Iridology, Medical Diagnosis and Freedom of Speech

At an Iridology certification seminar in Minneapolis in August, 1997, Dr. Jensen, the father of American Iridology, was providing an analysis of an iris picture. In reference to the blue tinge around the iris, he stated that it indicated "hypoxemia".

As a respiratory therapist, I had to raise my hand to challenge his use of that term. My response, as I recall, was "You don't know that". He did not know the PO2; he did not know the hemoglobin number; neither did he have a Biox to measure the saturation of the hemoglobin. And his response was that the tissue was not receiving enough oxygen; the medical term for which is not hypoxemia, but hypoxia. He said that he had never heard that term before.

So, one of my goals is to prevent inaccurate terminology in the practice of Iridology.

But there is a problem. The term "hypoxia" is too close to a medical diagnosis for an Iridologist to say. Just for his or her use of that one word, some nitwit would accuse him or her of "practicing medicine without a license". All an Iridologist is permitted to say, legally, is that the tissue is not getting enough oxygen.

Similarly, an M.D. at the conference was providing an analysis of the iris of a young woman; pointing out the different signs. He stated that there was an acute sign, indicating inflammation, in an area on the Iridology chart referred to as the pleural space. I asked him for an additional explanation of what he was talking about; and he said that there was an area of irritation because of the movement of the chest wall over the lung. My response was, "oh, you're talking about a pleural friction rub." He ran to get his stethescope, and asked the young woman to take several deep breaths, placing his stethescope at different areas around her chest, avoiding the breast area, until, on very deep inspirations, the pleural friction rub could be heard; thus indicating the existence of a sub-clinical pleural friction rub. She was not experiencing any pain upon either inspiration or expiration. (So, this is one very clear indication of the scientific validity of an Iridology assessment based upon a chart developed on an empirical basis.)

Now, as a respiratory therapist with some experience in intensive care, I had no awareness that there was any such thing as a sub-clinical pleural friction rub. Typically, they cause so much pain that they restrict an individual's breathing, which, then, results in the diagnosis.

But the problem here is that, as an Iridologist, I am not legally permitted, as I understand it, to use the term "pleural friction rub", because that term "belongs" to orthodox medicine. All I can say is that there is an acute sign indicating inflammation or pain in the pleural space. So, too, for the term "hypo-acid stomach". An Iridologist can say under-acid stomach; but a "hypo"-acid stomach is a medical diagnosis; for which the Attorney General would likely prosecute for practicing medicine without a license or the FDA would shut down.

In any case, various complaints have been made by the medical profession against Iridology; one of them being that what is being assessed are sub-clinical conditions. As I responded to one doctor: "I want them to remain sub-clinical. When they become clinical, you can take care of them."

In other words, doctors and Iridologists should work together for the individual's health; Iridologists focusing mostly on prevention and natural approaches; doctors using pharmaceutical approaches and surgery (for abdominal aortic aneurysms, for example) when absolutely necessary; as they sometimes are.

Michael Cecil

So, are you saying that legally, you cannot call 'a spade a spade' or you may be breaking the law by making an accurate diagnosis, and referring to the condition detected by its medical name?

But outside the land of free speech, an iridologist does not suffer the same problem?

That would be the result of the medical association's political party donations and their lobbying.
He who pays the piper, calls the tune.
Your problems will be solved when you can pay in more money to government than the rest of them.

reply to post by Michael Cecil


Want to become established science? Publish some double blind clinical trials and submit them for peer review before you complain about being suppressed. It's what the rest of medical science has had to do.

Honestly, these 'alternative medicine' people and their refusal to conform to scientific standards...