E Ernst1. 1. Department of Complementary Medicine, School of Postgraduate Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Exeter, UK. E.Ernst@exeter.ac.uk
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Iridologists claim to be able to diagnose medical conditions through abnormalities of pigmentation in the iris. This technique is popular in many countries. Therefore it is relevant to ask whether it is valid. AIM: To systematically review all interpretable tests of the validity of iridology as a diagnostic tool. DATA SOURCE AND EXTRACTION: Three independent literature searches were performed to identify all blinded tests. Data were extracted in a predefined, standardized fashion. MAIN RESULTS: Four case control studies were found. The majority of these investigations suggests that iridology is not a valid diagnostic method. CONCLUSION: The validity of iridology as a diagnostic tool is not supported by scientific evaluations. Patients and therapists should be discouraged from using this method.
BACKGROUND: Iridologists claim to be able to diagnose medical conditions through abnormalities of pigmentation in the iris. This technique is popular in many countries. Therefore it is relevant to ask whether it is valid. AIM: To systematically review all interpretable tests of the validity of iridology as a diagnostic tool. DATA SOURCE AND EXTRACTION: Three independent literature searches were performed to identify all blinded tests. Data were extracted in a predefined, standardized fashion. MAIN RESULTS: Four case control studies were found. The majority of these investigations suggests that iridology is not a valid diagnostic method. CONCLUSION: The validity of iridology as a diagnostic tool is not supported by scientific evaluations. Patients and therapists should be discouraged from using this method.
Authors: Ignacio J Ansotegui; Giovanni Melioli; Giorgio Walter Canonica; Luis Caraballo; Elisa Villa; Motohiro Ebisawa; Giovanni Passalacqua; Eleonora Savi; Didier Ebo; R Maximiliano Gómez; Olga Luengo Sánchez; John J Oppenheimer; Erika Jensen-Jarolim; David A Fischer; Tari Haahtela; Martti Antila; Jean J Bousquet; Victoria Cardona; Wen Chin Chiang; Pascal M Demoly; Lawrence M DuBuske; Marta Ferrer Puga; Roy Gerth van Wijk; Sandra Nora González Díaz; Alexei Gonzalez-Estrada; Edgardo Jares; Ayse Füsun Kalpaklioğlu; Luciana Kase Tanno; Marek L Kowalski; Dennis K Ledford; Olga Patricia Monge Ortega; Mário Morais Almeida; Oliver Pfaar; Lars K Poulsen; Ruby Pawankar; Harald E Renz; Antonino G Romano; Nelson A Rosário Filho; Lanny Rosenwasser; Mario A Sánchez Borges; Enrico Scala; Gian-Enrico Senna; Juan Carlos Sisul; Mimi L K Tang; Bernard Yu-Hor Thong; Rudolf Valenta; Robert A Wood; Torsten Zuberbier Journal: World Allergy Organ J Date: 2020-02-25 Impact factor: 4.084
Authors: Margitta Worm; Imke Reese; Barbara Ballmer-Weber; Kirsten Beyer; Stephan C Bischoff; Martin Classen; Peter J Fischer; Thomas Fuchs; Isidor Huttegger; Uta Jappe; Ludger Klimek; Berthold Koletzko; Lars Lange; Ute Lepp; Vera Mahler; Bodo Niggemann; Ute Rabe; Martin Raithel; Joachim Saloga; Christiane Schäfer; Sabine Schnadt; Jens Schreiber; Zsolt Szépfalusi; Regina Treudler; Martin Wagenmann; Bernhard Watzl; Thomas Werfel; Torsten Zuberbier; Jörg Kleine-Tebbe Journal: Allergo J Int Date: 2015-11-07