The eyes may be thought of as the windows to the soul but did you know that they can also provide valuable information about our health? Iridology is the study of the iris to identify information about a person’s state of health. Iridology can be undertaken by a trained iridologist but other professionals that use iridology include homoeopaths, naturopaths, nutritional therapists, and herbalists.
Iridology is meant to be used as a diagnostic tool and can actually be thought of as an “early warning system”. This is because it can detect the signs of a developing disease or disorder, as well as providing an insight into a person’s overall state of health. The goal of iridology is to identify illness early and suggest ways in which a person can prevent the disease from actually occurring.
In iridology, the right iris corresponds to the right side of the body and the left iris to the left. From here, the iris is further divided into a series of zones that surround the pupils. The iridologist will then take note of any signs of illness in the iris by looking at any changes in the colour or patterns. Changes in colour correspond to the different levels of inflammation in a particular area of the body – white is acute, light grey is sub-acute, dark grey is chronic, and black is degenerative. The colour of the eye itself is also important as it can be an indicator of a predisposition to certain conditions. For example, blue eyed people may be prone to inflammatory conditions while brown eyed people may be prone to congestive disorders.
The iris will store accumulated information so that the iridologist is able to see the condition of each bodily organ over time. It is interesting to note that the eyes are not a blank slate when a person is born. Rather, it can show genetically inherited weaknesses. These can be reliably read once a person reaches the age of six.
At a consultation with an iridologist, the iridologist will look at your eyes using a slit lamp or a penlight and a magnifying glass. Many iridologists employ the use of photographs that are taken with a special camera. These enlarged photographs are then examined.
The iridologist will look for the subtle signs of illness that may be developing. These may include the signs of stress or a build up of toxins. The iridologist may also look at eye charts to find problems that may be occurring in the body’s organs.
The consultation process generally goes for an hour or so. Specific diseases are usually not diagnosed but you will be informed of any risk factors to your health and given preventative measures to follow in order to avoid falling ill.