Iridology: Health is in the Eye
By Jackie Christensen, BS, HHP, NC, MH
Faculty Member of GCNM
Iridology is a diagnostic technique where the practitioner examines the patterns, colors, and other characteristics of the iris to determine information about a patient’s systemic health. Iridology isn’t used to diagnose specific diseases or conditions; however it can be used to indicate general vulnerabilities in major organs, including the heart, liver, lungs and brain. Practitioners take their observations of the eye and match them to iris charts which divide the iris into zones corresponding to specific parts of the human body to determine where an imbalance may lie. Based on the findings, the iridologist can then make recommendations to the patient concerning diet, herbal supplementation, and lifestyle changes. A person’s progress is also expressed in the iris. Therefore, cleansing and healing of the body can be verified from changes in the iris.
Iridology first began in Hungary in 1861 when Ignatz Peczely found an owl with a broken leg. At the time he noticed the owl had a black stripe in the iris of its eye and after he nursed the owl’s leg back to health, he noticed the black stripe had disappeared and fine, crooked, white lines had appeared. Years later, when Ignatz became a doctor, he began to realize that his patients had similar irregularities in their irises. He also noticed that the differences depended on the type and stage of illness and over time he charted a map of the iris/body relationship. Around the same time, a 14-year-old Swedish boy, Nils Liljequist, became severely ill from a vaccination. After he began a treatment with heavy drugs, he noticed a change in the color of his iris. Years later he broke some of his ribs and again noticed a change in his iris color. In 1893, he published over 258 drawings depicting his interpretation of the iris/body relationship. The maps produced by the two men were very similar.
Many modern charts divide the eye into several dozen zones, all of which correspond to a specific organ. Certain markings or discolorations in those zones suggest potential weaknesses. Black markings indicate dying tissue. White markings, such as small dots or lines indicate inflammation. Smaller contracted rings around the iris may indicate spasms of a particular organ and a larger ring at the edge of the iris may indicate slow metabolism.
The iris contains hundreds of nerve endings, which are attached to the optic nerve, the base of the brain, and tissues all over the body. Therefore, the neural activity of the eye is able to express the overall state of the body. The human body is an integrated unit made up of various cells, which all communicate with the iris about their overall wellness. Weaknesses in body tissues or organs often show up in the eye long before they show up in medical tests.
Early practitioners of iridology used a flashlight and a magnifying glass to get a good view the iris; however these tools have now been replaced with cameras and slit-lamp microscopes. Computer programs also exist that analyze the iris of the eye, but even with the advances in technology properly identifying the unique marks of a human iris is not an easy task. Iridology is not a method of treatment so it is common to find iridologists practicing another form of alternative medicine such as acupuncture, herbal therapy or holistic health to complement their iridology practice.
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Book Review
The Revolutionary Program to Restore the Body’s Natural Ability to Heal Itself
By Alejandro Junger, MD with Amely Greeven
Dr. Alejandro Junger is a New York City cardiologist and a leader in the emerging community of integrative medicine practitioners. As one of the new wave of conventionally trained and highly educated allopathic medical specialists now integrating natural interventions into their medical practices, he offers us Clean, his insightful and sensible program designed to alleviate the symptoms and end the suffering from some of the most common chronic health conditions.
Dr. Junger brings forth his remarkable analytical skills and a brilliant perspective on why the body succumbs to conditions such as allergies, obesity, low immune function, insomnia, irritable bowel syndrome, chronic constipation, psoriasis, depression and anxiety. He presents us with the undeniable facts regarding the toxic state of our bodies due to our heavily polluted environment, the toxicity of the water we drink and the chemically inundated foods we consume. Our body’s natural detoxification systems are struggling to maintain equilibrium under the constant bombardment of excess toxicity and are unable to manage the workload.
Another important issue that arises in this book is our chronic state of stress as we endeavor to keep up with the fast pace of modern life. The mind/body connection has been acknowledged by allopathic medicine. Scientists have observed that continuous states of stress alter our biochemistry, particularly in the adrenal reaction to stress activating our fight or flight response which then floods our system with an excess of cortisol.
From his perspective as a cardiologist he alerts us to the harmful effects of toxic thoughts and emotions caused by our negative relationships, jobs, and even our governments. Monday mornings are characterized by a wave of stroke and heart attack events at emergency wards, just when the restful weekend merges into Monday morning workload stress and worry. Stress, anger and worry flood our thoughts and feelings so overwhelmingly, and manifest into the physical body causing such troubling symptoms that we have to stop and pay attention. He suggests these thoughts and feelings find the pathway to the weakest part of our body and begin to disrupt biochemical functioning.
Detoxification includes more than simply cleansing the body and supporting liver function. Meditation and calming the mind are highly recommended as a way to rid you of the "quantum toxins of stress and endless thinking", which he considers one of the major obstacles to well being. He calls this process "quantum detoxification", the art of recapturing the lost energy that drains out of your brain when you engage in random repetitive thoughts. With this concept in mind he includes a meditation exercise for use during the three-week Clean detoxification program. By redirecting the constant flow of energy from your thoughts of the past or future into your body, you engage in the act of becoming present in the moment. The frequency of your vibration increases as the electrons, which are impulses of light, are redirected into your body and you "enlighten" yourself. Even starting with five minutes a day will help you use this quantum detoxification tool to form new habits, shifting your awareness. Imagine the profound effect this will have on your mind/body health when combined with the Clean detoxification program!
