IRIDOLOGY, HOMEOPATHY, NUTRACEUTICALS:
DO THEY REALLY WORK?

• PALMING:
  The patient cups his hand over a closed eye and imagines total darkness. The idea is to get rid of nervous energy.
• SHIFTING:
  The patient looks back and forth between two targets using eccentric fixation, being careful not to stare. According to Dr. Bates, staring causes mental strain and myopia.
• SUNNING:
  Dr. Bates recommended staring at the sun to normalize vision. His argument was that a patient who had normal vision could stare at the sun indefinitely without causing damage. We now know this practice can lead to solar retinitis and permanent vision loss. Nobody should ever do this!

Most of his claims have been considered false by practically all visual scientists. Despite that, the Bates method is still alive and strong today. We should be as skeptical about advertisements claiming to cure our need for glasses as we are about the magic diet pill that will make you lose ,5 pounds a day permanently.

• Similasan:
  These are perhaps the best known homeopathic eye drops. There are four formulations: dry eye and red eyes, allergy eyes, computer eyes, and pink eye relief.
• Prima Vu:
  By Prima Vu Herbal Health Care in San Diego, this is a homeopathic herbal eye drop for, “dry, tired eyes.”
• Optique 1:
  By Boiron Laboratories in France, this is a homeopathic drop for eyes that are, “red, dry, itchy , burning.”

The most controversial premise in homeopathy is the “Law of Infinitesimals” which claims that the smaller the dose, the more powerful the effect. The potency ratings on the homeopathic remedies- typically 6X to 30X- refer to the exponential number of serial dilutions a toxin undergoes. For example, a 1X remedy would involve one part of a noxious substance added to 10 parts of a diluted substance, a 2X would be one part of a noxious substance added to 100 parts of a diluting agent, etc. In theory, a potency rating of 24X or greater means that the remedy may not contain a single molecule of the noxious substance. At these dilutions, these remedies should have no physiological effect.
There is some evidence supporting the validity of homeopathy. Wyane Jonas, M.D. and colleagues performed an analysis of four independent systematic reviews of homeopathy and published their results last year. Interestingly, three of these reviews indicated that homeopathy worked slightly better than placebo, but the fourth did not find any statistically significant difference.
The authors concluded that while homeopathy deserves an open-minded opportunity to demonstrate its value on evidence-based principals, we should not allow patients to substitute it for proven therapies.
HOMEOPATHIC REMEDIES GAINED LEGAL STATUS IN THE UNITED STATES IN 1939. THE U.S. FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION CURRENTLY REQUIRES NO PROOF OF EFFICACY FOR HOMEOPATHIC REMEDIES. THIS HAS OPENED UP MARKETING LOOPHOLES.

IRIDOLOGY:
Iridology is the study of the iris to diagnose disease. Iridology is based on the questionable assumption that every organ in the human body has a corresponding location within the iris and that one can determine whether an organ is healthy or diseased by examining the iris rather than the organ itself. Iridologists look at the color, texture and the location of iris pigmentation to reveal health status. The iris is the colored part of the eye.
Iridology is credited to a Hungarian homeopathic practitioner, Ignatz von Peczely. He was believed to have developed this system while imprisoned during the Hungarian revolution in 1848. Legend has it that when he was a child, he noticed that an owl with a broken leg showed a black linear iris lesion. As the owl’s leg healed, the lesion slowly disappeared. This apparently sparked von Peczely’s hypothesis behind iridology. About one century later, a chiropractor by the name of Bernard Jensen, pioneered the practice of iridology in the U.S.
Today, iridology is a common diagnostic tool used among the more than 1,000 licensed naturopathic doctors. Iridology even has its own professional organization. Some examples of what an iridologist believes: A rust-colored ring around the pupil confirms bowel toxicity and constipation, while a white ring outlining the iris indicates a compromised circulatory system with memory loss.
Based on iris diagnosis, the iridologist identifies “imbalances” and may recommend certain vitamins, minerals and herbs in order to correct them. The dangers in iridology are several: inefficient use of time and money, delayed diagnosis, and perhaps most serious, the possibility of false negative diagnosis on a patient with a serious illness. In one study, for example, three iridologists evaluated 143 patients, 48 of whom had renal disease. There was no statistically significant ability to detect kidney disease- one iridologist found that 88% of normal individuals had kidney disease, leading the authors to conclude that the likelihood of correct detection was statistically no better than chance.
In another study, the author took stereo color slides from the right eye of 39 patients with known gall bladder disease and 39 patients without, then showed them in random order to five iridologists. None of the iridologists reached a high validity of correct diagnosis, leading the researchers to conclude that iridology is not a useful diagnostic aid.
This should be no surprise, as there is no known mechanism by which a diseased organ can transmit its health status to the iris.

NUTRACEUTICALS:
The Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA), passed by Congress in 1994, freed the nutritional supplement industry from FDA oversight. The result: an explosion in the amount of available nutraceuticals.
As with homeopathic remedies, manufacturers of nutraceuticals do not have to disclose or prove efficacy. Consumers need to be aware that advertisements for vitamins and nutritional supplements can be making false claims.
There has been renewed concern about the safety of some of these products, especially performance enhancers such as ephedra, which have been associated with heart problems and over 160 deaths.

• Eyebright (Euphrasia officinalis)
  A flowering plant that herbalists claim treats conjunctivitis. In one study, researchers diagnosed 65 people with conjunctivitis-- although they didn’t state the type of conjunctivitis, presumably bacterial-- and had these patients administer Eyebright for two weeks. After two weeks, they found that 53 of 65 patients had a complete recovery.
  Some things to keep in mind, however: First, this was an uncontrolled study. Second, a review found that in bacterial conjunctivitis, saline placebo esulted in clinical recovery in 65% of patients within two to five days. Since bacterial conjunctivitis is frequently self-limiting, we need further research to assess the effectiveness of Eyebright and other herbal remedies.
• Bilberry
  This is one of the 10 most popular herbs in the United States. Herbalists claim that it can help improve night vision and cataracts. Legend has it that British Royal Air Force pilots during World War II were rationed bilberry jam or bilberry tea. Afterwards, their night vision improved so much that they bombed their targets with incredible accuracy. In reality, the pilots were bombing their targets with incredible accuracy because they acquired radar. Supposedly, bilberry was introduced as a diversion so that no one else would find out about radar. Ironically, scientists have since discovered bilberry is rich in antioxidants and therefore could have some eye-related benefits. But definitive information is lacking.
  Perhaps the most telling information available comes from a double-blind, controlled, cross-over study commissioned by the military in Pensacola, Fla., where Navy SEALs are trained. Fifteen SEALs ingested the maximum recommended dose of bilberry for three weeks, and researchers measured night vision, visual acuity and contrast sensitivity. At the end of the study, there was no statistically significant improvement in vision.
  Although there are substantial voids in information about nutraceuticals, at least there is some good science.
  For example, the Age Related Eye Disease Study, or AREDS by the National Eye Institute found that patients at high risk of developing advanced stages of Age Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) lowered their risk by about 25% when treated with a high-dose combination of vitamin C, vitamin E, beta-carotene, and zinc. Unfortunately, as long as nutraceutical companies are not required to prove efficacy of their products, large scale studies like AREDS will likely be far and few between.

** IF YOU ARE CURRENTLY TAKING ANY OVER THE COUNTER TREATMENTS, PLEASE MAKE YOUR PHYSICIANS AWARE OF THIS. SOME ALTERNATIVE TREATMENTS HAVE DANGEROUS INTERACTIONS WITH CERTAIN MEDICATIONS. **