Monday
Feb022009
Mon, February 2, 2009 | Lisa Barger Iridology
“What is iridology? My daughter-in-law is studying this.”
Iridology, or “iris diagnosis”, is an alternative medical practice that believers claim allows them to diagnose weakness in the body by examining the irises of the eye.
Iridology isn’t a new idea—legend tells us that the ancient Greek physician Hippocrates practiced one form of it himself. It got a push in the mid-19th century when the first major text on iridology was published by an Hungarian physician who tracked changes in an owl’s eye while he was nursing the bird back to health.
In this country, iridology became popular in the 1950s when a naturopath named Bernard Jensen began publishing his various texts on body detoxification. Jensen wrote a number of iridology texts in his career and many of them are still required reading in many of the “natural” health colleges in the U.S.
What Critics Say About Iridology
Critics of iridology point out that except for rare cases involving glaucoma, the iris of the eye changes little throughout a person’s lifetime. And Dr. Stephen Barrett, founder of the web site QuackWatch.com, reminds his readers that in 1979 Jensen himself failed a scientific test in which Jensen and two other iridologists were asked to examine the irises of 143 patients for evidence of kidney disease.
In fact, no major scientific study has ever proven iris diagnosis any better than guesswork. Natural guru Andrew Weil sees, in his words, “no scientific basis” for it and herbalist Michael Tierra actually abandoned his practice after coming to realize it was “based upon certain deficiencies”.
References:
Jensen, B. (1952). Science and Practice of Iridology.
Barrett, S. (2008). Iridology is Nonsense. Retrieved from www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/iridology.html February 2, 2009.
Weil, A. (2002). Had It With Hives? Retrieved from www.drweil.com/drw/u/id/QAA114846 February 2, 2009.
Tierra, M. (No Date Given). A Comparative Evaluation of Diagnostic Systems used in Herbal Medicine
Iridology, or “iris diagnosis”, is an alternative medical practice that believers claim allows them to diagnose weakness in the body by examining the irises of the eye.
In this country, iridology became popular in the 1950s when a naturopath named Bernard Jensen began publishing his various texts on body detoxification. Jensen wrote a number of iridology texts in his career and many of them are still required reading in many of the “natural” health colleges in the U.S.
What Critics Say About Iridology
Critics of iridology point out that except for rare cases involving glaucoma, the iris of the eye changes little throughout a person’s lifetime. And Dr. Stephen Barrett, founder of the web site QuackWatch.com, reminds his readers that in 1979 Jensen himself failed a scientific test in which Jensen and two other iridologists were asked to examine the irises of 143 patients for evidence of kidney disease.
In fact, no major scientific study has ever proven iris diagnosis any better than guesswork. Natural guru Andrew Weil sees, in his words, “no scientific basis” for it and herbalist Michael Tierra actually abandoned his practice after coming to realize it was “based upon certain deficiencies”.
References:
Jensen, B. (1952). Science and Practice of Iridology.
Barrett, S. (2008). Iridology is Nonsense. Retrieved from www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/iridology.html February 2, 2009.
Weil, A. (2002). Had It With Hives? Retrieved from www.drweil.com/drw/u/id/QAA114846 February 2, 2009.
Tierra, M. (No Date Given). A Comparative Evaluation of Diagnostic Systems used in Herbal Medicine
This is "retired" article left in place for archival purposes. It may not reflect current thinking or research on the topic.
Reader Comments