DOH warns against Iridology
By Katherine Evangelista
INQUIRER.net
First Posted 19:06:00 08/04/2008
Filed Under: Health, Diseases
MANILA, Philippines – Iridology is “neither a diagnostic tool nor a therapeutic modality in alternative medicine,” the Department of Health (DoH) on Monday said.
“There is no scientific validation for the use of iridology and it does not have strong evidence of having value either for diagnosis or treatment of diseases,” Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said in a statement.
Iridology, or iridodiagnosis, is an alternative medicine technique where a patient’s iris is examined to determine information abut his or her health.
After examination, iridologists encourage patients to purchase “alleged herbal medicines” to cure or prevent the spread of their “diagnosed disease,” the DoH said.
These herbal medicines may have implications on the health of a person who does not need them, it said.
Duque fears that iridology puts the lives of patients at risk if it is used as replacement for established diagnostic tools since a patient might be given wrong information on his or her health condition.
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