Iridology – Are Your Eyes Your Windows to Your Soul…and Your Health?

Recently I was introduced to iridology, which is the process of studying the iris in order to get a snapshot of a person’s health. You can read more about iridology here.

How I Found Out

The husband of a friend of mine had been told by his ophthalmologist several times to consider having this done in order to dig into his health issues. My friend and her husband finally decided to have their irises scanned and purchased a couple of supplements based on the results. One of his health issues that no other doctor or medicine had been able to resolve…disappeared. Pretty amazing!

Is Iridology Legit?

When she shared this with me, I decided to do some research. Iridology does not have the stamp of approval from either the medical or science communities. It is neither regulated nor licensed. There are various certifications, but no regulatory authority to oversee this. (Basically, anyone can create a certification program.) There are health professionals who get certified in iridology, but many offices that offer iridology services have no certification. Many in the medical community consider iridology to be quackery.

Despite the lack of regulations, I decided to give it a whirl. I figured it wouldn’t hurt me to check this out. I’m open to non-Western philosophies and methodologies. I’m also aware to be on alert for unscrupulous salespeople and scam artists. In this case, iridology is often conducted in facilities that sell health packages and/or supplements. I was fully prepared to be hit with “change your life” sales pitches.

Anyone who shares an iridology reading with you is not supposed to give you a diagnosis. Instead, the reading is a list of your organs and body systems and their current state. For example, they are not supposed to inform you that you have lung disease, but they can say, “According to the scan, it appears you’re experiencing below-optimal oxygenation.” Or, as another example, they can’t say, “You have a kidney disease,” but they can say, “You possibly dehydrate easily, which might be caused by x, y, or z.”

I wanted more than just a spa employee doing this, so I went to the same place as my friend because at this facility, a nutritionist does the scanning, and a doctor interprets the scan. (Remember, there’s no such thing as a doctor of iridology, but a doctor or other medical professional can choose to study iridology.) I did not divulge any of my current medical issues or history.

My Experience

Ten days later, I arrived for my results appointment. I walked in as a skeptic and walked out surprised by how accurate my reading was. More important to me was that I received explanations for possible connections between (and possible causes of) several conditions. Western medicine had not been able to do this for me. The nutritionist I met with cautioned me to never start a regimen of multiple herbs or supplements because you wouldn’t know which one(s) worked and which might be causing an issue. He helped me decide which single supplement to try that would address possible underlying causes of multiple issues. After one month of the new supplement ($30 for a one-month supply, made of ingredients that checked out, and produced by a reputable company), my doctor-ordered labs showed improvement.

Iridology is definitely not the cure for all ills. I still see all of my doctors, but now I can ask them more in-depth questions based on my medical research and the results of my iridology scan. Of course, I don’t mention the scan to them, otherwise they might not take my questions seriously.

If you’re seeking answers to health questions, iridology might help you with a part of your research. But be sure you undertake due diligence on the facility you plan to use.

How does this relate to time management? If you have spent a great deal of time going to doctors and not getting the results you want, and then even more time researching alternatives, iridology might help you cut back on your time loss.

For time management tips related to mind management and self-care, take a peek at The Inefficiency Assassin: Time Management Tactics for Working Smarter, Not Longer.