The Clean program requires some planning to prepare your home environment by eliminating sources of toxicity, replacing toxic cleaning products with environmental friendly non-toxic ones, and shopping for the foods you will use to prepare the two raw liquid meals for breakfast and dinner and one solid meal for lunch each day. Recommendations for activities to support your detoxification include exercise to keep your body in motion, massage, colonics, skin brushing, hot-cold hydrotherapy treatments, infrared sauna, laughter, lubricating by drinking two tablespoons of olive oil each night, writing a log or journal, recording your progress photographically, eating fresh garlic cloves daily, reading health books to gain a better understanding of the changes taking place in your body, and expressing your artistic side through dance, song, playing music, painting and sculpting.
To prepare your kitchen for the elimination stage of Clean you are asked to go through your cupboards and throw away all foods that come in boxes, jars, bags, tubes and cans to help you avoid the temptation to stray from the Clean meals and snacks. The only equipment required is a good water filtration system to ensure you have a source of pure water, a blender for preparing the smoothies and soups, and a good juicer.
Before you begin Clean you are asked to follow an elimination diet. If you have done some cleansing programs lately and already have a diet of whole foods with minimal meat and dairy, no wheat, no packaged or fast foods, three or four days is enough. If you have an "average" diet that contains red meat, dairy, packaged foods, bakery products, sugar, caffeine and alcohol, a week is best. If your diet includes a lot of fast food, packaged foods, sodas, junk food and alcohol you will need to be on the elimination diet for two weeks before beginning. These steps ensure minimal withdrawal from caffeine and alcohol and maximum benefits from the program once you begin. Results are usually noticeable within the first week, such as glowing skin, reduced symptoms of psoriasis and skin problems, weight loss, increased energy and the reversal of the effects of aging. Dr. Junger provided lists of the foods to include and eliminate, and lists of the alkaline and acidic foods as guidelines during this elimination stage.
Once you begin the three-week Clean program you will be altering your routines, your methods of food preparations, and learning new habits. You will leave a window of twelve hours between your last meal of the day and your breakfast. I found this part quite interesting. Apparently the body’s detox signal is given after eight hours from the last meal and it requires four hour for completion. You will have a liquid meal for dinner, then fast overnight for twelve hours to let this "deep clean" phase complete.
Dr. Junger enlisted the assistance of Nurse, Raw Food Chef and Cleansing expert Jill Pettijohn to prepare the Clean recipes for making coconut milk and nut milks, a variety of smoothies, juices, soups, and solid meals that include fish, chicken, lamb and vegan choices that look very appealing and provide you with all the nutrients you will need during this program. In fact, they look good enough to add to your usual repertoire in the kitchen even if not following the Clean program.
The appendix provides lists of common sources of heavy metal metals to avoid, prescription drugs that deplete specific nutrients, nutrients that aid in detoxification, websites and many other resources. Overall, this book is an amazing resource with great information, written in highly motivational language, providing a detoxification program that will change your life forever. Visit Dr. Junger’s website at www.cleanprogram.com for downloadable charts with full details of the recommended activities, and weekly meal planning, both provided in the book.
Reviewed By Moira Khouri NC, MH, HHP, CCP
Faculty Member of GCNM
Exercise of the Month
Exercise Description: Lat Pull-Down with Band
Target Muscle: Lats (Back)
Instructions:
Begin the exercise by sitting down on a chair or bench. Make sure you are sitting up tall and straight. Grip the band with hands shoulder distance apart and knuckles facing towards you. With hands gripping the band, raise arms straight up with elbows slightly bent. Slowly bend elbows to stretch band and pull hands apart. Bring hands back above the head to repeat as necessary. **Make sure that as you bend your elbows that you keep them pointed directly to each ones side. Do not let the elbows point forward or backwards.
Student Profile
Tanna Marshall, HHP Graduate
Tanna Marshall, a graduate of GCNM’s Holistic Health Practitioner Program, has recently released her book titled, Living Peacefully in a Big City: A Guide to Maintaining Your Sanity, Health, and Happiness. Tanna Marshall is a Holistic Health Consultant and a Certified Massage Therapist with more than eighteen years experience as a natural health practitioner. She lives with her family in Los Angeles, California, and enjoys helping others improve the quality of their lives in body, mind and spirit. To learn more about the Tanna, visit www.tannasholistichealthcare.com. You can find a review of the book below.
Tanna Marshall begins Living Peacefully in a Big City by introducing herself and giving the reader a concise synopsis of her life and experiences. By providing the reader with some personal information about herself, one begins to feel like you are having one-on-one conversation with Tanna.
The book consists of a selection of topics beginning with stressful situations and moving onto emotional issues and taking care of the physical body. The last topics of the book address and explore spiritual issues. A few of the topics that I found particularly useful and pertinent to me were:
- Driving and Traffic
- Setting Boundaries
- Dreams and Sleep
- Dealing with People around You
- Good Days and Bad Days: Decide to Be Happy
- And many more...
While the book nicely transitions from one topic to another, each topic stands out on its own allowing the reader to flip through the book reading only the topics pertinent to the reader. Keep in mind that the topics presented do not go into great depth. However, it was not her intention to provide a great depth of information on any of the topics. The book is meant to be "an easy, relaxed, comprehensive guide that will provide the basic tools to better handle various life situations". While Tanna does not go into depth about the topics, she gives great recommendations on where to obtain more in-depth information if needed.
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Reviewed By Kate Marcinak HHP, BA, C-PT
Faculty Member of GCNM
Search online for values in the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference.
