Your Eyes Mirror Your Health: Focus on Eyology

by Karen McGill

Wouldn’t it be nice if you could determine states of your health without being jabbed, poked and oftentimes having to have a surgical procedure performed just to make an assessment? What if you could see a healthcare practitioner who could not only help you determine what body systems are out of balance or areas that toxins have accumulated in your body, but could also help you deal with the “problem” and not just your symptoms?

Welcome to Eyology! A growing number of practitioners who are specially trained in the art and sciences of Iridology and Sclerology. It is painless and non-invasive. It is actually, quite exciting. By utilizing iris and sclerology analysis (eyology) as a tool to assess the whole person, we  pinpoint genetic tendencies, tissue weakness, toxic areas and malnutrition. Eyology analysis is done by looking into both eyes with a high powered magnifying glass and a light or with a specialized camera and slitlamp. An experienced Eyologist will be able to chart and work with you nutritionally, according to findings.

Alternative healthcare is best known for preventing health problems, but it can also enable us to detect degenerative disease well before it becomes a serious problem. Finding imbalances in very early stages might give you a fighting chance of reversing disease and illness.

Eyology is the modern term that includes Iridology and Sclerology, the art and sciences that describe qualities of health, disease, and personality by the marks and colors in the eyes as a means of evaluating health. “Eyology” has been coined by Dr. Leonard Mehlmauer, A Naturopathic Physician and Principal researcher at Grand Medicine, Chula Vista CA, in order to simplify the description and combined terminologies of the eye sciences.

IRIDOLOGY

You have heard that the eyes are the windows to the soul. Iridology is a safe, non-invasive science, which can be integrated with both conventional and complementary medicine.

The science and practice of iridology is performed by analyzing the iris (colored section of the eye) and the pupil. The iris is the most complex external structure of the human anatomy. It is connected to every organ and tissue of the body by way of the nervous system through the optic nerves, which are attached to the eyes. Vision information is sent to the brain. At the same time, information is sent back to the eyes from the brain regarding your overall level of health.

Iridology reveals the level of health and the presence of tissue inflammation in the body, where it is located and what stage it has reached—acute, sub-acute, chronic or degenerative. Iridology has the ability to forewarn of approaching difficulties. It can be a powerful tool, revealing how well your body functions. Iris fibers disclose the level of constitutional strength, inherent weaknesses, health levels, and the transitions that take place in a person’s organs and tissues according to the way they eat and live. Weaknesses in body tissues or organs often show up in the eye before they show up in medical tests. A complete iris analysis will show whether a person exhibits a generally good constitution or a poor one, depending upon the density of the iris fibers, patterns, structures, colors and degrees of lightness and darkness that tell if an area of the body is inherently weak or strong. It also reveals the correlating site of over-under-activity, irritation, suppression of catarrh, injury or degeneration of the tissues and organs. Toxic accumulation levels can be observed as well as nutritional and chemical imbalances. Iris fibers also relate to personality traits as well as conscious and subconscious thought/emotional patterns. Iridology helps us understand our genetic weakness so we may strengthen and cleanse our bodies to obtain our maximum health potential. I tell my clients that “genetics loads the gun, but diet and lifestyle pull the trigger.” Iridology brings to us an awareness of how to prevent illness, thus allowing us to earn our most precious earthly treasure—vibrant physical, mental and spiritual health! A person is empowered with self-knowledge when they can weaken or prevent a genetic predisposition from manifesting.

Iridology is by no means a new science. Traditional Iris Charts, which are mapped like a clock, reflect certain areas of the body to certain positions on the chart. For example, the lungs are at 3:00 in the left Iris and 9:00 in the right Iris. Since an individual has two lungs, then there are locations for the lungs in both eyes. Since the liver is situated on the right side of the body, any area that corresponds to the liver in the Iridology Chart would be on the lateral quadrant... and so on. On the iris chart, the brain areas are represented at the upper quadrant while the bowel and kidneys are at the lower quadrant. (Charts and diagrams are available through the International Iridology practitioners association (phone # 888-682-2208) and Grand Medicine (# 619-422-9484).

