According to Christian authors John Ankerberg and John Weldon, “until recently iridology has been practiced primarily by chiropractors, naturopaths, and homeopaths. But in recent years, many other new-age therapists have begun to use iridology and even some physicians and optometrists…” which should raise red flags (Can You Trust Your Doctor?, 339).

What is Iridology?

“The iridologist claims he is able to diagnose the physical condition of the body through examining the iris, the colored part of the eye. He also claims that he can diagnose the probability of future illnesses and diseases by the same method.” (Can You Trust Your Doctor?, 340). In iridology, it is believed that each organ of the body is represented by a corresponding area within the iris. Not only iridology will be addressed here but other forms of diagnosis using occult methods.

What are the risks of getting involved with iridology?

There is a risk to one’s health because iridologists don’t diagnose based on proven methods of medical diagnosis. There are more than just potential physical risks associated with iridology. The connections between this practice and the occult can pose potential spiritual risks as well.

The occult background of iridology:

As we read further, we can see why anyone should be wary of iridology when its history was steeped in the occult and New Age.

According to Can You Trust Your Doctor? “Iridology can be traced to ancient Chinese astrological practices” (341).

In the U.S., the “father” of iridology in America may be considered chiropractor and naturopath Bernard Jensen. By far, he has been the most influential proponent of the practice.

Here is where things get interesting, Jensen was not an actual scientist, but was a popular new-age healer, a fact revealed in his various works, such as Iridology: Science and Practice in the Healing Arts. In his book, he reveals his belief in new-age concepts or practices such as reincarnation, astral travel, psychic development, and other occultic practices and philosophies. Such occultist practices are known to open a person to demonization. Jensen also confessed his great indebtedness to occultist Manly P. Hall, gurus Sai Baba, and Jiddhu Krishnamurti, homeopath V. G. Rocine, occultist and polarity therapy founder Randolph Stone, and those of similar persuasion.

I have addressed that mystical energies are likely to be demons masquerading. But Jenson had a “new age faith in various energy forces, psychic vibrations, and radionics apparently supplied the theoretical basis for his ideas on how iridology allegedly works: ‘It seemed to me that finer [occult] forces, that functioned as if by direction of some innate intelligence, were operating through the autonomic nervous system.'” (Can You Trust Your Doctor?, 343)

Iridology is shown to be compatible with new-age medicine in general. There is a chart used in iridology (they use several different charts) that reveals how iridology can be correlated to the practices of Chinese acupuncture and philosophy (as well as Hindu yogic principles and Ayurvedic medicine) (Can You Trust Your Doctor?, 343).

Ankerberg and Weldon wrote:

“Jensen’s new age philosophy is also evident in the section titled ‘A Deeper Look,’ giving an extensive bibliography replete with new age texts, several of which originate from the spirit world.  Books listed that those which have helped him include the standard demonically inspired theosophical text by medium H. P. Blavatsky, Isis Unveiled; new age bible The Aquarian Conspiracy by Marilyn Ferguson’ parapsychologist Jeffrey Mishlove’s The Roots of Consciousness; as well as the spiritistically inspired text A Course in Miracles. (Can You Trust Your Doctor?, 343)

One does not have to delve deeply to study iridology long before one uncovers iridologists who claim to diagnose the iris on the basis of psychic powers or even on the basis of spirit guides. Not all iris diagnosticians are involved occult of course, but clearly, some are, thus one should stay away for that reason alone.

The occultic nature of iridology is one reason why even Jensen occasionally admitted that iridology is not true science. He calls it a science that cannot be proven through scientific testing, in other words, an occult science:

“Iridology is based on scientific observation. [However] It is the kind of science that cannot be related through scientific tests, for it does not provide clinical information…. Iridology can only be judged by those who use it properly. Iridology has not been used properly by those who have criticized and say it fails the test” (Can You Trust Your Doctor?, 356).

In New Age Medicine, the issue of iridology and science is discussed:

“If the iris is indeed blessed with such enormous diagnostic potential, why is iridology not taken seriously in the scientific community?

In fact, iridology is taught neither in medical school nor in high school biology classes, nor is it practiced… by optometrists or ophthalmologists….” (Can You Trust Your Doctor?, 349).

So how is a correct diagnosis in iridology made?

