardiovascular problems (nope), a high mucus and acid body (l have no idea how to measure this), stress in the foot area (not that I know of) and fatigue (sorry). She did say correctly that I ate lots of dairy, flour, red meat and sugar products, but that assessment would probably fit most Americans. Next I arranged a test with the help of Dr. Robert Bahr of the Rhode Island Ophthalmological Society, who took slides of the eyes of eight people with various medical problems, such as lung disease, headaches, deafness, and a history of cancer. When I asked Hill to match the slides to the health problem, she declined, explaining that “I don’t work that way.” Instead, she suggested that I try to match her readings to the slides.
Working under those rules, Hill—who had said that iridology was accurate at least 75% of the time—missed the affected organs or body parts in 6 out of 8 slides. That’s surprising if you consider the fact that each of her readings included many organ systems. For example, in the case of a nearsighted person with a history of fainting and a pulse of 54 when the slide was taken, Hill noted “severe acidosis,” “not digesting proteins,” “intestinal tract is a little depressed,” “there is a difficult lung problem there,” “probably tonsils in there too,” “mucus throughout the system,” “congestion in the head,” “not absorbing nutrients,” “esophageal, leg problems,” “shoulder problem” and a “somewhat spastic colon.”
In the two cases where Hill named an organ or body part that actually might be related to the patient’s problem, she was still quite inaccurate. In the slide of a woman with daily headaches, Hill saw “toxins from the bowel dumping into the head area” and blamed “parasites” for the problem. For a woman with hypoglycemia, Hill cited an undefined “glandular problem, ” but she also reported a “possible thyroid problem” and “a lot of toxins in the blood stream.”
The second person to take my test was Robert S. Carson, M. D., medical consultant for the holistic health center. “You can come out with some uncanny diagnoses by looking at the iris,” he said. “The scientific evidence for this is very solidly based. ”
Unlike Hill, Carson did attempt to match the eye slides to the medical records. Despite at least two guesses in each case, he missed the fact that one woman had had a mastectomy and hysterectomy, that another had broken both arms and a leg, that another suffered from headaches and stomach problems, and another had hypoglycemia. He correctly matched the person with severe lung disease—on his second try.
My test also included a pair of slides showing a glass eye against a black background. Although the eye had no lashes and fingerprint ridges of one of the fingers holding it up to the camera were visible, neither of the iridologists mentioned anything amiss.
Bernard Jensen, D.C. (1908-2001), the leading American iridologist, claimed to have worked with over 350,000 patients during almost 50 years of active practice. He stated that “Nature has provided us with a miniature television screen showing the most remote portions of the body by way of nerve reflex responses.” He also claims that iridology reveals “tissue strengths and weaknesses” as well as “nutritional and chemical needs.” His booklet, “Iridology Simplified,” relates more than 30 diseases and conditions (including arthritis, biliousness, gallstones, obesity and tuberculosis) to “mineral deficiencies.” It also contains an “Iridology Nutrition Chart” for determining what vitamins, minerals and herbs to give “after determining those areas of the iris which show a need. ”
Jensen and two other practitioners were tested in a study published in the September 28, 1979 Journal of the American Medical Association. In this study, the iridologists were shown iris photographs of 143 patients, some with severe kidney disease and some with no evidence of kidney problems. The assessment of kidney problems was based on the levels of creatinine in the blood. When asked to identify the people with problems, all three iridologists failed the test .
Five Dutch iridologists failed a similar test last year when they tried to detect gallbladder disease by looking at slides of the iris of 39 patients with gallstones (proven by surgery the day after the slides were made) and 39 patients without gallstones (proven by ultrasound examination). The iridologists were correct only half the time (the result expected by chance), and did not agree among themselves about which patients had gallstones and which did not .
Iridologists use detailed charts relating the location of various eye markings to problems in various parts of the body. In 1981, the AMA Council on Scientific Affairs noted that such charts are similar in concept to those used years ago in “phrenology,” the pseudoscience that related protuberances of the skull to the mental faculties and character of the individual [3]. Russell S. Worrall, an assistant clinical professor at the School of Optometry of the University of California, Berkeley, has noted that at least 19 iridology charts exist but that all have differences in the location and interpretation of many of their iris signs.
Despite all this, iridology apparently persists for some of the same reasons psychic practices and astrology remain popular.
Since most ailments are self-limiting, most people who consult iridologists are likely to feel better with the passage of time. So if symptoms resolve while following an iridologist’s advice. the iridologist will get the credit.
Iridologists are probably helped by feedback from their patients, and patients often take the iridologist’s musings and fit them to events in their life.
Many of their claims are difficult or impossible for laypersons to evaluate. Hill, for example, contended that the iris not only reveals information about your present medical problems, but can reflect past and future problems as well. Thus, if she sees a back problem in your eyes, she can claim credit whether your back bothers you now, has bothered you in the past, or bothers you in the future. She also claimed that the structure of the iris can provide information about the health of your ancestors.
But from a practical standpoint—the ability to detect virtually any disease in the iris—the eyes clearly don’t have it.
MAIKONG IRIDOLOGY SOFTWARE Installation and operation