It is important to note that Iridology does not diagnose disease, it merely reveals tissue weaknesses, inflammation or toxicity in organs or tissues. If tissue weakness is revealed, it may be seen long before any symptoms arrive. The main purpose of Iridology is to help us understand our constitutional basic temperament, so that we may understand how to balance nutrition and lifestyle in order to encourage a more successful physical, mental and emotional state. Many Doctors can’t tell you the score until the game’s over, until you actually have a nameable disease, a diagnosis—but iridology lets you walk in at the first inning—and that’s why studies show it will probably play a primary role in preventative medicine at the bioelectric level, which is well on its way to becoming the medicine of the future.

Ancient, Yet Modern, Preventative Medicine

The first recorded sources of iris analysis reach as far back as 1,000 BC in ancient China. Today in the 20th century, doctors and scientists from the United States (Dr. Bernard Jensen) and Germany (Dr. Josef Deck) have brought iridology into worldwide recognition. Iridology provides a non-invasive, painless and economical means of looking into the body. It may be utilized in conjunction with any other system of analysis or diagnosis available. Today, people are in need of preventative health care and less complex methods on analyzing their condition. Iridology holds a key to both these situations. It is mainly a preventative tool because it can warn a doctor of a person’s apparent tendency toward disease. If a person is potentially approaching an illness, this will show up in an examination of his or her iris. The iris can also express a person’s health progress. Cleansing and healing of the body can be verified over time, by changes in the iris.

Iridology works conjunctively with nutrition, herbal medicine, homeopathy and orthomolecular medicine to make sure that a patient is getting his or her appropriate dose of nutrients, minerals, organic elements, enzymes, vitamins, and the proper pH balance. Every disease is considered the result of a chemical shortage or overabundance. There are certain mineral deficiencies which are associated with specific markings in the iris. An iridologist might suggest what foods a patient should eat (or not eat) to obtain the nutrients that he or she really needs; a person’s diet is discussed and may need to change in order for he or she to curb certain risk factors. In addition, a constitution of the iris can reveal a person’s genetic factors that affect his or her likeliness for developing a particular disease. After a full assessment and history intake, an eyologist will put together a program of foods, herbs and a lifestyle protocol fit for the individual. There is no “one size fits all” in holistic medicine.

SCLEROLOGY

Sclerology is the study of the red lines, gels and colors, in the white of the eyes and how they relate to stress patterns in a person’s health. A Sclerologist is trained to interpret these findings, and helps you understand how the body is struggling or adapting to maintain balance; and thus know how to apply natural therapies to prevent problems from occurring or help the body correct problems already occurring.

What is a person’s predisposition to disease? What is the hidden cause of symptoms that can point the way to cure? What will your health challenges be in the future if you don’t make health changes today? Information regarding these insights is portrayed NOW in the sclera—the red veins in the white of the eyes. All you need is the key to unlocking their reflexive message!

Are cold hands and feet a circulatory, thyroid, constitutional-vitality, or immunological problem? The answer is reflected in the sclera. What is the key to losing weight? Is it glucose metabolism, the endocrine glands, the liver, or an allergy pattern? Insights are in the sclera. Is chronic fatigue attributed to a chronic infection, a weak endocrine system (thyroid/adrenals), an exhausted immune system, a liver weakness? The sclera contains information showing where weaknesses lie.

Sclerology provides an early warning—an earlier warning than any other eye-sciences—and thus allows a person the time to effect nutritional correction before a condition becomes chronic. Neoplasm, tumor and pain signs are readily available in the sclera, as well as emotion. The lines in the sclera change as health conditions change, making sclerology an excellent tool to confirm that a natural therapy is working.

Eyology has yet to be given full acceptance and credibility by many physicians and the public. To some, it sounds doubtful that the eyes can predict so much information about a person’s general health. Those who spend their lives devoted to the science and studies find its benefits very rewarding to healthcare today. I believe that if we make use of Eyology, we can drastically reduce our chances of facing a diagnosis of advanced degenerative diseases. Eyology can be used as a tool for health improvement. Once we know which areas of the body are weak, we can work to strengthen them nutritionally.

Karen McGill is a Board Certified Naturopath and owner of Holistic Alternatives in New Buffalo, MI. She is a Certified Iridologist and Sclerologist and is a board member of the World Eyology Guild. Dr. McGill speaks on Natural Health and is a contributing editor for numerous natural health publications. You can contact her at 269-469-6546. www.holisticalternativesinc.com.