Ankerberg and Weldon speculate that it could be that most patients will tell an iridologist their medical history, including the symptoms they are having, well before he examines their iris. This may supply the iridologist with sufficient clues to make an accurate diagnosis at least some of the time.

Or it could be iridology diagnosis characteristically involves speaking in vague and general terminology. The patient is left to fill in the details.

Or it could be iridologists, like many other new-age healers, are adept at self-justification. Because practitioners assume iridology is never wrong, some novel explanation is always available to explain errors, no matter how implausible.

Or perhaps they have “success” in diagnosing patients because iridologists do not usually provide one single diagnosis but offer the patient an entire list of actual or potential problems.

Ankerberg and Weldon conclude:

“iridology is worthless as a diagnostic technique, and it may involve a person in the occult. Whether considered from the perspective of logic, scientific tests, or iridology theory itself, iridology is a pseudoscience of no value. The practice has deceived both practitioner and patient alike” (Can You Trust Your Doctor?, 357).

If it is none of the above, an iridologist practitioner can diagnose mediumistically. In other words, an evil spirit (or evil spirits) somehow conveys to the practitioner the correct diagnosis.

The late Dr. Kurt Koch, who was one of the leading authorities in the area of the occult, wrote:

“Many of our healers and occult practitioners use eye-diagnosis mediumistically… That means that they are only interested in the iris as a mediumistic contact. In this way, the human eye serves a psychometric purpose in much the same way as hand lines do when a fortune-teller uses them as contact material or as an ‘intuition stimulant.’ When this is the case, eye-diagnosis becomes a form of fortune-telling. Because of this, these eye-diagnosticians are often very successful. Indeed, some of them with little or no medical training can diagnose illness with 100 percent accuracy.” (The Devil’s Alphabet, 40-41).

Examples of consequences of going to an iris diagnostician (iridologist) as it was probably done mediumistically:

A father was ill and went to an iris diagnostician for advice. His family knew nothing about this method of therapy (treatment of disease). After several sessions with the eye diagnostician, the man’s character began to change. His wife said, “He became a devil to his own family. He took to alcohol, bullied his wife and children, though until then he had been a friendly, peaceable man.

Over forty-four years I have collected thousands of examples which tell a similar story. those who engage in occult activities undergo a change of character, feelings, and faith.

(Occult ABC, 103)

“A young man went to an iris diagnostician. Not only was he told what his illness was, but he was told the future. The young man recovered, but as far as his faith was concerned, he displayed remarkable changes. He began to feel physical pain when he went to church or when he wanted to read the Bible at home. He lost the ability and desire to pray or to sing Christian hymns. At the same time, personality defects appeared. He became an addict, a chain-smoker, and depressions set in which led to a complete emotional breakdown. His organic healing was dearly paid for in terms of emotional breakdown. His organic healing was dearly paid for in terms of emotional complications. This eye diagnostician works in an area known for its many occult healers.”

(Occult ABC, 104)

The following is an example of another doctor using occult diagnosis but via the use a pendulum:

A doctor discovered that he had the ability to use of pendulum. He began a series of experiments that lasted over a period of about a week. When a new patient entered his consulting room, he would first offer him a chair, and then he would go into an adjoining room and use a pendulum over the letters of the alphabet to find out the patient’s Christian names, surname and complaint. The results proved to be correct in each case and the successes encouraged the doctor to conduct further experiments. When a nurse called from his brand office and told him of some new patients, he used the same method. With the help of the pendulum and the alphabet he discovered the names, diseases and ages of the still unknown patients. The results always proved to be correct. These surprising successes spurred him on to make yet other more difficult experiments. For instance, if he wanted  to know the time of departure or arrival of a train, he found that the pendulum obligingly gave him desired information. He could also with the help of the pendulum state the names, ages, family relationships and other things of people, merely by using the pendulum in conjunction with a photograph of the individual in question. There appeared to be nothing impossible to this pendulum practitioner.

During these experiments, however, the doctor observed various psychic changes in himself. He lost control of himself sexually as well as towards alcohol and smoking. He often had fits of temper and did not understand why. Already after the first week of experimenting with the pendulum he had felt and feared that he was going out of his mind. After a time he therefore stopped using his pendulum and in his inner confusion he endeavoured to become a Christian. In doing so he was completely delivered from the powers that he had been working with. Today this doctor believes that such pendulum abilities depend on demonic forces, because the characteristics effects appeared not only in his mental life but also in his spiritual life.

(Between Chris and Satan, 51-53)

The following book the following is an actual doctor using the occult method for diagnosis:

… It is not only quacks and amateur healers who use occult methods of diagnosis and cure; there are also a few occultists among doctors. The doctor in question is not only a fully qualified M.D., but is also a psychometric clairvoyant, clairsentient, and fortuneteller. He takes a drop of blood from his patient. This blood sample is not tested in a laboratory. It suffices for the doctor to hold the drop of blood up against the light and to concentrate on it. Then he gives his complete diagnosis. Undoubtedly man diseases can be diagnosed by examination of the blood. I have had a blood test myself. The doctor had the blood tested in forty different ways in the laboratory. It is not possible to do that with just one drop of blood, and some of the laboratory checks take a long time. This doctor is an occultist. All patients who undergo this occult diagnosis come under a ban.

While we are talking about doctors, I will mention another example. I was told in the course of counseling about a school doctor who asked for samples of urine. He does not make the usual urine tests for protein, sugar, hemoglobin and so on, but he uses it like the doctor in the last example. He concentrates for a few second on the urine, without sending it to the laboratory for examination, and then makes his diagnosis and prescribes his cure accordingly. This too is a case of occult diagnosis.

Thus it is only quacks and healers who use occult methods. There are are doctors who do the same thing under cloak of their professional qualifications.

(Occult ABC, 73-74)

The following is a story how a person involved in the occult diagnosis a person’s illness via psychometrically (which is the power to pick up an object that belongs to someone and obtain information about that individual):

A French pastor’s wife came to me for a talk. She had been suffering for years from depression. The depression cold not be accounted for medically. The pastor’s wife told me the story of her life. It included a case of fortunetelling. One day when her son (now grown up) was ill as a baby, a man from the parish came to the door of the house. ‘I know that your son is ill,” the man said.

“Please give me something that belongs to the child. I am able to heal him.”

What do you want to do?” asked the pastor’s wife. “We have a doctor. I should like to talk it over first with my husband. He is away at the moment.”

“I have heard,” said the man, “that your child has a high temperature.” the mother replied that the baby’s temperature was 104 degrees F. The man said, “You can see how urgent it is. If the child dies, you will be responsible, because God has given me the ability to heal diseases.”

A mother who is anxious about her beloved child is, under some circumstances, open to persuasion. So she went into the house and brought one of the baby’s dresses. The man went home with it. A short while later, the fever abated and the child recovered.

But the child’s development was unusual. He was not normal. He was very clever and went to the high school. But when he came home from school he would stand against the wall and, for about two hours, knock his forehead against it. He could not be persuaded to stop this. His mother also had spiritual problems. She was hardly able to pray or to read the Bible, and she started to suffer from depression.

(Occult ABC, 72-73)

The following is another example of an item for mediumistic contact:

“In Alsace a Catholic priest heals by magic. His nickname is Father Slipper. The reason behind this is that all those who desire his help must send him one of their slippers. Through concentrating on the slippers he can discover what is wrong with the people.”

(Between Christ and Satan, 59)

I believe those who have yielded to being diagnosed or treated by any occult method can possibly open the person to spiritual defilement.

The only hope for deliverance from occult subjection can be found in the Lord and God Jesus Christ.

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If you don’t know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior you can receive Him into your heart, and He can deliver you from darkness and sin and have your name written in His Book of Life.

If you are sincere, you can say this simple prayer to the Father (it doesn’t have to be word for word):

“God, I recognize that I have not lived my life for You up until now. I have been living for myself and that is wrong. Please forgive me of all of my sins just as I forgive others. I need You in my life; I want You in my life. I acknowledge the completed work of Your only begotten Son Jesus Christ in giving His life for me on the cross, I believe in my heart Jesus is Lord and was raised from the dead and I long to receive the forgiveness you have made freely available to me through this sacrifice. Come into my life now, Lord. Take up residence in my heart and be my king, my Lord, and my Savior. From this day forward, I will no longer be controlled by sin, or the desire to please myself, but I will follow You all the days of my life. Those days are in Your hands. I ask this in the Lord and GOD Jesus’ precious and holy name. Amen.”